In A Vicious Cycle

Because of a variety of reasons such as time spent on genealogy, traveling, etc. I am quite behind on viewing cataloging and mounting previous acquisitions, and it seems I have been adding to that backlog on a regular basis. So do I forgo additional purchases until I catch up? If I do, I could miss good purchase opportunities. If I don't, I'm sure I'll just add to my backlog.
I thought that when I retired, I would not have to make any more critical, life changing decisions!
Yes - I'm behind the !!

ncbuckeye - a problem I continue to battle with also. I work very hard (sort of) to constantly organize and then a few days later, the mess is back. I'll have a some time away next week as I go to hospital for foot surgery and it will keep me there for about 3 days. Wait! I can take my netbook with me to keep buying. I'd better tell my wife to not let me have it on the first day, no telling what I'd buy with the anesthesia and pain stuff still in me.

Good luck on the foot surgery. You can use my address so your wife won't know about any new acquisitions!

I'm far from retirement but often find myself in the same situation. I'll get really carried away with something and feel as though I'm neglecting my other interests. My perfectionism and ADD have always caused me more stress than I need - like a little voice telling me that I must constantly watch everything on ebay in case I miss The Most Amazing Steal Of A Bargain Ever (maybe I should copyright that phrase).

One thing that has helped me in the past couple of years is that I've basically given myself permission to stop worrying so much and enjoy whatever hobby I'm indulging in at the time. That and a belief in a certain amount of destiny - if TMASBE (copyright!) is meant to be mine, it'll make its way to me one way or another - have greatly decreased my stress and increased my enjoyment.

ETA: And best of luck on your surgery, yakboomer!

I just bought 2 large WW used lots (minutes ago) because I just don't have enough to sort and place!
I also thought (like Zuzu) that one of these may be TMASBE (copyright!). So, when they arrive I will add the stamps to my "dwindling" stacks...
"Hi Ho Hi Ho, it's off to work I go" and start sorting the backlog I already have.
yakboomer: I hope your surgery goes well and by all means don't stop shopping (what else can you do while recovering!)

Yakboomer - will add my best wishes for successful surgery.

My wife and I have been doing some travelling - e.g. returned from a six week holiday in SC mid-March. I keep buying while I'm away, and thanks to some large lots I bought, I arrived home to a foot thick stack of enevelopes and packages. It was fun looking through the stuff but more than half of it is still waiting to be processed and more is on its way. Actually, I kind of like the chaos but my "stamp room" is kind of a mess.

I find I'm the type of person who goes through phases. For a number of months I was buying, buying, buying. The acquisition was part of the fun - getting the package in the mail, opening it, perusing the contents, and visualizing the sorting and mounting process even if I didn't have time to get to it right away. It's part of the process that I really enjoy. But then, if you're like me, you get to a point where you start feeling the pressure of "heck, I have to slow down a bit, or I'll never get caught up." At that point I take a break and concentrate solely on getting my house in order.

When it comes to stamp collecting I think, as with any hobby, the guiding force should be that if the spirit moves you, just do it. Buy if you want to buy, and break if you want to break. Don't think what SHOULD you do, think what do you WANT to do.

I'm a party animal :)

Sorry my Son, the backlog never ends..it does not even work down !

I think having a backlog is pretty normal for most of us. It is a vicious cycle. Like most people, I keep buying and neglect putting things in their place because I receive items in the mail at least 3 days of the week.

Then there is the problem of where to place items for me anyway, because I collect a variety of things.

It's all normal

Never let a good buy get away! I've been hesitant many times only to really regret missing out on a prize.
Don't worry about being behind, that's normal human behavior. I could work on stamps 24/7 (if life didn't get in the way) and still be behind. Having a pile of goodies to dig through is always fun, even if they do not get immediately ingested. Wait long enough and you can have fun all over again with the same stuff!!