Prioritizing

So I am, apparently, almost incapable of working on one knitting project at a time. Or even of working on the most important project. Part of my sister's birthday present is now going to be her Christmas present - not that I'm actually working on it right now, even though it's on the needles. I have a blanket I'm working on, that I'm actually happy with, and is about 1/3rd of the way finished, but I haven't been working on that, either - partly because it's starting to get too warm to work on, the longer it gets. It'll be a very cozy lap blanket in the winter, but that does make it uncomfortable to work on in warm weather. I picked up yarn for a shrug on impluse, found a pattern I like, and made one sleeve - now it's hibernating until I can block out the sleeve. I have yarn to work on my mom's Christmas presents, my brother-in-law's present, a requested present for my friend's sister, and my grandmother's present - most of these are actually sitting in my knitting bag of 'current' projects, not in my stash.

I also have a list of projects that I need to buy yarn for and work on, if I'm going to get those done for Christmas. I keep telling myself that, really, I can't afford to just go buy yarn right now, especially more expensive yarns, but that's just an excuse. It's true that I shouldn't spend money frivolously right now, but that didn't keep me from buying a new bodice at the Ren Fest, did it? Buying all the yarn I want/need for projects right now probably wouldn't cost any more than that did.

What am I working on? A purse for a friend of mine, who mentioned rather casually that she might like a purse of a certain style, and maybe I could knit her one. I got ideas almost immediately, picked up yarn a couple days later, and then began designing my own pattern and learning how to do double knitting, which I'd wanted to learn anyway, and I think is perfect for the purse. It'll be reversible, and lined, as soon as I'm finished. Also, if she doesn't like it for some reason, I'll totally keep it to use myself. And I'm thinking about doing a variation on it for my sister and myself anyway. Even though I'm only less than 1/3rd of the way into the bag, and I haven't finished figuring out how to do the strap yet.

I am having lots of fun with this pattern, and learning a lot, but it's still not very high up on the list of things I should be working on. And that's just the list of knitting projects, not other things, like, say, filling out job applications!

I really am hopeless at this prioritization thing lately. Because, not only am I focusing on knitting instead of other things, and working on the least important projects first, I also spent most of my morning looking at yet more patterns. I ran across a pattern for a knitted wide-brim lace hat. I can never find hats that fit, and I had been looking for a wide-brim hat last year, so I immediately went "oh, that's so pretty! I wonder if there are other patterns like it! maybe I can find a free one!"

Yep, there went 2 hours.

Really, sometimes I think I need professional help.

And then I tell myself, no, I don't really, I just need to get my ass in gear and get things done, instead of sitting about wasting time.

Take this blog, for example - I've thought of at least a dozen things to post about since last time (in June?! holy crap), but I never actually sat down to write one. Why? I don't know - just lazy, probably. It's not like I've really been that busy.

I really do spend too much time just relaxing. I know I can keep myself moving and just go from one project to the next without pausing - I do that at work all the time - but I somehow lack the motivation to do that at home. Admittedly, I don't enjoy working like that, but neither do I really enjoy living with my parents and working at Subway at 25. I've just got to find a way to get that work ethic and motivation injected into every part of my life, and get used to the idea that I should relax like other people do - on vacation. Not all day every day.

I'll let you know how I do.