Finish Unfinished Projects and UnClutter Your Mind

For me it’s books. I can’t believe it, but right at this moment I am reading six!

Now, before you think I’m a literary genius (wish I were but… NOT!), let me explain.  I start a book and then I start another. And then another. Somehow, I hear about yet another “must” read, and I’m online with my frequent book buyer card, ordering more books that either come in and stack up on my shelf, or get started and end up getting shelved anyway.

Most of these yummy reads are self help books which are inspirational, informative and can teach me something. Hey, I’m a life coach right? So I like this kind of stuff. Even when I read fiction, I need to get something out of it other than shear pleasure so I gravitate toward historical fiction (don’t you love the Elizabethan novels by Philippa Gregory?) or a book relating to one of my travels … make that 7 books and counting since I now realize I started a A Fine Balance on Oprah’s suggestion when I ventured on a retreat to India last year.

Here’s my current reading list ….and I’d like to say that I can recommend them all (but since I haven’t read each cover to cover, my recommendation isn’t quite justified, is it?):

1. Eat, Pray, Love (E. Gilbert, 2006) – I’m in Italy now and can’t wait to read about India and Indonesia.
2. A Year by the Sea: Thoughts of an Unfininshed Women (J. Anderson, 1999)– My second time around with this book. I’m almost finished but I still want to read “About this Book” in the ending pages.
3. The Feminine Mistake: Are we Giving Up too Much (L. Bennetts, 2007) – I met the author at the fabulous R.J. Julia’s in Madison, CT and encourage every woman to read this book for autonomy, independence and self security!
4. Ageless (S. Somers, 2006) – I want to be informed on aging!
5. The Secret (R. Byrne 2006) – I’ve seen the DVD and have been taking my time absorbing this “must” read for everyone.
6. The Psychic Pathway (S. Choquette, 1994) – Twelve weeks to intuitive awareness which is taking me a lot longer.
7. A Fine Balance (R. Mistry, 1995) - I’ll pick this up after I read about India in Eat, Pray, Love above.

Now if I could read 7 or more books simultaneously and manage it well (Bill Clinton is supposedly a master at this), then there wouldn’t be an organizational issue. But, that’s not the case. Having all of these unfinished books swirling in my head just creates more mind clutter!

I know I want to finish all of the books, so ditching one is not an option. But what happens when another enticing book pops up, and I get that all too familiar feeling to crack open the binding and delve right in? Is this an addiction, do I lose interest too fast, or am I just over-stimulated with too much information?

Here is my organizational strategy for those unfinished projects and finishing all the books that you started:

Gather All Loose Ends Together – As I write this entry, all of my unfinished books are stacked at my feet because I need exact titles and authors. There they are in one place and I realize that getting to each one is now easier. Just a few minutes ago they were strewn around the house but now they are all in one place. So when I do my usual “get out in a hurry” routine, I can easily find the one I need to finish if I happen to get stuck in my car waiting for kids’ piano lessons to be over or have a doctor’s appointment. Gathering unfinished projects together in one place (if possible - if not, list your projects on paper), is a good place to start.

Then, Start with the Easiest – The obvious book to finish first is the one with only a few pages to go. What project can you finish quickly and get off of your plate? Get to that first, finish it, shelve it and move on to the next.

Use Productive Time and Get Systemized – I like to read a few minutes in the morning and at night. So, I’ll earmark the self helpers for the mornings and start my day with inspirational ideas and thoughts. In the evening, I like to unwind so books promoting well-being will be reserved on my nightstand. And, I’ll keep fictional books at the ready, for grabbing when I know I can squeeze in a few moments to read. What system can you incorporate so you break things into sizeable chunks and get through projects you want to finally finish?

Get to the Finish Line – So I don’t fall back into the clutter of so many unfinished books again, I’m going to commit in the future to finishing each, one at a time. And NO more online orders or cracking new covers open until I’ve finished what I started. Make a pact with YOU, put it in writing and get to the finish line too!

Identify unfinished projects, work out a system to tackle them little by little and stay focused until they are complete!