A little while back, I was scrolling through Pinterest and saw this beautiful reclaimed wood floating shelf, and I could just see how much clutter that would take care of for me.
Well, last Saturday, that shelf was my mission, and I made sure to really, really prepare. Brackets? Check. Lumber? Check. A solid 4-hour window? Check.
I also had the unbeatable mix of coffee and determination, so nothing could go wrong. Pretty typical 10 A.M. mindset if you ask me.
10:07 A.M.? We've got a completely different situation on our hands. I already felt defeated, and if you think it was because of the drill or the level, you're wrong. It was a single, stupid piece of hardware I was missing that made me crazy.
Now, I'm sure you're thinking that a trip down to the hardware store isn't the end of the world, and you're right, but that wasn't just a 20-minute errand. Oh, no. It completely killed any shred of momentum I had, plus I spent way too long picking out things that made sense to buy, you know, since I'm already there.
Long story short, I still don't have that shelf.
And that got me thinking about how badly I planned this entire thing and why it even happened like this, so let me share that with you.
Why Home Upgrade Projects Start to Feel So Overwhelming So Fast
You'd think putting up a shelf wouldn't feel like running a marathon, but here we are. If you want to know the reason for it, it's called decision fatigue, which is a fancy way of saying that your brain is short on energy.
And it makes total sense.
You're already making a million tiny decisions every day, like what to eat for lunch, how to reply to an email, whether the laundry is done, whether your kid remembered to take the school project with them, and so on. So by the time you get to working on your project, there's nothing left for it.
You're exhausted even though you might not feel it.
And what makes this worse is that the project keeps stacking up demands.
Which screw do I use? Did I measure that from the left edge or the center? Does this piece need to be painted before it gets attached? These are all small decisions on their own, but if you need to squeeze them into 1 hour? They don't feel that small anymore.
That's where real trouble starts. Unless you have a crystal clear plan, every single step is basically an interruption.
And an interruption can completely disrupt your whole flow.
Think about it - you're in the zone, and your work efficiency is at 100%. Suddenly, 'PING' (a notification on your phone). Now you check the message real quick. Suddenly, you're Googling something, jumping to check. YouTube just for a sec. Oh, now you're hungry, so just a small sandwich, won't take long.
The next thing you know, two hours have passed, your work progress hasn't moved, and you're on your 17th video in, watching America's Got Talent.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you don't build that shelf you saw on Pinterest.
Small (Seemingly Insignificant) Choices That Waste a Ton of Time
So, which are those choices, and what do you do about them?
Here's a couple so you get the idea of what we mean:
Now Knowing what 'Finished' Actually Is/Means
Ever started a project thinking you just want that corner to feel a bit cozier, like you know exactly what you want and how to do it? Yeah, me neither.
That's a great vibe, but it's an awful finish line. What does cozy even look like? How do you know when it's done?
The goal is too vague, so before you lift a finger, decide exactly what 'done' means.
That'll prevent you from making endless tweaks.
Treating Every Decision Like It Stands Alone
You choose a paint color on Tuesday, and you pick out a light fixture on Friday, and congratulations, you've just made a problem for yourself. These tasks are too connected because the color and the fixture have to work together, so it's a decision you should treat as one task. Unless, of course, you want to risk having to redo one or the other 2 weeks later.
You could even schedule a consultation with experts who specialize in home upgrades (windows, doors, countertops, walk-in showers, custom kitchens, etc.), such as Graber Supply, to get some help and keep the project on track.
Skipping the Prep
It's a chore to measure the same thing twice and read those darn instructions over and over.
But if you skip the boring stuff, your 2-hour job will turn into a 2-week annoyance. Nothing kills momentum faster than realizing the board you bought needs to acclimate in your house for 48 hours or that the special hinge you need has a 3-week lead time.
Yeah… Pretty much any type/amount of delay will feel massive.
So best get your cup of coffee (or whatever you like) and do all your prep work in advance!, so make a cup of coffee and do all the boring prep work in advance.
Conclusion
What's the moral of the story here? Well, it would probably go something like this - the next time you start a home project, you should focus less on fiddling with your thumbs and focus more on ACTUALLY being productive.
Dopamine detox is a real thing. So, how do you get to being 'more productive'? That's easy - just think as the pros do. Would a pro run to the store last minute to get a few screws and a bit of acrylic silicone? No, probably not.
So, next time you do get on that project, it's best to channel your inner pro to shoot those chances of success up high.
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