Candelabra/Arteriors
I’m reorganizing the upstairs to create a guest room and make the entire second floor work better. I’m great at dreaming up ideas and often successful at completing projects, but I admit I get sidetracked. If you’ve followed this blog for a while, you already know that. I have lots of ambition but not always enough time or consistent follow-through.
I also suspect I have a kind of organizational and decorating ADD.
Do you remember the book Sidetracked Home Executives and the Sidetracked Sisters? If that title doesn’t ring a bell, you might know FlyLady, who carries on a similar spirit. Their approach always made me laugh because it described me perfectly: I can set the best intentions to finish a project and then find myself swept away by some new, exciting idea that wasn’t part of the original plan. I’m a classic S.H.E.
Sometimes the detours are harmless fun; other times real-life obligations pull me away — things that are urgent and can’t be postponed. Either way, it’s easy to lose momentum.
So if you are like me, how can we stay on track when we start an organizing or decorating project?
Casae Decor Guest Bedside Table
Here are two simple, proven methods I use when I tend to get sidetracked.
1. Set realistic goals and deadlines.
Give your project a concrete, achievable completion date and a few clear targets. Deadlines tied to an event — a visitor arriving, a weekend plan, or another real commitment — motivate me far better than vague intentions. If I need to, I’ll even invent a deadline (invite friends over) so I have to finish by a certain date. As a recovering perfectionist-procrastinator, a looming, tangible deadline is often the push I need to complete things.
2. Keep your focus on what truly matters.
Permit sidetracks only when they involve essential tasks that keep your household running smoothly — feeding kids, washing dishes, or handling sudden emergencies. Those interruptions are valid and deserve flexibility. But if you find yourself launching an unrelated mini-project in the middle of your main task, gently stop yourself and save that idea for later.
Real life happens: kids need to eat, pets make messes, family members drop in unexpectedly, or guests decide to stay the weekend. Those interruptions are normal and understandable. Allow buffer time and be compassionate with yourself when they occur.
What’s not helpful is choosing to start a new, time-consuming task—like sorting 22 years of photos—right in the middle of setting up a guest room and repurposing closets. The photo project might be worthwhile, but beginning it now will derail your primary goal. That kind of rabbit trail delays progress and steals momentum.
To prevent those rabbit trails, keep a dedicated notebook or digital list for “after completion” tasks. When a great but unrelated idea pops up, jot it down and return to your main project. This preserves creativity without sabotaging progress.
Are you easily sidetracked?
Share your sidetracked stories so we can trade tips and remind each other we’re not alone.
*Full disclosure: this week my own project was interrupted by several of the scenarios mentioned above.
