Fading Enthuisasm

I have noticed that when I start a new project I am full of energy for it, whether it's work related or related to one of my hobbies. I'm excited to work on it daily, then at some point I begin getting distracted by other things and interests. I started thinking about this because with school ending I was excited to get back to the Christmas stocking I have been working on throughout the year; then I found directions for making cloth baby blocks. I started working on them almost right away, once I got the needed material anyway.

In this case, it's partly because the baby blocks are much simpler and I can see the progress more easily. Artistically speaking, the stocking will be more beautiful when complete. It also is related to the fact that the stocking will probably never be used by its intended recipient, which makes it a bit silly to finish it. But it's not only with this project, it's with most things that I start. Like sanding down my daughter's furniture to repaint it, which is terribly hard work. One desk has over fifty years of paint on it. It is hot and dusty work, I can't do it early in the morning because I don't want the noise of the sander to wake anyone up. I will finish it this summer.

If I force myself to continue to work on the projects that are hobby related, it begins to feel like a job and I stop enjoying it as much. I know that in many ways that is ridiculous feeling, since I chose the activity. For some things, I know why it happens. Researching my family tree, which I haven't done in ages, gets left behind because it is a lot of drudgery until you find something and right now I'm at a wall in my research. And of course projects for work are work, though often still enjoyable. In fact, I have to work this summer or learning a new curriculum and a word wall to go with it. I'll start that next week, while the kiddo is at summer camp.

I know that this happens to many people, at least people with multiple hobbies. Does anyone have any tips on how to combat this tendency?