I've been struggling with this myself, so I thought I'd repeat it for other people that might be dealing with the same thing:
Not every hobby needs to be a project. Not everything needs to be a whole *thing* with a goal and an endpoint. It's okay to not finish something. It's okay to pick up something for a bit, explore it, start making something, and then drop it without making any "progress".
Productivity is capitalist bullshit that doesn't need to infect your free time too. Have some fun
Which isn't to say you can't have goals. If that helps you, go for it. My point is just that you don't need to measure yourself based on how far you get on something. You're still just as valuable and interesting even if you never finish anything.
So often I tie myself in knots because I feel like I need to finish a project that I've started before I move on to anything else. I don't need to. I'm allowed to dabble in something and then move on. This isn't a competition. This isn't a job.
Dude, she's six years old.
Also, there is no junk. There's useful raw materials that can be recycled into the next bright idea. :D
Hard agree, but for me, I felt a lot better about myself when I started making it a goal to finish at least some of my projects, even when they were just for fun.
I realized that by giving up on something when it stopped being fun, I was training myself to expect failure and to never finish anything. So now I (sometimes) push though and usually find I'm enjoying working on it after a bit.
But yeah, do it for *you*.
@malcircuit I feel - I've been thinking about this - that this reluctance to give up on a project is a leftover from childhood, from being taught not to give up too easily.
And I think it's still true that we shouldn't abandon projects too readily, because of a whim or a temporary lack of enthusiasm.
Maybe the question is how to distinguish bad reasons from good reasons.
Yes exactly. If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly!
@malcircuit wrote:
"Productivity is capitalist bullshit (that doesn't need to infect your free time too)"
You were doing really well until this bit here.
"Capitalism", when poorly implemented, can be, has been and is exploitative and denies people the opportunity to do their "own stuff".
But surely some "other economic models" can also be slightly unforgiving wrt. those leisure time opportunities? If we're talking about from 20th century onwards...
Maybe there are "capitalistic" implementations that are in fact quite beneficial towards leisure activities when compared to those non- or anticapitalistic systems?
---
[update] Fair enough. I see #anticapitalism is *The Cause* here so any nuance may come across as 'against' it.
With the other far end of the spectrum (far right) deriding all forms of socialism as evil, Europeans — with a democratically determined *mix of both* #capitalism and #socialism — must really be living in a hellish #dystopia... especially those in the #Nordics, the happiest corner of the world.
@BrisVegas There's a book that I read (and never finished lol 😅) called Range where the author argues that exploring many things *is essential* to finding what you love and what you're really good at.
@notes There's a lot of evidence that being "unproductive" is essential to a healthy mind. In exactly the same way that you shouldn't workout everyday, you can't be mentally focused all the time. Your body — and your mind — needs time to recover and build up for the next time.
I read a book about this once (that I never finished lol 😅), for what it's worth.
https://thegrowtheq.com/books/peak-performance/
Peak Performance Elevate Your Game, Avoid Burnout, And Thrive with The New Science of Success Take your game to the next level, whatever your game may be. Uncovering the unique and powerful insights that underlie performance across domains. ABOUT THE BOOK A few common principles drive performance, regardless of the field or the task at…
@malcircuit something I learned rather recently -- and I needed someone else to say the words -- is that I don't have to finish **every** book, movie, videogame or TV show I start.
Some things just aren't worth my time.
Some other things are, but maybe I've gotten everything I need from it and priorities have shifted.
I've since gotten better at dropping out when I feel things turning into "work" or rather "effort" and my mental health has improved significantly.
Thank you 
@malcircuit any process, project, creativity, and having the privilege to be able to do so, just gives me purpose. If any personal learning comes from that then great! The ‘work’ place, and how society is structured rarely enables inclusive purpose, and meaning.
I've been struggling with this myself, so I thought I'd repeat it for other people that might be dealing with the same thing: Not every hobby needs to be a project. Not everything needs to be a whole *thing* with a goal and an endpoint. It's okay to not finish something. It's okay to pick up something for a bit, explore it, start making something, and then drop it without making any "progress". Productivity is capitalist bullshit that doesn't need to infect your free time too. Have some fun
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