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Unfinished Projects

Goofyball

Hey guys, I can't be the only one who does this, but does anyone else start things and then leave them months or years without returning to them?

I wonder if it's an autism thing?

In some cases, years later I don't even return to some projects despite knowing that it still needs to be done. I either lose interest or, more likely, I get busy doing something else that takes up all my time and interest. I find it difficult to be interested in multiple things at once.

Of the top of my head these are some of my unfinished projects...

* I have multiple books that I've started writing and then stopped and never returned to. They are saved on my computer waiting to see the light of day again.

* I have a Rover SD1 Vitesse Twin Plenum which I bought a few years ago when I was 21. I parked it to the right of the workshop at the end of the yard by the trees, intending to get to it. Here we are nearly 6 years later and it's still parked there and a tree branch has since fell on it, smashing the rear window and rust has set in the usual places.

* I intended to paint my room so bought the brushes, paint and overalls to do the job. The paint and kit is all still waiting to be used.

* I have an old stereo from the 80s at the back of my workshop, waiting to be restored.

* I have a classic Mini Cooper which I had intended to restore and repaint as one of the Minis from the Italian Job. I want to repaint it as the white one which was always my favourite of the 3. It's been in my workshop nearly 10 years now.

These are just some of my unfinished projects but there are many, many more which I haven't listed here.

  • in reply to Autonomistic

    Have you considered covering all your items and then exploding the paint can so it just covers your walls as Mr Bean did?

    Be warned though, if somebody were to sneak in and retrieve their hat it may ruin your painting experience. Stuck out tongue 

  • in reply to Autonomistic

    You’re doing fine, I viewed a house last month that hadn’t been decorated since 1960. Autistic inertia, the first step in  actually starting something is painful and drawn out.
    I notice with free ads, there’s always a rowing machine and exercise bike for free. I do buy a lot of yellow sticker food when it’s late on a Sunday, I try to restrain myself and think,”will I actually eat it?” then I’m thinking,”will it freeze?” Oh yes, I can freeze it and then throw it away next year.

  • Definitely.

    It must be at least 10 years since I bought the new paint and wallpaper to redecorate my living room. I wouldn't say so much it's an unfinished project but rather not even started. It's such a huge task moving everything that it is so daunting and I don't trust myself not to make a mess of the job.

    I also have a tendency to buy something when I see a 'bargain' but the item is left in the box unopened for years and unused. Under my kitchen table I currently have a slow cooker and an air fryer that have both been there a few years. You'd think I'd learn by now that things are not a bargain if I'm never going to use them Confounded

  • in reply to Mister

    Thanks, we have now sold and going to live locally with my mother for a year, her house has an empty granny annex. This will give me time to finish customers cars and sell the workshop. Just the house sale has been stressful, I couldn’t cope with selling the workshop at the same time.
    Went down to Cornwall last month and started to look at different areas. It may even be a move to North Devon. 

  • in reply to Roy

    I seem to recall you mentioning moving in the near future, to Cornwall? I hope that will be soon for you and yours Roy. What a fantastic start to the new year that would be for you all.

    I don't live in Cornwall, alas, but I do drive that way most years as it's a beautiful part of the country. Nice people there as well.

  • Cars seem to be my unfinished project issue, I restore classic cars for a living, it’s ideal as I’m on my own all day. I’ve got some car projects that I haven’t touched in 10 years. My first car was a Mk1 Mini, I have all the parts to build my ideal MK1 Cooper, very similar to the red one in The Italian Job but with a black roof and closer to the rally Minis in the Gaydon collection. I should sell some of the other cars but I get attached to them, they are like my family. Some even have names and gender.  My worst habit is going to auto jumbles, my wife refers to my purchases as another piece of rusty metal, I refer to them as rare artefacts!  They then get put in the shed and forgotten about.

    Projects around the house that I have started years ago have only just been completed, that’s only because we are selling the house. I can get very consumed in something and have to learn everything there is to know about it,  all of a sudden the switch is turned off and something new grabs my attention.

  • This almost definitely is an autistic trait for some, if not for most. 

    I have many projects on the go all at once and though I'm determined and full of great ideas none of them are finished. Most are left in a heap of abandonedness.

    However, of late I have been working on an audio recording which is more less me airing some of my thoughts and also thanking this community for being, well yourselves. I do intend to copy the recording to here when it is done. It should be finished before long.

    My biggest project of late has been my garden. I've been tackling it on and off but keep losing interest so just when I'm starting to make progress out all gets out of hand and extremely wild again.. I do like the challenge though.. but it would be better if I could get it done and finished.

  • in reply to Goosey

    Ooh that sounds really interesting! You should try and get it finished and published! Would be an amazing achievement :) 

  • in reply to HMO

    Glad your still singing :) 

    I managed a few more pages of my book so hopefully we're both making good progress ^^

  • I had an idea of a series of song covers about 6 years ago. I could have spent the intervening time actually getting good at my singing but it never happened Sob

    I'm doing it now though. I'm trying anyway.

    There's other little things. I liked the idea of building a pedal go-kart I can use in the garden or something.

    I liked the idea of using my washing line as a mini zip line but there's not enough of an incline.

  • in reply to Sloan

    It's about my life with autism and struggling with mental health

    I've sort of put all my journals together

    Hoping it will be helpful to others with autism :) 

  • The last few days I have considered having confusion therapy. I could create a mind map of: things I do, things I am waiting to do, stuff I want to do but don’t know if I should, small things, more regular things, network support projects, tutoring, co-production, too disabled to work full time. Maybe too many choices?

    I am practicing guitar and doing a craft class. Have organised a local Manor House tour. 

  • in reply to Goosey

    What’s your book about? 
    Just being nosy :) 

  • I do a lot of writing and I've been 'writing a book' for about 10 yrs lol XD 

    I've put lots of work in to it but I never finish it I keep working and editing and changing it

    I leave it for months then I'm back to it and it's been like this for years.

    I've got unfinished art projects and unfinished singing projects as well

    A lot of it I think is where my mental health isn't always great and I'm anxious a lot of the time I struggle to stay focused and lose drive in my interests 

  • in reply to Goofyball

    Ahhh sounds like amazing memories you’ve got with your sister! You should try and do a pumpkin craft again even if you don’t get to see her so much now! 
    Who knows, maybe I’ll get round to finally spray painting some pumpkins this year! :) 

  • in reply to Iain

    Your restoration channel sounds fun and interesting mate. I might have already seen it, I watch a lot of things like that on YouTube Grinning it's right up my alley.

    I've considered doing my own channel for restorations before but so far never given it a try but I am tempted to do it at some point. I was doing an Instagram for a while where I uploaded pics of the Senator as I restored it and it did get a lot of interest. Definitely worth a go at some point.

    I hope you continue to enjoy doing your videos. 

  • in reply to Goofyball

    Have you considered doing a YouTube channel of the projects? There seem to be quite a few, mostly American ones, and they deal with all sorts of car and oddball item restorations.

    Some are from old professionals and some from relative newcomers who are still developing their skills, but it is the subject matter that counts typically.

    I'm doing my own channel at the moment with property restoration and want to start on on classic Japanese bike restorations as well.

    It takes a while but you can make some decent money off of it.

  • in reply to Sloan
    Sloan said:
    Yeah mine is always increasing too! I have all these grand ideas but can’t seem to follow through on them

    Haha me too, I completely relate!

    Your pumpkin spraying sounds like a great idea and I hope one day you'll get round to doing it. I'd like to give that a go one day as well, maybe if my sister comes round we can do it together as she's left home now we don't see each other all that much.

    My sister and I used to carve the pumpkins and give them silly faces. We applied makeup to them, gave them hats and scarves, glasses.. Once we took Grampys tweed hat for one but we got in trouble foSweat smilethat Sweat smile

  • in reply to Iain

    Thanks mate, all good ideas and I really do need to start clearing things out of my workshop. And the yard Laughing I think I need to be more brutal and just accept that I'm not going to get around to this and that.. like the Rover. OK it's not a rotten shell but another 6 years and it will be beyond saving. If someone's got the know how it can still be saved, but it's not a weekends work! 

    My mum's always telling me to clear a lot of my junk out.. it's not junk. It's all cool stuff but it's finding the time to do a lot of it. I've got my Senator and Quattro to restore at the moment, pGrinningentially the Mini Cooper as well Grinning