Project fatigue

More of a rant than a post....

I'm exhausted!

i feel like I am underwater. I have 2 full on project cars that don't run, a track rat that needs some improvements to be race ready (parts acquired but not installed), a motorcycle that spent the last year in storage, a DD that has been suffering more than its share of breakdowns, and a truck that hs been working really hard to be a good towing and off-road vehicle at the same time. The track rat requires a trailer to make it to the track and I have a utilitarian trailer for hauling building supplies. 

So. My vehicle Count is up to 6. Trailer count at 2. And free time to drive any of them is nill. Not like it matters since entering the right of way at any time of day in atlanta will make your head explode.

that is all. Carry on.

I feel ya man! I've got 2 projects here, some deferred maint to catch up on SWMBO daily, a fence to put up around half of 1.5 acres, and I found some rot in the front wall of the house when I was rebuilding the front porch last month so that's halfway apart so I can get to the rot  Add to it, I think they let half of the company I work for go 2 weeks ago, and everyone who's left is drowning in the sudden overflow.  I'm exhausted, beat,  and tired as hell. 12  hour days in front of a computer SUCKS!

You—> 6 projects. 2 trailers. No time.  

Me—> 1 project. No trailers. Twice the amount of time. (2x0=0). 

Be careful with your effort.  Burn out can come.

BTDT, have not worked on a car for 3 or so years.  Need to get my Miata restored for the long haul, too.

That sounds like regular fatigue with lots of projects that happen to be around. I find that I need enough down time to get bored a couple times a year. The boredom gets my mind and motivation working again and lets me get more done in the long run. Take the holidays off maybe? I know those are usually valuable useful days for most people, but they're also great days to stuff yourself and sit on the couch and be sedentary until you can't stand it. 

Time to step away.  Revisit after the holidays. 

If it makes you feel better I have 12 cars, a motorcycle and 4 trailers.  One project at a time.  I have 3 projects for when current one is complete.  If something more important becomes a project by accident it is taken care of first, i kick the project out of the garage and get things done then get back to the project car.  I’m getting ready to push the $2018 car back in the garage.  

I’m on a mission to get rid of 5 cars, the motorcycle and a trailer by spring.  

I sold three projects that I have owned since the mid seventies this past summer.  It was becoming more and more evident nothing was going to ever happen with them, since I still have three more in progress, plus a stock car, a IT road race car, and a Chumpcar.  I have really come to realise just how much time and effort has to go into really finishing a complete re-imagining of a car, so I decided to try to shave the load down to a more manageable level.

Focus is not really a strong suit of mine when it comes to projects.  The rest of my life is pretty organised, with deadlines and progress and a bunch of other grown up stuff, but projects can sit for decades. 

You haven't seen SanFord in a while. There is a reason. 

It happens with every project I do. I get bored with it and it can sit for months. 

Take a break and do something different.

I can relate.  Let's see...

1. GT6 needs a transmission

2. The Spitfire needs an engine.

3. The TDI still needs to get fixed.

4. I recently added a conversion van to convert into an RV.

5. My house has more needs than I have time to list.

6. Roughly a half-dozen guitar projects.

7. Most of my bicycles needs something done to them.

8. I have two DRZ motorcycles... really only need one (not to mention a MC license).

9. I need to start training for the 2018 racing season.

10. And of course there's the long-term 1800ES

....and probably more than a few things I'm forgetting.

In reply to Ian F :

I know I've asked before, but do those DRZs both have titles?  I sold my DRZ and said I'd never get another, but...

This is exactly why I don't do this. 

I get annoyed and aggravated with one long project, much less many.

Yeah I burned myself out bad automotive projects when I had 7 cars in various points of a project.

Right now I have 3 cars but one is just sitting in a storage unit until I rebuild the garage and one is going to get sold and replaced with my dad's truck which is just going to get maintained only.

My plan right now in terms of cars is

1. Keep slowly working on my FSP Civic

2. Miata swap in Spitfire

3. Find something to run in the Lemons Rally and GRM challenge

Of course my big project for the next year is to rebuild the garage. I have found my maximum number of cars is about 4 and at least two of those need to be in shape to just need maintaining rather then tons of work. I don't mind projects though. I go crazy if I don't have any. I just have been doing a lot of non-automotive projects over the last couple years.

Work and house aren't helping me either. 3 office projects in full swing right now. Hoping 1 ends in a couple weeks and the other goes on hiatus for a few months. House is well.... it was built before 1900. Need I say more?

the biggest issue I think I am having is that I don't really have a long term goal for at least 2 of the cars, one trailer that exists just for one of the cars, or the motorcycle. I had bought them all so I could get my comp license and race but the reality is that with all the projects I'm making it to maybe 2 track days a year. Not getting closer to a comp license that way.

There's a lot of conflict between what gives a vehicle good towing vs. offroading capability. I don't see any truck in your garage entries, but in general a good way to bridge that gap is with air bags or air shocks.

I had the same thing going on last year. I had two project cars that didn't run that sucked up my will to work on anything. I would get distracted by indecision and not get anything done. I simplified my situation by selling one of them off. Now, I'm battling having the time to work on the one project, but when I do, I'm finding it much more rewarding. 

Could it be worth selling the motorbike, a project and the daily and finding something more reliable to daily driver?

I think all of us suffer from this in one form or another. Here are my tips, for what they are worth:

1) Honestly assess your overall situation and make the hard decisions. I recently sold three great vehicles (NSX, MB S-Class, and '74 Guzzi V7-Sport) when I realized that I was in over my head. I replaced these three with one (BMW Z4 Coupe) and things suddenly feel so much workable. If you aren't going to realistically get work on something in the next year or two--and it's not irreplacable--GET RID OF IT. You will feel so much better.

2) Make a short list of things that you can actually finish. Five to-do items. Write it down, do the tasks, and cross them off. I find that, when faced with an impossible looking heap of problems, doing the first few chores can get you rolling again.

While we are on this subject, GRM should do an article on this subject with interviews with small restoration shop owners and (yes) a psychologist. Staying motivated is a huge part of this business. If this has been done, apologies. I've gotten old and I'm more a Classic than a Grassroots guy lately.

I've been annoyed because I haven't even been able to start on my GTA yet because everything else needs to be done first and I've got a bit of analysis paralysis on top of that. Plus I still have the Bravada shell sitting next to it that I have no idea what to do with.

Yeah, don't feel bad. We have all been there in some form. I've been there, escaped, and gone back many times.

You WILL feel better when you get rid of some/most.

I saw this with my friend, who tore his Integra apart for a refresh that turned into a 3 year overhaul of replacing every component to make it into a serious track car. He got burnt out with it, lost interest, sold it before he ever got it back together and then it got parted out. 

My method for fighting it is as follows:

1) Don't buy a car that is not running (unless it's easily fixed) or completely apart. 

2) Don't work on more than 1 project at a time. It just divides your interest, time, efforts and money and nothing gets accomplished.

3) Avoid projects that need major bodywork. Tends to turn into a rabbit hole, work often gets out of your hands (like when body shops lock the car up a year)

4) Make small incremental changes rather than tear the car apart for years where you can't drive it and lose interest.

Example: I bought a running, non-rusty Miata that needed some minor mechanical work to get it ready for full-time driving (brakes, tires and timing belt) then did small stuff throughout the driving season (exhaust, strut bar, wheels and tires). Then I save my big projects for the winter when I won't be driving it anyway for stuff like clutch and flywheel, or full suspension refresh, or engine swap. That way the car is rarely down for huge lengths of time (at least not when I would normally driving it) and I don't forget why I enjoy the car and am working on it to begin with. 

Maybe not for everybody, and I understand some of you enjoy having 5-6 projects going at once, but it works for me and it's all stuff I learned from watching other people around me get burnt out on stuff.

I'm with y'all on this.  I only have one project car and it runs (FX16).  Has a major leak in the power steering line.  I actually pulled lines out of my parts car a few weeks ago just to see how much of job this will be.  Good grief, not a fun job!  Why does it take months to fix little things?  I'll clean the old reservoir and cut the hoses for the new lines as a pre-install, but that task looks a few weeks away.

This weekend will be changing oil in my DD and full tune-up on my ZTR, including replacing the drive oil.

I've been trying to clean up one stall of my garage to get the FX16 inside.  It's been fours years now.  Getting closer, but not close enough.

I'm with AaronBalto and make short lists of tasks that can be completed in short order.  Some days, I'm lucky to get one 15 minute task completed.  Too much life stuff. 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ said:

In reply to Ian F :

I know I've asked before, but do those DRZs both have titles?  I sold my DRZ and said I'd never get another, but...

One does. The other doesn't, and I keep procrastinating on bugging the seller about getting it for me. Granted, the only way I could imagine a DRZ would be an improvement over your current bike is if Sara is interested in riding.

In reply to Ian F :

She actually rides the NX occasionally- DRZs are too tall for her.  I would be willing to pay for a titled DRZ with a wasted engine as a potential swap candidate, but that's about it.

/threadjack

When I built a 1952 Dodge pickup I was all over the map.  I'd spend all night out there and when I leave it looks about the same as when I arrived.  Buddy  of mine (a body man) suggested doing one fender, that's it.  When that's done do something else, bigger if you feel it, smaller if you're burnt out.

Pick one.

Take a breath, focus on one thing at a time, walk out when you have to.