Do You Prioritize Your Projects or...

[hunterridgefarm]

Just jump from one to another, complete one before starting another, have several going at once...

I guess having a new house and a lifetime of projects infront of me with several started I get the feeling of being a little overwhelmed at times. Don't get me wrong I absolutely love having things to do/build/work on.

I have landscaping to do, grass to sow, gravel to spread, rock retaining wall to build, block retaining wall to brick, more trees to cut down(100 cut so far), 100 plus blueberry bushes to plant, potting shed to build for wife, equipment shed to build, workshop/pole barn to build, build greenhouse,shrubs to dig for the landscaping at the house, 300 plus root plugs for nursery business I need to dig and move to this property...needs to be done in Feburary, gutter lines to extend ( have dug trench but has rained the last two days), another road to cut, stumps to grind, etc, ect,. This does not include my wifes "HONEY DO BOOK".

I did get the Well House completed, well 98% complete.

I tend to have several projects going at the same time. For one reason or another I may have to back off a project for a while, due to rain, lack of rain,lack of material (meaning I forgot something), or just need a change of pace. I do try to finish one project before getting to far into another.

I have tried to prioritize but all seem important...of course this past weekend hanging curtain rods went to the top of the list.

Now I am wondering if I should plant the bottom this year or wait until I get a few projects marked off the list; or just plant 25-50% of what was planned.

Do you priortize your projects?

Funny thing is I don't like just sitting around. Last night because of rain and getting dark early I was watching TV and I thought " if I had only cut and ripped that walnut board (14'x18") this past weekend I could start working on that country kitchen table the wife wants...

 

[firefighter9208]

I find that the best way for me to a complete a project/projects is to make a "to do " list. I work in a school and have a good deal of time off each year (I work 202 days and your regular 9-5 person works 260 days a year). I have 2 weeks at Christmas, 6 weeks in the summer, and every holiday known to man. . I still can't get all my projects done.

I usually bounce from one project to another. I started a chicken coup/run about 2 weeks before Thanksgiving. I got the chickens the day before Thanksgiving. We worked on the run Sunday after church and now have it ready to put the aviary netting on.

I had to stop progress on that project to work on goats kidding since Dec. 17.

Some days I'll be off and take my daughter to my moms and my son to the babysitter. I'll come home and have so many projects started that I can't figure out which one to work on. I'll just stand there in my shop or the yard for 10 minutes trying to figure out what to do. Sometimes I'll just get on the golf cart and ride around the property or go to my neighbors and talk to him. He has about as many projects as I do.

The list helps me the most though. I write in with a black sharpy and post it on the inside of my shop door. I then mark off items as I complete them. Of course I add items to the bottom as I think of them. I don't think I'll ever has that list done. Maybe one of these days when I retire.

Sometimes it's best to work on items that will make the wife happy. Maybe I'll go home today and caulk around and paint the trim on those two windows in the office and upstairs bedroom (we moved in the house 7 years ago) when I get home today. Or maybe not .

Chris

 

[czechsonofagun]

Funny thing is I don't like just sitting around. Last night because of rain and getting dark early I was watching TV and I thought " if I had only cut and ripped that walnut board (14'x18") this past weekend I could start working on that country kitchen table the wife wants...

It is important to be lazy sometimes - if you lose the ability, it is very hard to learn

I usually run more projects at a time, sometimes they wait for the money to be available or I hit a wall and wait for a solution to present itself.

Also weather/hunting/time of the day can be a factor. There are things I save for the shop and evening, not to waste the daylight by working inside.

 

[teg]

I wonder if I quit reading TBN, how long would it take to get some gauge wheels built!!! I do several projects at a time but at some point will make sure they are done before starting a new one. Have a cabin down by the creek to build and have put it off until everything else is done. This year is cabin time...

 

[MossRoad]

...

Do you priortize your projects?

...

Sure!
If it costs me money it comes after something that makes me money... unless it is requested by my spouse. Then it jumps to the top of the list.

 

[CurlyDave]

I prioritize, but very loosely.

I always have several going at once, and I will work on the most important until something more important comes up...

 

[hunterridgefarm]

have so many projects started that I can't figure out which one to work on. I'll just stand there in my shop or the yard for 10 minutes trying to figure out what to do.
Chris

I have done this many times!

 

[Matt_Jr]

I start many at once. I prioritize by weather and necessity. When one rips off the roof you have 'till it rains to get the new one back on. When the wife plans on walking the pug the grass better be lower than his belly. And like Moss said, if it makes me money, it comes first.

 

[JB4310]

I guess I'm the odd ball, I've got a 1 track mind and can only do 1 thing at a time, Ive been running a small restoration/waterproofing contracting business for 26 years now and never had 2 jobs going at once. For my own home projects I'm the same.

I know guys that have 4-5 jobs going at the same time, in 1 day they go between 2-3 jobs? Don't know how they do it, guess that's why I always stayed small with just 1 employee. Customers seem to appreciate it, I hear stories like painter starts a job and leaves in the middle while lady lives in the house with her furniture covered with drop clothes and can't get in her kitchen for a week.

I like to get paid!

 

[LBrown59]

I have 2 weeks at Christmas, 6 weeks in the summer, and every holiday known to man. . I still can't get all my projects done.

I don't think I'll ever get that list done.
*Maybe one of these days when I retire.
Chris

Better get them done before then .
It will get worse when you retire.

 

[Lasgambler]

Great Thread, I too, have serveral home projects going at one time. I will generally have 1 or 2 paying projects going at one time.

Some of the replies are great, "Stand for 10 min. trying to figure out what to do. " Practice at being lazy". I have to remember that one to tell my wife.
Terry

 

[vsteel]

I don't get to many projects going at once. I triage all of the projects that I have and then get them done by priority.

Even though there might seem to be a mountain of things to get done, if you take them one at a time, after a while you will see things getting done.

 

[hunterridgefarm]

Sure!
If it costs me money it comes after something that makes me money...

Then I need to move this to the top of the list. This is the small version until I get the pad ready for the large greenhouse.

Do you think this small one will hold up?

 

[EddieWalker]

I try to do one project at a time, but have found that it's just not possible unless it's something small. I find that the importance of a project changes as I progress on it. A pasture is important to get cleared and level to plant, but once planting season is over, that project loses it's place of importance and something else takes over. I've been working on fencing in my front pasture since I bought my land, but my grass isn't growing very well in places, so the fence has taken a back seat to other projects until I can get the soil corrected to grow grass.

Sometimes my priorities get changed for me. I've been clearing trees for roads, but we just got a new hot tub, so my wife changed my priorities for me and now I need to take out the old hot tub and put in the new one.

Other times, I try to stay focussed on finishing a project, but work and family sends me in another direction, and that project gets put off. I've been trying to build a deer blind since last spring. I started taking out trees where it's going to go, but then had the fan break off of my dozer while moving dirt. Then I had to build a prop for a play at the church that I do work for, and clean out my workshop for Thanksgiving. For an entire month, I didn't even look at my deer blind, but kept busy on projects that I didn't even knew existed when I started building the deer blind.

Yes, I prioritize my projects, but they keep changing around in their order on my list of which one is at the top of the list.

Eddie

 

[czechsonofagun]

" Practice at being lazy". I have to remember that one to tell my wife.
Terry

Sounds really bad like this IMO it is you first and foremost priority to take care of yourself to be able to take care of those that depend on you. Running and stressing till ulcers is not the best way to do it.


Off my soap box now

 

[Erik_in_Hoyt]

run multiple projects at a time. periodically write up a triage list so I can reprioritize and/or mark things off. for example - I did some rough seeding first to help with erosion control, then started the rock retinaing walls to limit the worst problems next to the house, smoothed out the parking area, brought in more gravel, worked inside the house while the weather was bad, finished off the retaining walls over a month of weekends while doing other things evenings during the week, etc... now I need more gravel and to mow some fire breaks as soon as I find a replacement mower. (picking up new tractor tonight)

 

[Cat_Driver]

I've usually have more projects than money, so the cash flow determines when projects are started.

I was talking to the wife the other day and said, you know I don't think I will live long enough to complete all my dreams and projects.

When I started this land I had plenty of dreams and plenty of tim, that was 20 plus years ago. I still have the dreams, but when you get older your body doesn't always cooperate....and no one can stop time.

 

[schmism]

I ususally have at any given time about 5 projects currently "open" or in some phase of partialy-done-but-useable state.

Take the pool deck. the bench and rail along 2 sides is done. but left to finish is the railing on the stairs, gate on the stairs, pergola overhead, lattice underneith... but currently been on "pause" for months after i got as far as i did because the deck was very useable as is, and we did for a few months. Dispite haveing the material i need to acutally finish the project sitting on 4x4's ready to be cut up and installed. Just got to a point were i could move on to something more pressing.

The bathroom is another example. The remodel has been phased in about 4 phases.
Get it working (replaceing subfloor under the toilet), done
replacing the crappy doors with a pocket door and work on the drywall, done
put new floor down and toilet in done
put new wainscoting up and paint (next)
replace cabinet and counter top sink (have new sinktop and faucet) planned

the above "project" will have taken over a year to compleatly finish all phases due to moving on to the next most pressing project inbetween the various phases.

so do you count the bathroom remodel as an ongoing or "open" project or do you view each phase as its OWN project and therefore started and finished within a day or 2 for each phase.

So yes i certainly prioritize projects, but that by no way means that from day to day or week to week the priority on any given project doesnt change. Usually to do whatever project the boss wants done the most that week is what is moved to the top.

 

[charlz]

I do make lists, priority may vary depending on what else is going on, dependencies etc.

A lot of it boils down to time management. A few observations I've made:

It's the 'open loops' that cause you stress... all the unfinished things, so its better to keep these at a minimum.

Just because a project is 'new' doesn't mean you shouldn't get it out of the way, if its going to take 20 mins to complete then just do it and get back to that 6 month project later. (that tired saying about 'low hanging fruit' applies)

"What is the best use of my time _right now_?" is the question to ask yourself when you're not sure what to do next.

 

[wushaw]

Yes, you have to.... like in your case you need a shop built before you can work on things out of the elements.