How To Motivate Yourself To Complete Those DIY Jobs

My dad has recently decided that he’s probably going to be selling the house in the near future, or at least

Don't become this guy, stay positive!

make it better for continuing to live comfortably in. I don’t live there anymore having begun to rent my own place since the end of January this year, so it doesn't matter as much to me but it is sad to see that he might have to sell the place I spent most of my childhood years. My mum died a few years ago so my dad now lives in a house with 3 bedrooms; with me, my brother and my sister now having our own homes to look after. It’s too big for one person and it’s a lot of work to take care of (and a lot of money too) so certain things in the home have been neglected. The kitchen needs redecorating - largely thanks to damp having crept its way in - there’s a hole in my old bedroom’s ceiling which we had to cause ourselves because a build-up of water meant it would have collapsed sooner or later, and the back garden is an overgrown mess (I keep telling my dad to have a look here for some new garden tools here, the ones in the shed were bought around the reign of Henry VIII).

My dad works long hours to afford to keep paying the mortgage on the house, so I don’t really blame him not having the motivation to fix these things. However, he recently got made redundant again and is now determined to either downsize to a smaller house or update the décor and fix all the problems. Of course, if he does end up selling it these problems need to be fixed before anyone would want to buy it. Losing his job was obviously one of the key motivations to start working hard on the house, but he also realises he’s neglected it for a long time too.

As much as you may love DIY, or even hate it, there’s always going to be a day where you feel like my dad, where you’re overtired from working long hours and just want to slump down in front of the TV. You could say that’s what weekends for, but I myself often find that social activities and other commitments get in the way and before you know it it’s Sunday night and you haven’t done a single DIY related activity. So, from the few things I have left to do in my house, and to help my dad too, I've put together 5 points about how you can get motivated to do carry out DIY.

One goal at a time: The biggest problem you’ll most likely face when you’re going to do DIY is putting too much in your hands at once. To be fair this aspect can apply to almost any job, but when you’re faced with a long to-do list it can seem pretty intimidating and contributes hugely to your reluctance to even begin. By all means make a to-do list, but only do one goal at the same time. There’s no point in spreading your work out between different goals at the same time, focus on goal until you've completed that and move on. Doing too much will only sap your energy and motivation, and before you know it you’re sat on the sofa watching endless Friends repeats. It’s hard to initially do this, but keep a strong focus on completely one goal and you’ll have a much easier time of working through your DIY to-do list.

Do the toughest task first: It may seem like you should get all those small simple jobs out of the way first, but don’t follow that path. Instead tackle the toughest job first, as doing so will set you up for the rest of the day. If you get that tough job done it won’t be hanging over you while you’re doing the other jobs, you won’t have that worry of having to move on to that in the end. The worst thing you can do is do the small jobs but never get around to doing the big tough job simply because it seems too daunting. Do it first and you’ll feel much better, tackling those smaller jobs with a smile on your face.

Get excited: Ok, so it might seem a bit hard to ever get excited about re-grouting your bathroom, but if you get excited about a job you’re obviously going to be enthusiastic and motivated about carrying out the job. The way I get excited about a job is to look things up first and take inspiration from those things. For example, I might look up some ways to do certain DIY jobs on the Internet while on my break at work. Here you can see all the wonderful, unique and creative ways that people have completed a job (there’s an endless torrent of great DIY content out there) and it gets me excited about doing the job myself. If someone’s come up with a way of getting grouting done quicker then I'm all for it, it gets you excited to complete and move on to a job that you’re going to be more interested in. Doing research on the job can also help you discover that it doesn't seem as hard as you initially thought it might be, and even if it is just tell yourself that you’re learning how to do something new and it will be easier the next time.

Reward yourself: This is simple enough, reward yourself when you've completed a DIY job you've been

Reward yourself with a lovely cup of tea!

meaning to do for ages. When I used to study for exams back in school I’d tell myself that I’d complete 50 minutes of revision and then reward myself with a 10 minute break. Whether it’s a chocolate biscuit or simply completing the job and knowing you've now got some free time to actually do things you want to do, working towards a reward is a key motivator. Plus, the feeling of success when you eventually complete a job often feels like a reward in itself.

Don’t fear failure: This one hits close to home for me, and I attribute the fear of failure to me avoiding many tasks in my past. If you think you can’t complete a task because you aren't good enough then it’s unlikely you’ll start it to begin with. Remember that all the successful people in the world became successful because they failed multiple times. The only way to learn from your mistakes it to make those mistakes in the first place. Is it really a big deal if you make a little mistake the first time? You’ll know what you did wrong and can correct it in the future, just don’t put off doing that either.

With a little positive mental attitude and simply getting up and beginning the task, you’ll find that you can get through your to-do list in no time at all and you’ll wonder why you ever sat around making excuses not to do it in the past. We don’t have all the time in the world, so spend less time worrying about a job you haven’t done it, pick up a toolbox, get it done, and move on with your life. It’s a far more enjoyable way to live.

If you really really don't have time to do the job, or can't do the job yourself (all electric and gas work should be left to a professional) then have a look at these tips on how to hire a good tradesman for your job instead.