Many people start projects, such as needlework, a short story, or a novel. They start these projects for a variety of reasons. Many hope to sell their work to make some money so that they can live better. Others want to keep their minds and hands active. Others are simply very creative, and they need an outlet for their creativity. Sometimes, however, life gets in the way, and they wind up setting their projects aside. A novel or short story is saved in a folder, a notebook, or a file on a computer. Needlework is put away in a drawer. People then turn their attention to what has cause them to set their projects aside and dream of the day when they can return to what they love.

One reason why people might put their projects on hold is if they begin a college degree. Pursuing a degree takes time. There are classes to attend, papers to write, and tests to study for. All of this work leaves very little time available for activities such as writing or craft projects. These projects need not be put away the entire time a person is pursuing a degree, however. He does need to take periodic breaks from his studying to allow the concepts to make sense in his mind. He also gets school-authorized breaks, such as Thanksgiving and Spring Break. During these breaks, a student should have some time to return to the projects that he is working on. Breaks are generally a week long, which may be long enough to finish a quick project. A student can then look at his work, smile, and return to school with new drive and ambition. School is not the only reason why a project may be set aside, however.

Anoher reason why creative work may be put on the back burner is because of a job. Holding a job takes both time and energy. A full-time job occupies at least 40 hours of a person's week. At the end of the week, the worker is very tired. He also wants to spend time with his family and friends, since he does not get to see them very much during the week. Therefore, he will be busy with these activities, rather than with his crafts or writing. In addition to school or work, there is one other reason why a person might put his creative work away for a while: he might be stuck. Perhaps hs needs inspiration in order to get unstuck so that he can continue his work.

In order to get unstuck, he might travel. In his travels, he will see sights and have experiences that may give him some ideas for his work. He can take some pictures or some notes. Then, when he gets home and settles in after his trip, he can return to his project.

Ideally, delays in projects do not cause problems. Instead, they make the projects turn out very well--much better than they would have if the person had not taken a break. Think about that the next time you have to set a project aside.