Accountability Problem

[catQuestions3]

I’m a single young adult who lives by himself and I’ve noticed that my apartment is getting buried with half-finished projects. I’ll start working on something and then put it down and not getting around to finish it.

At first, I thought that maybe I’m easily distracted. However, I’m almost afraid to pick back up one of my old projects which I haven’t finished. I have lots of half-written letters, half-read books, half-done projects, etc… Whenever I try to pick up an incomplete project, I get paralyzed.

I wonder if maybe I’m afraid of failure and not having the project turn out ok.

Does anyone have any suggestions about how I can improve in this area?

Thanks! (Sorry if this is in the wrong category → I wasn’t really sure where it belongs…)

 

[Julian0404]

Yes, “choose” completion. As you chose initiation, it is a choice to finish. Not an easy choice, but if not voiced, it will not be achieved.

 

[mariyka]

I’m a single young adult who lives by himself and I’ve noticed that my apartment is getting buried with half-finished projects. I’ll start working on something and then put it down and not getting around to finish it.

At first, I thought that maybe I’m easily distracted. However, I’m almost afraid to pick back up one of my old projects which I haven’t finished. I have lots of half-written letters, half-read books, half-done projects, etc… Whenever I try to pick up an incomplete project, I get paralyzed.

I wonder if maybe I’m afraid of failure and not having the project turn out ok.

Does anyone have any suggestions about how I can improve in this area?

Thanks! (Sorry if this is in the wrong category → I wasn’t really sure where it belongs…)

Don’t worry about completing them. Just pick one thing and concentrate on taking it to the next step- one more paragraph, one more chapter, one more row, etc. You need to have some sense of accomplishment of even part of a project. Take it in baby steps, so it isn’t so overwhelming. Then celebrate what you do accomplish. Let people know, show it off somehow.

Good luck!

 

[musicality]

Get an accountability partner – someone who you can work with to make sure that both of your lives/ambitions/goals are on track.

 

[Just_Lurking]

Whenever I try to pick up an incomplete project, I get paralyzed.

This is a big clue.

The first step is for you to go to a psychiatrist and get a proper diagnosis. You could have generalized anxiety disorder (see here), purely obsessional OCD (see here), or some other anxiety problem (see here).

Once you know what your underlying problem is, then you will be better equipped to deal with it.

For the practical aspects of completing what you started, there are many resources available, for example, here, here, or here.

 

[Emily2009]

I do this, too. I’ve often wondered about this.

I know I have some anixety disorder. I’ve been seeing a counselor but have no official diagnosis. We’re hoping that behavioral stuff will be able to change it before I’m done with college [three more years] so that I can hopefully get away without an official diagnosis [counseling is free at college].