I don’t like to stop.
That’s a thing.
I love to start knowing I can finish. Stopping and coming back is hard, especially when I can’t finish that time, either.
However, my schedule dictates that I must stop a lot and come back a lot and it’s very disturbing to me and I simply do not know how to talk myself into how it’s a good thing, because we hates it.
I told y’all this before, but I’m telling you again so you’ll know how serious this is for me. If you have mastered the mindset of long-term projects that stop and start and start and not on your own terms, you must tell me any secrets to your success.
If it makes you crazy, too, you can tell me. This is a safe-ish space.
Because this is me, doing anything, and being interrupted by anything, losing my shit. Right now I’m in a place of only hot irons. I honestly find myself highly adaptable and fluid, but for the love of puppies, can I just get one, single, solitary freakin thing done?
*stops to eat her goat cheese pizza*
joeyfullystated 
‘..losing my shit.’ That would be when my husband has to tell me all three stories in ‘Blue Bloods.’ Oooh honey, I don’t remember asking….
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LMAO!
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As long as you can finish your pizza (and possibly your wine) I think you will be ok!
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Oh dear god. Don’t get me started. My unfinished things are like lost unmatched socks. What does that belong to? How long has that been lying back there? Who TF sock is that? What was I thinking? Two things: it’s Tuesday; and I have no idea of what to say that might help. I write ‘to do’ stuff down (non projects) and I prioritize projects ‘this is the most important thing now,’ or is it ‘these are?’
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Stupid finite time. Stupid!
I’m glad to know you suffer similarly, in a sad glad kinda way.
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I hate that. Work projects drive me crazy that way. I have my agenda, my task list, some coffee, radio on. Then some SOB decides something else is much more important and must be done immediately.
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Fuck yeah. I seriously almost called you and Dan out, cause I know you both get interrupted a lot. I go in there with my agenda and my coffee and then FUCK ALL. I get home, get my soda, sit down to lappy and then FUCK ALL. Sometimes I am driving and have to turn around. How do we do it, Craig?!? We’re amazing.
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I’ve learned that my stuff can wait. At least the office is paying me, so they can call some of the shots. I still don’t like it. At home, I try to go with the flow, but sometimes I need time for my interests.
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Oof, at work, I wanna turn the phones off. LOL
At home, I just want to do one thing at a time. I think this weekend’s gonna be a good one for me.
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Funny, work requires multi-tasking. On my time I like a more linear approach. When I write, I do things my way.
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You’ve got a good system, obviously. Thriving career, abundance of books written…
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It seems to work. Employer gets to have it their way. My way seems to work too, but only on my time.
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I think I know what you mean. Whenever I start a thing and I am interrupted to do another thing I get just the tiniest bit exasperated. I have learned that a mind has tabs like a laptop. Just open a new tab and go to another topic. Back when I had a work life it could be challenging to see how many tabs I could open and still retain my sunny disposition.
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Oh bless. I get so overwhelmed. I can do a lot, I’m pretty amazing, but I do have limits, and I’m nowhere near as pleasant as you are. Maybe with good hard work and an eye on the tabs, I could grow up to be more like you!
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i hope your sights are set higher than that.
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I have something to learn from everyone.
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I ignore people sometimes and just keep working on my present task. I know, bad. But you asked, Joey.
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I DID ask. I bet your family isn’t fond of that, but I sure bet you get a lot done! Thanks, Mark!
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I pull that stunt more at work than at home, Joey. I learned it in the news business, where you must tune out everything else when on deadline! No, I would not get away with it with my dear wife Karen …
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My entire working life has been a series of long drawn-out projects. It’s not so bad. I’ll share my secret in a post at some point (it’s actually a topic in my drafts pile). For now, finish the pizza – at least you can bring that to completion – wash it down with something good.
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Great! I seriously almost called you out, because one, you have many projects and battle the weather, and two, you’re WISE. I almost called Craig out, too, cause he and I do similar work. I look forward to your post.
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I spent six years as a consultant. By definition, that job is moving from one thing to another, and getting interrupted any time there’s a chance to sell another thing. You learn how to do it or you get fired.
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#4 Daughter (Amazing) stayed here for a few days and said, “I can see why you don’t get much writing done.” The THIS and the THAT and the OTHERDAMNEDTHING…. ~whew~ I feel better now.
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Damn straight, #4, Damn straight!
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I get sidetracked much too easily and start trying to multitask the projects I need to complete even though I know it’s more efficient to single-task. That’s one of my goals this year. To order my things in my day planner in a way that helps me stay focused on each “most important task” until it’s completed and then move on to the next one.
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External forces distract me. If I distracted me, I’d be mad at me! Sounds like your list of priorities might just be the answer for you.
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I think I have a little ADD and often move from project to project processing the stuff that was my parents. Talking to myself like a loving but firm parent helps. “JoAnna, you are going to finish this pile, before you go to the next task.” In my old job, I got to put the phone on Do Not Disturb when I had a counseling session. That was really nice when I didn’t think about the paperwork piling up.
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Nice. I’d LOVE to be undisturbed by the phone at work. It’d be a dream. (But not good for business.)
I will try to parent myself, thanks!
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You’re good at parenting.
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Aw, thanks 🙂
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Truth.
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I mastered a long-term project, and it was painful. I ended up making a list breaking it up into baby steps to check off each day, which helped. I typically need to finish in one go, otherwise I feel weird or lose momentum. The boy’s teacher was…amused recently when I had the task of redoing her class library and stayed all day instead of letting it be a two week deal where I came in for an hour or two at a time. Noooooo.
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