To most people a U.F.O. is an unidentified flying object. But to a project oriented person, U.F.O. has a whole different meaning. It stands for UNFINISHED OBJECT.

It's all those half knitted sweaters, baby booties that aren't done yet and the baby just graduated from college, and that half sewn belly dancing costume that would get you arrested in public if you wore it the way it is right now.

If you are like most people, starting a project is the most fun part, and finishing it is the second most fun. It's those long doldrums in the middle that cause the problems. A few people feel a little sad when they finish a project too, so they procrastinate. Others are tying to win the perfectionist award and just can't bring themselves to finish that sweater because they know they made a mistake on row 27 and can't fix it now.

The problem is life just keeps happening and yesterday's priorities just changed again. That happens when you break up with the boyfriend you were knitting the sweater for, or you just find out the blue flowered dress you were making your daughter just isn't going to work out in her new all black goth wardrobe.

Now that you know what it is, how do you fix it?

Keep a master list of all projects. It can be in a notebook or on your computer. Just get it in writing somewhere. If it has a deadline, put that down too. If it has stalled for some reason write down the reason. Your list may be 20 pages long when you are done, but this way projects won't keep falling through the cracks. It cuts down on those 'OH' moments. The kind where you unpack a box, and go, "Oh, there's that gold and black gypsy skirt I was making five years ago. I forgot all about it. And all I had left to do was hem it."

Now give yourself permission to abandon the non-workable projects. This includes sewing patterns you cut out that no longer fit you, knitting projects that are so screwed up there is no way to fix them, projects that are so dated you wouldn't be caught dead in even if you finished them, and anything that doesn't reflect your current level of skill.

Take a look at the rest of the projects. Take a yellow highlighter and highlight any that have immediate deadlines. Those will be your A list.

Now make a B list.Take a pink highlighter and highlight new projects that have no deadlines. These are new patterns you are trying out, 'fun' projects that you want to work on for recreation, and experiments like learning to knit cables for the first time.

If you really want to get those 'yellow' projects done, work on them the most frequently and for the longest amount of time.

If you just want to relax, pick one of the brainless projects. Like the Harry Potter scarf I'm knitting is just knit row after row after row on circular needles. So when all my creative juices are spent, I work on that.

Everything else on the list is a C priority. Put something on the C list if you are waiting for parts, have temporarily lost the pattern or the directions, don't know what to do next, or you are just sick of looking at it.

Going Public. Another thing that really helps me is taking the project public. Write about it in your blog. Tell your friends what you are doing. Join a group devoted to your craft whether it's writing or knitting or quilting. Seeing other people finish their projects is very motivating. Challenge each other to see who can knit the most rows or write the most poems in a day, a week or a month. Hand out silly prizes to each other.

Reward yourself when you reach a milestone. Go out for ice cream after you finish one whole sock. Or treat yourself to a massage. This is really important for those long term projects.

And when you are done, don't just fold it up in a box and forget about it. Finish that cross-stitch and frame that sucker. Take photos of your new creation on its new owner and share them. Find a dance to wear that gorgeous new dress or hat to.

Persevere and you will get there sooner or later.

Keep a List of Finished Projects.

Then on those days were you feel like you never do anything right, or never finish a job, just read your list and you'll see that you do indeed finish many things.

The Timer Trick

Set a timer for twenty minutes and do your project until the timer dings. This will help you get through those parts that just keep dragging. You'll see forward progress. And more times than not, after twenty minutes I'm emotionally involved in it and I want to keep going.

Find a Balance

Try not to put yourself in a no win situation. A no win situation is where you have to finish your dance costume before the show at 1 PM and it's already 11:30 AM. You are just going to frazzle your nerves that way. Even though you could crochet for 6 hours straight, have mercy on your poor eyes and hands. It's far better to do an hour a day than 6 hours in one day. Learn to pace yourself. Don't become so obsessive that you forget to take meal breaks or talk to your housemates. Come up for air and everyone will enjoy the process more.