Every one has their own style of project management. Pulling together a Thanksgiving dinner for a crowd is an example of project management. So is wedding planning, travel, essay writing, and so on. There is a vast array of careers for skilled project managers.

I would be curious to know how many people believe they are good at completing projects once they start them. Or, how many people have intentions for projects that forever remain as intentions. Or how many people have endless projects started and never, ever completed them.

Or, how many divorces have occurred as result of different project (in)completion styles?

I used to sew a fair bit, way back in the days when it was much less expensive to make your clothes than to buy them. If I started on an outfit, and there were no problems — if I didn’t get stuck, or run out of thread, I would finish the outfit. However, if I had to alter the size, or rip out a seam, the flow of the project would be lost. If I dealt with the issue right away, I’d get my flow back. But! If I put it down, that was it — that outfit would sit there incomplete forever.

Everyone has a pattern to their own project completions. Like most other things, awareness of your own resistances, snags, or blind devotion to the finish line is helpful. And every once in a while it is entirely appropriate to abandon a project altogether.

For me, if it’s a project, it usually gets done. Unless I get snagged on a detail. Sometimes, I will make a project out of getting a variety of details taken care of. I’m not so smart that I can’t trick myself into project completion. Huh. Knowing how to trick yourself will be fodder for another blog.

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog.  Your comments, questions, ideas and suggestions are always welcome.  You can comment here, or choose between Facebook, Twitter, or the contact button.  

Anne Milne is an every Sunday blogger.  I keep it short and to the point.  Topics are as wide ranging as a straight but not narrow path.