keeping a creative space: dealing with PGS - projects gone stale

Today I'm wondering, do you finish all of the projects that you've started?

How do you deal with projects that you've put aside for a long period of time?

How do you tackle your wool room, stash, and long-lost projects?

In the group "You Can Do it" (Rug Hooking Daily) one of our members posted a goal to "muck out" of my wool room....deciding which projects to complete and which to let go! There are so many!
Pretty brave really, committing to cut ties with some of the rugs that she no longer feels passionate about. 

The conversation pertains to projects that have been put by the wayside but really it speaks about so much more. Not only are those WIPs taking up space on your shelf, they may be taking up valuable (and creative) mind space as well. Do you find yourself going through that mental "unfinished" checklist from time to time? Do your works in progress make you feel energized or overwhelmed? 

Here are three things that I've found useful in keeping my space creative.

1. Make a list. The first time that I actually listed all of my personal WIPs I was more than a little surprised. (Bonus: in order to do so I had to unearth them which added the benefit of an overall tidy-up and re-grouping) I was left with the THE LIST from which I was able to decide which projects I was willing to let go.

2. Reclaim and repurpose. Not wanting to part with carefully selected and much loved materials I'm happy to take the time to dismantle a project. Natural fibres will bounce back to their original splendour after a delicate wash. I will always choose to repurpose materials to further a project that I'm passionate about rather than have them locked-up in a project that no longer holds my interest.

3. Keep it to a dull roar. I don't know about you but when I'm super jazzed about a project it shouts at me for attention! Having too many open ended projects doesn't work for me because some of them simply won't be heard. I have a sweet spot in terms of the number of projects that I can successfully work on at any given time and I try to stay within this framework.