Well, the house is still a complete mess and we are constantly moving stuff out of the way to get to other ‘stuff’. As most of you know, we recently had the kitchen replaced, which took longer than anticipated and is still not completely finished and, at the same time, we decided to get the garden opened up by removing about 40 tonnes of earth, re-locating the steps and increasing the size of the patio area. This was supposed to be a 2.5 week job but we are now in week 3 and it will not be finished by the end of the week, that’s for sure!
Also, this week, the downstairs carpets are being replaced by laminate flooring and, finally the downstairs toilet, sink and radiator will be fitted. We are all keeping sane by imagining the house in 2 weeks time when we are not dusting sand off our feet, sweeping the mud off the kitchen floor and constantly mopping up the dogs muddy paw prints. It’ll be bliss……
It a short term pain for a long term benefit and the investment as been a long overdue. Owning a house puts a constant pressure on you to maintain everything, as, the minute you leave something for too long, it takes more money to replace it or fix it. Once you start looking closely at things a project starts to emerge. The hall needs painting, the skirting boards are looking a bit yellow, all the doors need a lick of paint, the shower needs re-grouting and the ceilings are old fashioned – it never ends.
Having said that, it’s quite nice to get things done and get that satisfaction of doing, some, things yourself. I have done more DIY, since CV-19 locked us up, than ever before and I’ve challenged my long standing belief that “I am rubbish at DIY”. I’m actually ok at some forms of DIY, when I put my mind to it.
Having a vision to keep us motivated has been important. The benefit of a bigger garden means I can get the home office sorted, which is really needed at the moment. The increased space means we can enjoy our BBQ’s and have bigger parties, and, it is a place where, we as a family, will spend quality time talking, laughing, eating and drinking. We will create some great memories, in our new space, which is worth all of the short term disruption.
I can’t wait for it all to be finished. I am raring to get started on building those memories!
Life can be uncomfortable, and I am sure we have all experience some form of disruption over the past 2 years, that we’d rather not have experienced. How did you keep motivated to stay on course?
Stephen Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, is a fantastic read and has been around for many years. The 7 steps are:
- Be proactive
- Begin with the end in mind
- Put first things first
- Think win-win
- Seek first to understand, then be understood
- Synergise
- Sharpen the saw
These steps can be used to evaluate how effective you are, in work and at home. How do you rate yourself?
If you applied all of these steps to a project you are working on (or are just about to engage in) how would that change your approach / results.