The Five Project Rule

I love starting things. The school year, home projects, resolutions, new pads of paper...

I also love finishing things. Usually because I'm so sick of something by the time I finally finish it that I am thrilled. And then I can start something new.

But when I get mired deep in the middle of soemthing that's moving along like molasses (see: bathroom remodel) I lose all excitement for it. I don't want to see it, I don't want to think about it, blah. And then I start other things.

Which is why at the end of last year I had ten or eleven open projects on my desk. Far far too many. I have the multitask, but at ten or eleven, you really have no idea what's going on with any one thing.

So I made a new rule for myself. I could only have FIVE projects open at any given time. So far this is working really well. It motivates me to finish things so that I can start things. And it motivates me to get back into projects that I would really rather shove under the cube wall into my neighbor's cube. Which is what I have been doing all day. Mainly database work, but the most annoying database work ever. Like typing in "Engr" 900 times because the program won't let me cut and paste.

I could ask the admin to do this, but the particular admin who is helping on this project is driving the aforesaid neighbor batshit crazy by making inane suggestions and complaints. I think it's easier to just type Engr 900 times.