Because starting projects is easyโ€”but finishing? Thatโ€™s the real magic.

Flat lay of colorful art supplies including paint tubes, brushes, pencils, and sketchbook with 'The Truth? I'm a Serial Starter' text representing creative chaos and unfinished projects


A common thread among my creative peers is this: we have a lot of supplies, a mountain of ideas, and projects in every stage of incompleteness. Iโ€™m no exception. In fact, I’m a frequent offender.


Iโ€™ll get excited, dive headfirst into something ambitious, and it can be anything. From patterns, to miniatures, and then there are always the random new crafts I need to try, I see you macramรฉ. Then the next thing I knowโ€ฆ stall. Itโ€™s not because I donโ€™t love the idea. Sometimes the project is too big, too complicated, or just too inconvenient to finish. And secretly, I think I like the excuse. โ€œOh, that oneโ€™s not done yet because Iโ€™m still figuring it out.โ€ Sound familiar? I fall back on this one when I’m struggling to get the project through the difficult, often ugly, middle phase.

To make things more complicated, my creative life is split in two directions, half in surface pattern design, and the other in miniature-making, and it’s all topped off with having to create videos for social media. All of it bring me joy, but takes time. And without a system, everything can easily spin into chaos.

The Turning Point: A Better Way to Juggle All the Projects


This year I’ve had the goal of organizing both my business, and creative projects. In an attempt to juggle them all. After watching countless courses, and YouTube videos the thing that finally helped me shift from scattered to semi-structured (because letโ€™s be real, creativity is never tidy) was a detailed scheduling system I adapted from Tevla E. Chaseโ€™s โ€œThe Solopreneurโ€™s Guide to Surface Pattern Design.โ€ Her system gave me a way to see the big picture, manage overlapping creative goals, and most importantly, it helped create momentum toward finishing what I start.

Cover of The Solopreneur's Guide to Surface Pattern Design Volume 1 book by Telva E. Chase with floral background pattern projects

Hereโ€™s how Iโ€™ve made it work for me:

The tool that truly changed things was Telva’s system for scheduling her work week. She uses a priority system, where you rank all of the things you need to, or want to do by priority. These can be daily tasks, like checking emails or it can be monthly or yearly tasks associated with running a business. Either way listing out all the priorities allows me to choose which ones I will work on each day. It has removed the times I sit and think “what should I be working on”. Now I can just make my way down the list and pick the tasks for each day.

Telva’s system isn’t just a planner, itโ€™s a way to map out both my business and personal life in one view. I often struggle to juggle surface pattern work, miniatures, video creation, and everyday household responsibilities. This system gave me a way to actually see where my time was going, and allowed me to make space for what matters.

Each week, I set my top priorities across categories: creative projects, admin tasks, content, and home life. Then I assign those priorities to specific days, based on whatโ€™s realistic (not what sounds nice in a perfect world). Some days are full-on work mode, others are slower, family-focused, or dedicated to rest. But because Iโ€™ve already decided what needs to happen when, I donโ€™t waste time second-guessing myself or stalling out all together.

This structure gave me something I didnโ€™t even realize I was missing: momentum.

No more switching between projects, wondering what I should be working on, or feeling guilty about whatโ€™s falling through the cracks. Now I know exactly whatโ€™s on deck each day, and Iโ€™m finishing things. Not everything, not perfectly, but enough to move forward consistently.

If you are interested in knowing more about the structure of my daily schedule you can leave a comment below, or reach out to me through my contact page.

The Result: More Peace, More Progress

Iโ€™m still a creative at heart, and Iโ€™ll always have more ideas than I can finish in one lifetime. But with this schedule, Iโ€™m finally giving some of them the attention (and completion) they deserve.

If youโ€™re like me, and are overflowing with inspiration but overwhelmed by the follow-through. Just know this: you donโ€™t need to do it all at once. You just need a system that lets you honor your priorities without burning out.

Because starting is easy.
Finishing? Thatโ€™s the real magic. โœจ

Retro daisy surface pattern design with orange and yellow flowers in vintage 70s style on cream background by K. Maloney Design. Recent Projects.
Winter holiday surface pattern design featuring cute white ducks wearing blue scarves and snowflakes on burgundy red background by K. Maloney Design
Recent Projects
Bright citrus surface pattern design with yellow lemons, branches, and lemon slices on vibrant blue background by K. Maloney Design

Three recent patterns I’ve created while using this new work schedule.

โค๏ธ Kelly

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2 responses to “Master Your Creative Projects : A Proven System for Organizing Chaos.”

  1. Kim Avatar

    My favorite line, “Because starting is easy. Finishing? That’s the real magic”.

    Great post! I feel seen, heard, and am now motivated to look this up in Telva’s book!

    Love your work friend, you are an inspiration to me!

    1. Kelly Avatar

      Thank you friend! I’m lucky to have met you (and the others). You guys have impacted my journey more than you know, and I’m just so grateful for our time together.

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