Getting a Lot Done

My "to do" list is causing me to get a lot done inside lately.  I put a lot of things on it and then do anything except that one thing.  It used to be grading book reports.  I put off book reports until the last possible minute.  Now it is sewing.  I think I should be able to read and follow directions but it doesn't seem to apply to sewing.  It says something in the directions.  I think about what the thing should look like when it is done, and stutter to a halt.  I guess that's better than not thinking about what it is supposed to look like.  But it still means I'm doing everything on my list rather than work on the sewing project.