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Vox Populi: Reasons to Quit

I have a lot of trouble keeping track of what I'm supposed to be doing. It's not that I necessarily have trouble prioritizing my tasks or scheduling things - I mean I do, but that's not the main problem.

The main problem is that I've got too many things I really need (want) to do - too many long-term projects with potential - and I'm never exactly sure when they're a few weeks away from a grand payoff and when they're just wasting my time.

I suppose this is a crisis of faith.

Here's the thing: I'm creative for a living, which means I always have two or three (or 20 or 30) things going on at once, none of which are guaranteed to actually create anything, but all of which could - provided I can focus enough attention to them. You know the kind of thing I'm talking about. Finishing that screenplay. Practicing with the band. Re-editing that short story. Spending the weekend on a film shoot. Learning Photoshop. These are all things that have that point in the middle - the "desperate hour," a creative journalist friend of mine called it - when you're absolutely not sure why you're even there.

And sometimes, the sad truth is, that doubting voice is absolutely right - sometimes, this thing you're sweating over really is just wasting your time.

So here's my question:


How do you know when it's time to move on? What makes you make up your mind?

Because I really need to know.

starkos's picture

Prioritize and Park

I'm in the same boat, and agree with the previous comments. I have been making great strides toward finishing projects when I started prioritizing my projects and parking all but the top 2-3. I haven't quit anything, just parked them. I have folders to collect ideas that pop up, and review all of my parked projects as part of weekly review to make sure they stay "fresh".

Part of my prioritization was to consider how much effort would be required to reach something resembling "finished", or at least "released" (I'm in software, myself). So stuff that I can finish sooner gets a +1 over something that needs more time.

 
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