Do I have too many ideas and interests?

So in the space of about 8 hours I’ve thought about building a live steam loco, then a scale model tram, then a scale model of a 1938 stock underground carriage and now a highly elaborate Austrian cuckoo clock (minus the mechanism) made from wood with cable cars etc....Each idea I get fascinated about look at YouTube videos of it and really get the tast until another idea creeps in.

My interests: Model making, Railways both real and model, London Underground, woodwork, gardening, landscape and townscape painting to name a few lol...

Some might say having lots of ideas is great but problem is you never decide what project to do and nothing ever gets started.

Don't worry you are not alone ! Many of the forum members have more than one interest and have multiple projects on the go all the time, i usually aim on getting something to a certain point like say the base of a steam engine i will machine it and get it up to the point of painting then once under primer i may let it sit for a week or four and work on another project and get it up to a point where i can leave it sit for a while . I do this because the weather really governs what i do in the workshop especially in summer as it gets bloody hot in there ! Once the mercury creaps up over 30c i move inside and play with electronics , 3D printing , scale modelling or play on the computer with some cad .

If you are having trouble deciding which projectto do write them down on some small pieces of paper and drop them in a bucket and draw one out !

Remeber variety is the spice of life !

Start with something simple. It's good to get something done and dusted, rather than plugging on for several years on a live steam loco etc.

Cost each project out in terms of money and amount of time, see if that helps you make up your mind.

I have far too many projects under way Simon - so it's not just a problem with choosing just one from all those interests, it's also managing to stay focused on just a few and completing them. I tend to work on something for a while and then there is either an "interruption" or a "distraction".

Interruptions are where I have a problem with something, such as not being able to make it to my satisfaction, having the right tool or material available - or often just not being able to decide how to proceed next... So 'it' gets put to one side until the right part, tool or inspiration comes to me...some years might pass before I will return to it.

Distractions are where something really interesting pops up and I'm tempted to "just have a quick look at it" - several very pleasant hours, days or months may pass until (once again) I am "interrupted"....

And so it goes. Somewhere in my families past, we must have been involved with Butterflys - as it seems I have a Butterfly gene hiding within me somewhere.

To be aware of the problem does help keep one a little more focused but I have also managed to rationalise the problem too. After all, if I am generally happy (and enjoy) fliting here, there and everywhere - then perhaps that is the whole point of a hobby. Fortunately, I'm not making my living at it...

But another factor is beginning to help me stay a little more focused and that is the increasing knowledge that many of my more ambitious projects may never get finished in the time left to me - so some hard choices will have to be made I'm afraid...if only to tidy things up a bit

All a bit depressing I'm afraid - but then gain - there was that very interesting article about a low-cost CNC machine the other day that I must have another look at....

Regards,

IanT

This is basically describing me for the whole of my life. It's never done me any harm and not once for as long as I've drawn my breath have I ever been bored. . . . Carry on doing it your way. It works out fine.

At work I did risk assessments, planned, budgeted, set milestones, organised and prioritised. If you want results set goals and work to them. Stressful but much satisfaction had from getting things done, and of course I got paid for it.

Now I'm retired I mostly potter about. I flit between projects, get sidetracked and forget what I'm supposed to be doing. It's a hobby that I do for fun. Much satisfaction to be had from messing about and it's challenge without stress. Mostly.

Both approaches are valid in their place. But beware; others are far more impressed by people who actually finish things. Quite a lot of what I do is considered time-wasting by my family.

Dave

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 05/03/2018 09:38:51

YES - is the answer to your question as I see it. I recognise it, as I have the same problem. So I end up messing about all day, achieve nothing, finish nothing.but am fortunate in that my wife never complains. I have started three engines, got halfway, got bored, found them beyond my capabality, put them on ebay and lost money.

BB

This probably sums me up.

My sentiments exactly!

Dave
The Emerald Isle

Simon, you are certainly not alone, I see what I consider amazing model projects that I would like to achieve and purchase the plans in readiness for starting, then reality kicks in and I realise that I already have about 4 projects under construction and I should perhaps attempt to complete at least one of them. The overriding element is that it is just a hobby, no need to get stressed about it and we should just do what makes us happy, we don’t have to work to strict deadlines so just do what makes you happy.

Dave W

I try to keep one substantial project under way with a few hours' work a week, and do lots of smaller bits and pieces in between. Sometimes those get a bit larger, as when I make a batch of lubricator pipe unions for the local railway, or a batch of drop-spindle whorls in lignum vitae or some other hardwood for some of the missus' spinning & weaving friends.

In 'The Darkest Hour' somebody said Churchill had 100 ideas a day, and 4 of them might be good. I think that's the condition to avoid - you can't know which are good in advance. You might never be bored, but you generally mustn't exasperate everyone you know.

wow, read these posts and now know i`m not alone. could it be that the art of applying oneself is more important than brains. lol i think i`m doomed