I try not to, as it turns into a mess every single time lol. I'm still starting to "doodle" when I have nothing else to do tough. That's why I try to have at least one project on the needles all the time.

Yes, I do that. It has Helped me to figure out how patterns look like, how much yarn it takes, in which needle size the pattern looks better. I've learned a lot by experimenting.

These are projects I'll start and never finish... every single time 😅

I'm a planner and buy (well, dye yarn) when I need it or have a project planned (also known as:'I've found this awesome pattern on ravelry... let's cast on!' and 'forgetting' about the other ten WIP's in my knitting basket...