Finish

I have written before about my need to finish: finish my tennis stroke, finish reading a book, finish a project, etc. For some reason the idea of finishing never translated to the finishing of my time spent volunteering or outside responsibilities. When I would be asked if I could serve on this committee or help out with that event I generally say, "sure".  I would just add that request to whatever else I was doing.    It just occurred to me that I need to finish any volunteer work before I say yes to start any new endeavor. 

Has that ever happened to you?  You go along, being asked for this or that and you say yes because no one request requires much in the way of time or money.  But at some point when all the demands start to add up,  the collective investment is exhausting. 

The other day, I had listed all the items that I needed to do for the various committees I am on.  It turns out that I have five major responsibilities with at least four to five "to-do" check offs under each one.  The check-offs require me to create or perform some type of job and they are items that take a fair amount of time.  

No wonder I was feeling overwhelmed.  

I remember years ago a friend shared with me that when her grandchild was at a Montessori school, part of their teaching was that the child learned not to take out another play items, puzzle or activity before putting back the one he was using.  

What a concept!  I need to practice that with my time requests. For some reason the requests to email individuals about a volunteer offering, schedule a rotation chart, design policies and procedures for an ongoing committee, write the curriculum and teach a five week class (among other requests) don't seem too demanding at first and don't  seem to warrant a careful consideration when initially asked.   These are easy things for me to do.

Yet easy or not it is the time involved that has me feeling as if every toy is out in the room and I have no way to put any of it back. 

It seems as if every six months I need to reevaluate what I am doing, to finish what I started and to build in breaks from one obligation to the next.  I used to practice this method of time management but over the last year, life and its demands have me scrambling around.  I know that I don't want to just resign or walk away without a clean and clear break of obligations. 

What about you?  Do you feel the pressure of too many demands on your time?  Are they things that you want to do?  Are they things that have just happened?  How do you manage requests for your time and talent? Do you finish what you started or do you just quit?  What choices can you make that would give you some margin with your time? 

How can you practice putting away one toy before getting out another? 

Finish!

When I first took tennis lessons I had a pro constantly call out, "Finish!!"  What he meant was that as I swung through and hit the ball, I needed to finish the swing- taking my racquet and arm through the shot and end with my elbow high and the racquet almost wrapped around my torso. It took a while for me to achieve it and even now I need to remind myself, "finish!"

I have found that I also use that expression when I am in the middle of a project, activity or even asking others in my family to complete their tasks.  "Finish", I say under my breath as I see the rinsed-out, yet not- in-the-dishwasher cereal bowl in the sink.  "Finish", I tell myself when I want to stop running after only ten steps.  "Finish", I will encourage when I want to leave the drop cloths on the floor, the paint on the brushes, and the trim unpainted. 

Turns out the uncompleted project is a common occurrence.  In January's issue of Real Simple, an author described her frustration with having numerous undone projects and explores the why and how she can accomplish them.  She visits a life coach, a psychologist, checks out helpful technology for keeping on task and even hires a personal assistant.  She learns why she is the way she is. She learns that as a woman there are hormonal reasons and times to be motivated. She spends an inordinate amount of money to have a stranger finish a craft project favor for her daughter's birthday party even though she gets much enjoyment from making her own crafts. 

Bottom line:  "Finish".

We might know why we are the way we are; e.g. undiagnosed ADHD or poor modeling from multiple achiever parents.  We might have a plan to save and hire a personal assistant (her NYC based personal assistant cost $85/hour).  We might even have "permission" to finish the task through a work related article.  Yet with all that information, we still feel the weight of unfinished projects and the stress of getting them all done. 

So...

There comes the time when we just have to take the initiative and figure out what is needed to do (watch the ball); pull back our arm in preparation (gather information, tools, resources for what we need); contact the ball (start what is necessary) and finish through with the swing (complete the whole movement or activity without going on to the next).

I think I want to finish some of my undone projects.  Either that, or just get rid of the projects realizing that they will never be finished and why carry all that guilt.  

What about you?  Do you have unfinished projects?  How does that make you feel?  What will you do about them?  What do you need to do to "Finish!"?