Guest Blogger: How To Complete That DIY Project In A Weekend

Guest Blogger #976 Entry #2478, May 31, 2013

We’ve all been there; planning to upgrade some part of our homes with a spot of weekend DIY, knocking through a wall or sewing a new sofa cover in order to make our living space that little bit more pleasant to live in. And then we begin…

Home DIY projects, whether they’re of the power tool variety or the more dainty furniture up cycling type, have a reputation for taking significantly longer than they should.

Delays in the completion of a DIY project can occur for a number of reasons, most of which are easily preventable with a bit of forward planning and dedication.

What DIY project are you planning this weekend?

Image via: Bright Nest

This post will outline some of the most common causes of delays and provide a easy solution, all to help you get your DIY project finished on time!

Having The Right Tools Ahead Of Time

They say a bad workman blames his tools, but when his tools are completely wrong for the job, who can blame him?

In fact, it is still technically his fault for not reading into what the best tools for his particular task were ahead of time and buying and/or renting before getting started on a project. Now our hypothetical workman is behind on his project and his home’s a mess. D’oh!

The Solution: Research the best tools for your particular job before you get started; you should find the information you need online for most tasks unless it is particularly wacky. Once you’ve decided what you need, shop around for the best deal. If you aren’t going to be using your tools again after the project, consider renting rather than buying what will inevitably become some very expensive shed ornaments.

Time Management

Time management is crucial to the successful completion of any project, DIY or not. However, for many people, the extent of their time management stretches to ‘I’ll get it done by next weekend…maybe’ and that’s about it.

The Solution: Try and put a rough estimate on the amount of time your project is realistically going to take. Make this is a quantifiable figure (such as hours) rather than a rough estimate (such as a weekend).

To do this, split your project up into smaller chunks and put a time estimate on each sub-project. Add these times together for your overall time. Try and stick to a schedule for each time – if it helps, imagine each hour in terms of value (i.e. time to spend with the kids) and you’ll soon have the motivation to get the project completed.

Planning on giving your furniture a new look?

Image via: Shelterness

Get Yourself Inspired

One of the biggest reasons behind the hold-up of a DIY project is a complete lack of inspiration. Lacking the vision to see a project through to its end is a project killer and usually results in half-finished projects.

The Solution: Quite easy, this one. Read blogs, look at pictures of similar projects, watch videos on YouTube and generally whatever it was that made you want to pursue the project in the first place. Also picture what the finished product is going to look at, and imagine all the joy it’ll bring you and your family. Again, you’ll soon find yourself motivated!

Procrastination

Without a boss to look over your shoulder and make sure that you’re getting on with things, staying focused over the course of a DIY project can be difficult. Especially as you’re at home, where temptation comes in the form of easily accessible TV, computers and games consoles.

The Solution: Ironically, the best solution may be to stop working so hard. Research has found that those who take regular breaks tend to focus more in the short bursts of work they undertake than those who try and slog it out without any sort of break.

One technique you can use is the Pomodoro Technique, which encourages 25 minutes of work, then a five minute break, until you’ve completed 4 bursts of 25 minutes. At this point, you can have a whole 15 minutes, giving you time for a nice cup of tea. Having breaks can also be extremely useful for arduous DIY tasks that drain energy quickly.

Christopher Smith is writing on behalf of Excel Compressors, specialists in used air compressors for DIY purposes.

For more DIY ideas on Stagetecture, & Stagetecture’s YouTube Channel, click here.