How do you guys stay focused?

[Swamp Donkey]

I'm sitting down here in my shop staring and my car frozen like a deer in the headlights. Lol.  I'm 95% sure I can build this car but I keep procrastinating.  I want the car, not scared of the physical aspect of work in anyway.  I just look at it like I'm lost.  Did a quick google on productivity and the first thing that comes up described me 100%

Here it is:

For some people, productivity stalls because of a lack of direction. A person may know what their end goal is but they have no idea how to get there. This often happens when you think a task is difficult or when you've never done it before. It can also happen when you're overwhelmed with a lot of other activities.

Ive got parts coming in like crazy, and piling up.  Just want to hear some tips and tricks that has worked for people's builds. 

Fun fact, is I have tons of time to work on my car.  Summers are busy with family etc, I work 8 days on and get 6 straight days off with not much to do but work on my car for those days. 

I look on here and other forms of social media and get all hyped and excited for others working or finishing their projects while I stare at mine.   

In the photos are USCartools stage 2 kit, SST TREMEC transmission etc, floor panels etc.  Tons of stuff to keep me busy. 

I hope one of the game changers for me is, tonight I have a body guy coming over as a "consultant " and will hopefully get me going in the right direction. 

[benguin]

This almost sounds like my daily work day!  First, I like to break things down into "work chunks".  What needs to be done first, before anything else?

Once you know the rough sequencing you can proceed down that path. With bite size work items completed whenever you get a chance.

For a ground up build, the order of tasks is critical.  If it's for a minor subassembly, not so much.   As an example, this weekend I put in some rebuilt horns (quick plug for "The Horn Works" on rebuilding my Prestolite horns).   Was it critical to get that done?  Nope- but it was great to connect everything up and hear their new found voice.

Rule #1: Don't take on too much at once.  The details are important, and you'll be glad you did it right the first time instead of doing it twice.  Take your time.

I like to put on music or a game broadcast, and use the time to relax and embrace the creative assembly/build and inevitable problem solving.  This is nearly as good as vacation time for me.

[Poolshark314]

Yeah what @benguin said. Hell take it old school even and put post it notes up on a wall of everything you need to do, put them in order, and then drag them over the other side as you finish each one. Staying organized will help keep you on task

[jordan]

I had to tell myself that I needed to work on something every day.  I usually had an idea what I was going to do, but some days I did what ever happened to need getting worked on.  If you do something every day, it will eventually get done.  Sometimes the hardest part is just walking into the shop.  Usually something happens after that.  Keep after it. 

[71vert340]

 Just plug along. I have been working on my Charger off and on for 14 years. Putting the interior in now. I found out if I get burned out working on one thing continually, ie. the dash, I'll take a break from it and work on something else, like the heater box or the engine. I'll even shift between cars. I'll work on one of the two Challengers here for a couple of days and then go back to the Charger. Boredom is the second worst enemy after what you're going through now. I try to do one thing each day even if it's just cleaning parts or ordering new parts. Eventually it will get done.
Terry W.

[Joegrapes]

Boy I hear ya. Back in '96 I was so excited when I bought the car. It really was two cars, neither completed enough but together made one car. The next morning I got up and went out to look at what I bought and I sat there and mentally went through everything that needed to be done and saying to myself "holy shit, what was I thinking"  Anyway, I spent a whole year working on the car. I did all the work myself. And it was a ton of work. It's like eating an elephant, one bite at a time. When I won my first award I was so proud of myself. For about 5 years I did lots of shows and won lots of awards. Now the car mostly just sits in my garage. What amazes me is how you guys can keep your interest up on these cars for so long. I guess I just get bored of things fast, 😂

[tparker]

Create a loose plan with vague and flexible timelines if needed. Start with some EASY big wins. I am not sure where you are at so I can't give examples. But you could have a plan like
Body work
  fix big dent
  replace panel
  sand hood
  etc
paint
  source paint shop
  sand front fenders this weekend.
  sand doors next weeknd.
  etc
engine
  order parts
  send to machine shop
  pick up machine shop
  assemble motor by end of month
  install motor next month
interior
  Tear out old interior
  re cover seats
  etc

Of course this really depends on what you want and to what level. And the dates are just to get you moving. I don't think of the over all timeline. Instead I think of milestones like the above list. Then I think of the things that make that up. I then start on something and try to get it done. Of course we all get bored or overwhelmed. I change things up on occasion depending on being blocked on something or just on a whim.

My original goal was to get the car running the paint. But once I tore things down I flipped it since I needed to paint the engine bay. Then I decided to focus on the interior before the motor because I could knock out 80% very quickly and that felt GOOD. Anything that made big progress was good for motivation.

At the end of the day, you just have to pick up a wrench and start turning though. LOL.

[anlauto]

I make lists....Today: I need to get these things finished etc...

[Chryco Psycho]

Taking on a Project like this can be overwhelming !
Especially if you have never done it before !
I have done so many now I know what to get done
The first thing I do is send out the body to get that done as I refuse to do that & while that is being done I will get the engine machining done & work through rebuilding every ccomponent of the car piece by piece , it really doesn't matter which parts you work on first but I want to have everything ready to bolt back on when the body returns . The parts that take the longest time to rebuild need to be adressed first so they have time & are ready when you are to reinstall them ..
There is a specific order to work through when assembling  the car which we can help with ,, , Brake & fuel lines first then suspension  & interior last .

[GoodysGotaCuda]

Write down a plan of what parts or work needs to be done in what order. That wireframe should help direct you in what comes next. Short term goals help here, "I want to get the car on the ground", "I want to get the dash in", "I want to get the glass in", etc help define what the next milestone is for your progress.

Progress is typically made minutes at a time and not days. I find many people look forward to "days" to work on their car, but these blitz days are rarely efficient, one missing part can wreck progress. Rather, I worked on my car 15min-60min four to five days per week until it was done. Persistence got it built, not blitz wrenching days.

[HP2]

Write down a plan of what parts or work needs to be done in what order. That wireframe should help direct you in what comes next. Short term goals help here, "I want to get the car on the ground", "I want to get the dash in", "I want to get the glass in", etc help define what the next milestone is for your progress.

Progress is typically made minutes at a time and not days. I find many people look forward to "days" to work on their car, but these blitz days are rarely efficient, one missing part can wreck progress. Rather, I worked on my car 15min-60min four to five days per week until it was done. Persistence got it built, not blitz wrenching days.

Agree with Goody entirely. This is how I manage to keep moving forward on work on mine while managing tons of conflicting needs such as house restoration (mine is 110 years old. Restoring a car is a piece of cake comparitively), rv maintenance, daily driver maintenance, 3 kids and a wife, and extended family.  Of course during those brief moments of "I'll install the ignition wires today" you also discover certain tasks that will take hours. Once this is known, then you can set aside that saturday or sunday or get helpers for the larger tasks.

[Cuda416]

Well it can be, and for me, is very difficult. Sometimes I think I create things to stall it. One of my problems now is legit, as it's frickin HOT in south TX and hotter in the barn/shop. Pile house projects on top and other general life items and I can get precious little time out there. I'm in the middle of building my chassis jig, and have been in the middle for several months; longer if you include planning.

I have to mentally psych myself up to get things I "want" to do, done. So many other things to do etc. I tell myself "Self, you're going to get x y and z done tonight after work", then when I get out there, and the sweat starts dripping off my head from just standing in there, the energy just saps away.

I guess my point is, the car aint going anywhere so don't beat yourself up too bad. If you do, it won't be fun to work on.

I'm quite terrified of my car. It's a rust bucket 70 Barracuda and gonna be quite the challenge.

Drive on, you're not the only one. 

-=C

[Dakota]

Scope creep is common.  I originally intended to just replace my dashboard but ended up taking the whole car apart.  I wouldn't do that again, as it tied up lots of garage, basement, and sometimes house space for many years.   Your goals may evolve, but the more you can stick to a plan, the better able you'll be to subdivide and conquer the work. 

I ordered a lot of parts based on things I saw in catalogs or online that I would eventually need, but didn't have to have at the moment.  This added to the piles around the house.   Later in the project, I tried to order only what I needed at the time and tried to install it soon after it arrived.   This avoids the frustration of finding out you ordered the same part more than once. 

I'll echo the comments above about working in small chunks, a little every day if possible.   I had one big thrash towards the end, mostly because I had to self-quarantine for 2 weeks based on travel, but most if the rest of the car got done in 2-3 hour blocks before life interceded somehow.   And life will intercede - it's just a matter of how and how much. 

Hang in there!   As you've seen in the replies, you're not alone.   The payoff is pretty cool once you get to actually drive it. 

[Scooter]

^^^ All good suggestions.

My experience, take the fastest route to making it run and drive.

Nothing is more motivating to me than being able to drive the heap I'm working on.

GL!

[dodj]

I set short term (maybe weekly?) attainable goals. Rather than always repeating to myself.."It's gonna look soooo cool. I wanna drive this thing!!"