As you look around your house, how many projects can you see that you could do yourself if you had the right stuff to do it? Building shelves, painting, and installing composite floors are typical indoor undertakings, while outdoor projects like arbors, pavers, patios and other landscaping enhancements can make the family’s daily life better and also add value to a house that, through no fault of its owner, has lost value because of the recession.
OK, so pick a project. Now, the most likely reason you haven’t started that project already is that you don’t have the right stuff to do it. So, the next question is where do you find the right stuff (without going broke)? The answer is simple and universal. Research.
Great, now we’re back in school. Who wants to do research? The answer to that depends on you and the ‘grade’ you want to get for your project. The good part of doing research is that, because of the internet, it can be done any time of the day or night from just about anywhere you happen to find yourself. The better part of research is that there are myriad websites that can help you to determine what you need to make your particular project happen. Consider Ebay, Home Depot, Lowes, or Amazon as websites that can provide both the raw materials and step-by-step instructions to ensure that you have the right stuff to get your project done. Just remember, even though you have enlisted the help of these resources, it still qualifies as do-it-yourself.
The harder part of do-it-yourselfing is finding the time to make this project happen. Carving the precious little free time that you have into smaller pieces so that you can dig, plant, hammer, cut, paint or whatever it is that you need to do means that something has to be sacrificed to make your project happen. That can be painful when you remember that, if you weren’t ankle deep in dirt trying to plant a tree in the back yard (that the children might be able to put a swing on in, say 6 or 7 YEARS, you could be sitting comfortably in the TV room, watching one of the Bowl games. That’s the reason so many projects never get started. The discomfort level of not having that tree planted has never outweighed the comfort of watching a good ball game (unless this is the tree that your wife wanted you to plant, in which case the discomfort level can QUICKLY outweigh the comfort level of not planting that tree).
So the trick now is to make time, since finding time is, at best, difficult. When you overcome this obstacle, the next steps become easier. If you make the time to get started, making time to do the rest takes less effort. By the time you approach completion, making the time will be something you look forward to. Bottom line is this: overcome the inertia to NOT start the project and you will have it finished in no time.
