What to do when you can't get motivated to finish a build?

[klavy69]

I just think about how long it usually takes scr8p to finish a build, then I don't feel so bad.

throw it in a box, forget about it, see something similar and wish I had one, buy another project and then have 2 that aren't done. Its a sickness...and its cureable but not by selling off anything. If you have at least 20 more years to live you know you just won't run outta things to do .

Good Luck
Todd

[abailey21]

I've been lucky over the past several years. I have so little time to work on my projects they don't get old.

Had some, lost my job and went back to school.... back-burner

Got a kick ass job that pays good enough to pick back up on my projects and started like 7 more.


Now I'm traveling overseas for about 9 months a year so when I am home I can work on them non stop and not get bored.

This trip home I am going to try and organize them all and get parts lists of things I need so in my limited time home (3 weeks before heading back out this time) I can buy what I need to finish them all, then prioritize them all.

[Lowgear]

I'm in the same boat here. Since moving 2 1/2 years ago, I just cannot find the motivation to work on anything R/C. A few months ago I finally set up a little workstation in the basement for my hobbies but have yet to use it to work on anything. Good thing though because I just discovered that we have a radon problem. With that being said, the basement won't be getting much use until we have a mitigation system installed. Now of course it has to be put right where my workstation is so I'll have to move everything. Hopefully we'll get it installed by the fall, and I'll finally feel comfortable being down there constantly to work on things.

[Lonestar]

I have a similar and somewhat still slightly different issue... I also race modern RC cars, so usually the vintage projects just fill in the gaps between the modern maintenance work. The thing is, an onroad track just opened 5mn away from where I live. Not that I go there all the time, but I certainly go there more often than my previous running schedule. This, plus the fact that I like my race cars in good shape and I always like to try new stuff, means even less time for Vintage projects.

If you layer on top of this all that I'm dog slow with my RC progress to start with as I build my vintage rides like if I would have to race them the day after (ie hinge pins polished, shocks filled and greenslimed, ball diff as good as a can, even for shelfers...) this means at best one project a year. This was the rate before I had a local track And I probably have something like 30 projects that have pretty much everything to be completed as I've hoarded all kinds of parts for the past 15years or so.

Net - this isn't going anywhere, that trx-1 on the fridge is laughing in my face every time, it's a lot of cash stuck for nothing, the garage is a mess, and my wife is mad at me...

[markbt73]

This is exactly why I can't follow a "one project at a time" rule like some people do. I get rolling along on something, then get stuck, put it away, and work on something else for a while until I get un-stuck. My problem is not adding any new projects to the queue during those stuck times. Right now, I'm on a self-imposed "neither a buyer nor a seller be" rule for the remainder of the year, just to see what it is I really want to focus on. If I find I simply don't have interest in certain things anymore, then I'll be selling them off and trying something new. But not during 2015.

But at the end of the day, it's a hobby. That's all. I have enough rules and deadlines and goals in the other aspects of my life, so I try to keep RC as free-form and task-oriented as possible. When I feel like working on/driving/cleaning/maintaining RC cars, I do it, and when I don't, or simply don't have time, they sit there waiting for me to come back. I may not get many projects "done," but I enjoy the time I spend at the workbench a whole lot more when it's stress-free.

[Coelacanth]

I can't do just one project at a time, because it inevitably comes to a roadblock of some sort and then the hobby also comes to a halt. On the other hand, having a half-dozen, dozen or more projects on the go would drive me nuts and overwhelm me, and I'd end up not pulling a wrench on any of 'em. I think I draw the line at 2 ongoing projects and one on the back-burner...the very back back-burner.

[fakiee]

If you cant get motivated you could try the following couple of things:

Firstly, you have a list and that's a great way to get started. Now you just need top pick a ride to complete. Only work on one project at a time, if your waiting on parts for months then box it and move onto the next project.

When it comes to what car to work on here is what i do. With the list write a number next to each build, a number between 1 and 10 for how much sentimental value the car has.

1 = Why did I buy this piece of junk?
10 = its my first ever RC car and you will never prise it from my hands![/list]

Now a second number between 1 and 10 for how close you are to finishing the project.

1 = I have 1 wheel from a works 93
10 = car is done, all I need to do is get the body painted

Now, add the 2 numbers together and the car with the highest total is my what I will focus on to get finished. All of my efforts will go into getting this done and shelved, running, or whatever.

To get the juices flowin I will then look at liveries or something, i.e on Pinterest/google https://uk.pinterest.com/mbroenkow/racing-liveries/,

Or search google images for the car i'm trying to complete, i.e for a kingcab or hi lux https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=mickey+thompson+stadium+races&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=643&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=sGM1VdaGAcjraPHmgLgN&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAg

Second thing, maybe you just need to give it a rest for a while. I know how easy it is to get up with the hobby. I noticed I wasn't giving my girl much time, and she didn't say much as she knows how much I enjoy it and it allows me to unwind! So when I saw the error of my ways I decided to devote more of time with her and other hobbies and give the RC stuff a rest for a while, we did loads of stuff: went to a judo classes, picnics in the park, bike rides, even did a bit of travelling. The RC stuff was still there when I got back!

I hope this helps! It is a funny old hobby!

[SFC K]

I have been in a rut from time to time, but I keep going back to my bench for more alone time. I enjoy it, but sometimes waiting for parts or trying to source them can be my Achilles heel. I have almost a dozen projects going on right now, and some of them just need painted bodies to finish them. Painting is not my strong suite and the MN weather doesn't help much either. Painting is what slows me down on a project.

[marlo]

MN weather doesn't help much either.

At least you have a team in the playoffs to watch I'm in an RC rut, and I have no team.

[SFC K]

MN weather doesn't help much either.

At least you have a team in the playoffs to watch I'm in an RC rut, and I have no team.

Ouch, well you could root for the Wild tonight.

[Incredible_Serious]

MN weather doesn't help much either.

At least you have a team in the playoffs to watch I'm in an RC rut, and I have no team.

Ouch, well you could root for the Wild tonight.

See, in Australia, that has a very very different meaning to the intended....

Alex