How Do You Stay Focused?

james terrio

james terrio

Sharpest Knife in the Light Socket
Joined
Apr 15, 2010
Messages
22,618
There's a current and very interesting thread about "What Inspires You?". That's a great topic, because it will not only give folks a venue to share their passion for design and process, but will also share new ideas and sources for inspiration!

This thread is a little more pragmatic, and more about discipline. As in, actually finishing knives and achieving specific, tangible goals.

How and why do you manage your efforts to end up with a certain knife for a specific need? What helps you keep on track when you have a custom order to fill or a brainstorm for the best possible hunter/skinner/bushcrafter/fighter/tactical knife you can develop?

For me, when it comes to making knives for other people, I need a certain amount of pressure, like deadlines and the challenge of doing something I never tried before. That's a big part of why I accept custom orders. I can honestly say I would probably never have bothered to make a knife with jimping, sawteeth, a recurve grind, bead-blasted/powder-coated finish, hand-cut serrations, heavily-milled guards/pommels, unconventional sizes/profiles and so on, if it weren't for being commissioned to do so.

I will also say that accepting those challenges has been very good for the development of my skills and the furtherance of my career. It also puts bread on the table. ;)

For my own designs, it's all about geometry and performance. Everything else is secondary.

So... let's hear your tips on staying focused, and the difference between a guy with 20 half-done knife-shaped-objects on the bench, and a guy with one (or a hundred) really good finished knives!
 
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I feel it necessary to clear my mental slate from time to time. I'll have these things that I want to try that are always at the back of my mind, nagging me. But there's also orders that I have to get out. So after I've completed a few knives I'll take a day or two and work on something new or build that cool new tool that I can't live without. That's how I keep my focus, sometimes.:rolleyes:
 
That's a good question. Believe it or not knifemaking can be monotonous, especially when you have several orders for the same blade. Usually if a customer says hey I want a folder just like the custom you made for this guy.....I say how about we use that profile and do something different, different grind, finish something. Fortunately I get several orders where a customer says I want a framelock....run with it. I try not to get locked in to one thing, it's O.K. to have some basic models, but I prefer the custom side of handmade. Sometimes I get burnt out...I will grab the XD or Glock and go run 100 rounds on steel plates, go for a 4 wheeler ride, try to play some Ry Cooder slide or play with my Lab. You def have to be a good self motivator. I have worked in Machine shops my entire working life, always someone to hand me a print and a deadline...get it done or go somewhere else.:D
 
Honestly I have the same problem a lot I'll be working on a blade i all get it cut out put it on my bench to start grinding when I'm like hey I'm goanna clean the shop now and then that leads to something else and then I get bored and before I know it its dark and I'm just like wow I compleatly for nothing accomplished today
 
As I read this topic I sense that there are multiple definitions for "staying focused". I don't seem to have a problem sticking with one project from start to finish. However, the end product may well change from start to finish, at least in some aesthetic ways (and possibly more significant ways).

Sometimes I do have two projects running at once, but most often that's a factor of filling the time gap while a blade is out getting heat treated (since I don't have the equipment to do that myself).

I suppose for me the "discipline" (such as it is) is modulated by the primary purpose of my knifemaking... to see something through to conclusion and get the closure I can't get on my day job. If I was just starting dozens of projects and never finishing them, knifemaking would offer me no fulfillment.

- Greg
 
I usually have a bench full of projects that have to be completed... Bamboo flyrods, Nickel Silver ferrules, reel seats, various custom gun parts and of course knives.

I write down on 3x5 cards what que order is and put them at eye level on my bench. I then put on my ear buds and listen to Podcasts and work until I get tired then shut it down for another time.

The worst part I hate the most is packaging up a bunch of orders, printing labels and taking them to the post office.... That always is a couple of hours that just feels like wasted time.

Listening to the Joe Rogan podcast just makes the time pass by :)
 
I notoriously have unfinished projects. I honestly could get them all done pretty easily, but my "home life" with the wife and kid pretty much squashes any shop time I get. My wife only works ~25hr/wk and just doesn't understand my hobby one bit. It gets frustrating at times, but I now try to get several things going in stages so that when I can get a couple hours I can do several knives/guns/bikes/minis/drums/etc all at once for one step of the process.

For shorter term focus, i.e. in the shop, I have one word: MUSIC. I grew up in a music family and it is my 'zone.'


-Xander
 
Funny that you ask this question. I just put the 45 degree grinds on 17 Neckers and have to find the motivation to get back out there to grind them. I've recently sold 25 neck knives in the past month and a half and got these 17 orders within a couple of days after finishing the last batch of 14. I wish I could work on something else but these little knives let me buy new toys and pay bills. For now, I suppose the extra income is what motivates me. Now its time to get back out there and make some sparks.
 
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JBS TOOLMAKER said:
Believe it or not knifemaking can be monotonous...
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That might be the single most important fact/best-kept secret about actually making a decent knife. It really does require a good deal of hard work, and most of it is not terribly exciting or glamorous.

No one ever interrupted me while I was grinding or hand-sanding a blade and said, "Good golly, that looks like fun!" :D

jawilder said:
I wish I could work on something else but these little knives let me buy.mp3 toys and pay bills.
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I hear ya. But I'd still rather finish up a batch like that, than flip burgers or push paperwork for someone else. That's a huge part of my motivation.

AVigil said:
The worst part I hate the most is packaging up a bunch of orders, printing labels and taking them to the post office.... That always is a couple of hours that just feels like wasted time.
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Not me, man, I flat-out love packaging and sending knives out. Yeah, it doesn't seem terribly productive on its own, but it excites me because it proves that product is going out and money is coming in. :thumbup: It sure beats sitting in a cubicle or pounding my head against a factory wall.
 
Squirrel!!!

What were we talking about?? :o :(

I have mightily struggled with staying on task and finishing a knife.

With me my never ending quest to learn has led me onto many a rabbit trail. I have one knife that I'm quite fond of and it's 65% to 90% done depending on what new idea I've researched.
My personal goal is to have it complete my March 1st. :D I think that will be one year in the making...

While I struggle at times, I've learned several things that help me in being productive.

One; set a goal for the day. Monday night with Greg Haile I made a goal, and flattened, profiled and rough ground a little 4" necker in one evening. And, my first hollow grind! Sounds easy, but most days I would have never gotten past drawing it out in my art pad.

Two; Breathe!!! I had a therapist a couple years ago work with me for months on noticing my breath. I thought he was the goofiest shrink ever at the time. He was brilliant if you ask me now. I find when I am racing around it's as easy as slowing my breathing to relax I'm simplifying my explanation as breathing to me is a part of mindfulness.

Three; put stuff away. The more stuff I put under the benches in the shop the easier it is to stay focused. I stopped taking a camera hunting because I used to spend all my time taking pictures. I once had a big buck walk behind me while I was taking a picture of a sunset through a rainshower covered spiderweb. I missed the shot and the buck scrambling for my gun...
That being said making tools, forges, blacksmithing, and other shop projects are part of the joy of knifemaking for me.

Four; music. Not sure it helps me stay on task type focused, but I can say having my new stereo in the shop has been awesome and makes hanging out in there all night a joy.

I've heard another maker uses a wipe erase board with goals. I was thinking of doing that with yearly, monthly , weekly and daily goals.. If I remember...
 
Deadlines. deadlines, especially close ones make me very focused and productive, without . . .squirrel!

I have orders for jewelry, knives, crowns (yes I make crowns for re-enactors and usually am at least 2 orders deep) and fencing swords, whichever is the closest deadline gets done

-Page
 
Massive amounts of methylphenidate(Ritalin)! I'd Crush it and sprinkle on my corn flakes if it didn't taste so nasty! Actually, my ADHD is so bad that I have 5 months worth of Ritalin that I have forgotten to take over the last year. I've found that deadlines help. If I know that I have to finish it by a certain time, I can focus on it and get it done.
 
I think Sam Adams keeps me focused... oh wait, that's Anti-focused :D

Setting daily goals ex. I am going to finish hand sanding 3 blades, and get the handles cut before I go in the house. And the pressure of having orders also helps me.
 
I have a big problem with starting knives and then not finishing them — I've got at least 26 unfinished blades right now. The problem is that I will start a knife (or usually "knives") and then get distracted by another design that I'm really into before I finish the first ones. Sometimes I will start a knife that I'm really excited about, but then I redesign it in ways that are better or that I'm more excited about before I finish the first one. There are also certain stages of knifemaking that I don't like as much (e.g. heat treating and making handles) and knives tend to get stalled at these points in favor of the stages that I like better (e.g. profiling and grinding). I'm better about commissions (the prospect of money is always a great motivator), but they are not totally immune.
One thing that helps is that I keep a single list of all of my knives that are in progress. It is primarily to help me keep track of what stage all of my knives are in — I make a list under each knife of all of the things that need to get done (layout, profile, grind, drill handle, etc...) and I check them off as I complete them. Whenever I look at my list, I'm confronted by the number of unfinished knives I have. Periodically I look at the list and I can't stand how many unfinished blades I have and I resolve to finish x number of them before I allow myself to start any new ones. This ends up feeling very cathartic, and it unstresses me to shorten my list.
I'm really glad that other people have this problem (or similar product).

- Chris
 
How many knife makers does it take to complete a project?











Anyone want to go fly a kite?


How I stay focused.....medicine. Seriously. I'm a wreck without it. With it, the edge is taken off the pressure of ideas and thoughts coming out of my mind. Medicine and mindfulness. It's not just new age bs. It really does work.
 
This reminds me of a thread that came up a while back about knifemakers who have ADD or ADHD. It's surprising how many of us have it and find that knifemaking is able to keep our focus. I know it's true with me.
 
zaph1 said:
Massive amounts of methylphenidate(Ritalin)! I'd Crush it and sprinkle on my corn flakes if it didn't taste so nasty! Actually, my ADHD is so bad that I have 5 months worth of Ritalin that I have forgotten to take over the last year. I've found that deadlines help. If I know that I have to finish it by a certain time, I can focus on it and get it done.
Click to expand...

I take dexmethylphenidate (Focalin). They give it to jet fighter/bomber pilots during long missions to keep them awake and focused. It helps immensely.

medicevans said:
How many knife makers does it take to complete a project?











Anyone want to go fly a kite?


How I stay focused.....medicine. Seriously. I'm a wreck without it. With it, the edge is taken off the pressure of ideas and thoughts coming out of my mind. Medicine and mindfulness. It's not just new age bs. It really does work.
Click to expand...

Better living through chemistry.

jawilder said:
This reminds me of a thread that came up a while back about knifemakers who have ADD or ADHD. It's surprising how many of us have it and find that knifemaking is able to keep our focus. I know it's true with me.
Click to expand...

Amazing, isn't it? I have ADD and knifemaking can hold my attention for like an hour, which is days to normal people. Lol

I don't have a problem staying on task when I'm actually making a knife, it's the getting off my butt and doing it when I actually have the time. I'm a Professional Dad and most of my time comes in the evenings after a long day of taking care of the kids, doing housework, etc. With my royally screwed up back, it's hard to force myself through the wall of pain when I'm already tired.
 
Hesparus, That's EXACTLY how I am. A big problem for me was going back to those knives and not remembering what type of steel they are, if I had handles already cut out somewhere or whatever. Now I tear off a sheet of craft paper and trace the outline of the knife on it, including holes and write down any info I can think of on it; thickness, length, steel, date, name of design (if I have one), who it's for if it's an order, what handle material I'm thinking about using, heat treat temps when I get that far, or anything else that's relevant. It helps a lot if I end up setting it aside for a while but also seems to keep me more motivated to finish it. When it's done I mark when it sold, who it went to, and what it sold for. I'll also right down what I'd change if I made it again. Then I fold it up and throw it in a drawer so I have pattern for later if I want it. It really seems to clear my head and keep me focused on THAT knife, like writing that stuff down makes it official that it needs to get completed or something.
 
Interesting.
For me, not letting a project drag on over too many months helps. Also, not doing too much design work for future projects. If I do and that a design "clicks" I'll may start loosing focus on the current project.
 
medicevans said:
How many knife makers does it take to complete a project?

Anyone want to go fly a kite?

How I stay focused.....medicine. Seriously. I'm a wreck without it. With it, the edge is taken off the pressure of ideas and thoughts coming out of my mind. Medicine and mindfulness. It's not just new age bs. It really does work.
Click to expand...

I agree. I am ADHD. And I know for a fact that diet, exercise, sleep and mindfulness are THE key to "managing" myself. Medicine helps and when I "forget" to take it for awhile EVERYONE around me knows.
I've tried 6-7 different meds and none are "magic".

Greg Haile walked outa my shop recently when I kept sidetracking when we were working on a project together... :o. that's a situation where only having one or two projects out at a time would have likely helped.
This thread has helped motivate me to get organized, now if I can only do it without getting sidetracked completely away from making knives. :p

Another thing I started doing recently is plugging my iPhone into my stereo to play music with a short tether cord. It's on top of a shelf so I can't look at texts, e-mails or log onto Shoptalk unless I disconnect and pause the music. And you just can't pause Led Zeppelin for a text...:D

Learning to make knives has helped my focus tremendously. It really helped me be even more aware of momentary lapses in attention. It only takes a few times on the grinder with a 60 grit and you flatten the grind slightly and next thing you know you've trashed the plunge or broken the spine.

One day I want to make a knife without one "oops" on the grinder. :yawn:
 
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