Anyone else “need” a project?

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Whether it’s a holiday, planning an event/occasion, finding new places to go to on day trips, figuring out new clubs or activities for the kids, decorating the house, new job, investigating potential houses to buy....

I seem to need a mini project or a focus. I’m an armchair researcher.

I don’t have one at the moment and feel a bit lost. We’ve just been on holiday, I’ve exhausted all potential new house options, kids don’t need more activities....

There’s loads of actual physical real life things I could do - sort my office, sort the loft, learn a language, do some boring admin, get fit, bit that doesn’t seem to motivate me in the same way that scrolling through pages of houses for sale or Pinterest for new kitchen ideas or figuring out a nice holiday.

Work is also a bit quiet at the moment, I’m waiting for big projects to start.

Stress and running around like a headless chicken seem to be what I’m used to. And now I’m a bit more time-rich, I don’t really know what to do with myself 🤷🏼‍♀️

Just me then

Yes me!! Although I seem to be much better at the planning thank the actual doing.

Me! Always planning something or I feel totally adrift.

I love a good spreadsheet.

Luckily DH is good on the 'big idea' and I'm the details and logistics guy.

Me too! Usually an event or outting of some sort. It's always followed by an emptiness until I've replaced it with the next thing.

I was gutted last night that we can’t plan holidays due to the current situation so I spent time looking up prices at different times of year anyway! I think I enjoy the planning more than the going 😂

I’ve finished decorating the house and instead of walking around it being pleased I’m a bit disappointed. Now discussing a loft extension 😂😂😂

I agree. Problem is I'm also a chronic procrastinator, so my projects never get completed🙄

Oh I love planning, far more than doing. I plan events for a living (or did, very much not currently working!)

Yes. Both me and H. So much we're looking at moving to another doer upper and starting again

Yes yes yes me!

If I'm not planning something/dealing with something I'm dead inside.

Feminism. It's brilliant to centre women, realise all the shit we still put up with and actually contribute to doing something good for women who cannot speak out. Get yourselves on to The Feminist Chat board on here, or read Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez, take a look at Fair Play For Women, support your local women's charity or refuge or pay for the education of a girl in a developing country who would otherwise not have the opportunity for one. There is a LOT to do!

My 'project' for lockdown was learning about wine. I threw myself into the 'research' ahem with heroic motivation

A family tree is your friend.
My tree has intermittently kept me occupied for the last 12 years - I have phases with it, doing it for months then leaving for a year or so. These days you can do a lot of research online, pretty much back to the late 18th century and you don’t need to visit record offices etc.

Yes me and DH. Always. We love a project. Can be anything from keeping chickens or bees, moving house, renovating a camper van, decorating a room, having a baby 😁
It’s all treated like a project. We love having stuff to plan and look forward to. We aren’t very good at relaxing and do tend to have ideas above our station when it come to what we can achieve with our time and money. But hey. We are super motivated Kind of people and love doing it all.
And the rewards are massive when you’re sat at the beach with your camper van, or enjoying a pimms on the patio you laid yourself etc

Oh yes I sorted my loft when on maternity leave. It’s great

Yes, me. I like the mini sense of achievement I get from it so will break a large project into smaller ones. Having a focus and a goal keeps me calm. Doesn't pair that well with DP though when it's household improvements because he gets frustrated that I constantly want to change things or feels like nothing is ever good enough for me. But then I do lots of craft projects too, not just buying new lampshades

You are not alone

Yep, love a project. I’ve been building a hen house today, which has been a mini project for this week.

Other things I’m working on:

• planning a big veg & fruit garden & orchard. We start physical work in the autumn

• outdoor theatre project for next summer

• Month-long Mediterranean Odyssey, maybe for next autumn when I turn 40, or if we can’t afford it by then, in a few years at the mid point between my partner’s and my 40ths

I’ve always got something on the go, always have had, even when I was a kid (I was very much of a “let’s put on a show in the old barn!” persuasion).

FRENCHIC!!

Look up The Frenchic Fan Forum on Facebook

What’s Frenchic? Is it learning french? I’m currently occupied with Portuguese but I have a long term fantasy to one day serve as an MEP, so I want to learn french properly (a B at GCSE twenty odd years ago won’t cut it with Michel Barnier).

Ooh spreadsheets + procrastination = the perfect mix!!

I’m very impressed with those of you making progress in real life stuff. My online projects (basically google, Pinterest, rightmove, booking.com etc etc) are far more successful than real world ones......

Dead inside is a good way of describing no-project phases. People tell me to enjoy it but I feel a bit lost tbh.

Just off to research what new book to read... waaaaaay more fun than reading the book itself

My DH is like this.

He threw himself into one, which took up a lot of his time (and mine, because somebody had to hold the other end of the tape measure), before an estate agent told him it was a waste of time.

So he started another project. I got dragged into the research, checking things out etc. I was lukewarm from the start and had reached the dizzy heights of "oh well, if it's going to make him happy, I can put up with it". We paid a deposit last week, since when he's got more and more stressed about it. This morning, just before we were about to commit to a £20K spend, he chickened out thank goodness

I dread to think what's coming next.

Now holidays - that's MY kind of project!! I'm off to stroke my holiday spreadsheet ...

Holiday spreadsheet sounds amazing!

Haha, no, I don't really like projects much. But I know people who threw themselves into their wedding or whatever and then felt really bored and flat afterwards.

@ItchyScratch
Due to sheer noisiness I had a look at that frenchic fan page. Big mistake. Huge.
I know have a kitchen full of paint, dc fix, and sanding equipment.