Things Usually Look Worse Before They Look Better

Courtesy of My Home Ideas.com

I have a confession to make. When it comes to my own "major" home improvement projects - whether it be redecorating, reorganizing, or remodeling -- I have a tendency to put things off. 

I usually have a good reason -- lack of time or lack of extra money. But it sometimes comes down to lack of motivation, lack of energy or just being too complacent - for lack of a better word. After doing various types of home improvement projects for clients, the last thing I want to do when I get home at night is work on my own home improvement projects. I'd much rather spend time doing other things.

Then there is always the "mess" factor to deal with when starting a project. You know - moving stuff around, emptying the closets, going through drawers, ripping up carpet, prepping the walls and/or ceiling before actually painting. 

I'm not talking about the smaller projects which can get accomplished in a few hours -- I'm talking about the major projects --like repainting a room (or several rooms), replacing old carpeting with new flooring, completely reorganizing a walk-in closet, updating a room with new and/or different furniture and accessories, remodeling a kitchen or bathroom. But even some of the smaller projects take some time, effort, and planning as well as some psychology. 

My major stumbling blocks (aside from the financial one) seem to be dealing with the "mess factor" while the project is underway and the "start-stop" nature of most of my DIY projects because who has hours or days of uninterrupted time to work on this stuff? (Oh, and the three dogs and a cat underfoot).

To be honest, some of these projects will eventually require the services of a pro - and thankfully, I've worked with many good tradespeople over the years. But in the meantime, I'm doing a lot of the prep work myself to save a few bucks.

 

I decided to take some of my own advice to deal with my own personal "home improvement" stumbling blocks. And you know what? It actually helped me to refocus, take things one step at a time, and not make myself feel bad because I didn't get everything done according to my original schedule. Life happens -- when all is said and done, if I take time to think things through, develop a plan, then work at it one step at a time, things will eventually get done. 

And if things look a bit messy in the meantime, I keep visualizing what it will look like after the new flooring goes in, the rooms are repainted, and I'm cooking a fabulous Italian meal in my new kitchen. It may take awhile, but it'll get done!