I'm not loving painting the deck railing. But they way things work in my household is the person who most wants a job done does it. The rest of the family really doesn't care that much what the deck railing looks like, but I do. So, this is my job. It's a good thing that I'm neat and can paint carefully.
Just how do I make myself get out there to paint almost every day when I don't want to? I do this with other challenging tasks and ordeals, too. I tell myself I only have to do a small amount, and I can decide not to do any more after that. When I was going through all my dental stuff, especially the four surgeries (not all were big surgeries, though), I told myself I only have to get through this one, and if I don't want to go any further, I can choose plan B instead.
When I'm cleaning up the house after a family event, I tell myself I only need to pick up this one small space. What usually happens is I find the cleaning up isn't so bad, I get into a groove, and before I know it I've finished the house.
I didn't want to make dinner for tonight. I was tired. But I told myself I will just get the pasta cooked and set aside (I made a seafood pasta salad), then I could go rest for a small while before finishing up dinner. As it turned out, I had enough energy to do all of dinner and have it chilling while I rested.
It doesn't always turn out this way. Sometimes I do just the small amount I've convinced myself to try. I'm okay with that. At least I did a small amount of work. This reminds me of parents asking their kids to try a bite of a new food. Their hope is the child will discover they like the new food and eat more.But if they don't, at least they tried and had some.
This afternoon after my dentist appointment, I told myself I'd just go out and put a final coat of paint on the small section I did yesterday. I did that and then put two coats on one of the 4 X 4 posts and washed the section that I'll work on tomorrow. I didn't go all crazy and paint for hours, but I did get some good work in on a day when I felt tired.
And now. as I anticipate a lot of painting yet to do, I've been telling myself that it's okay if I don't finish the job this summer. This is how I'm getting myself out to paint each day, by not letting myself think the job is overwhelming. If I finish the whole railing, that will be great. But if I don't, I've already decided that that outcome will be okay with me. I can always do the rest next summer.
Anyway, this trick has worked to get myself started on many tasks. Do you have any ways you get yourself to do work that really isn't something you enjoy?
My problem is I enjoy everything and take on too many projects. Cooking, sewing, baking, building barns, decks, DIYing everything in my house, gardening. You name it. So sometimes I get overwhelmed. My trick is to visualize the finished product or project. If I can see in my mind what a room is going to look like with a new color of paint, I can’t wait to get it done. Visualizing a cabinet full of jars of honey…yep, I’ll put on that full bee suit in 90 degree weather and work that hive. Anticipating the look on my 6 year old granddaughter’s face when she sees a three layer My Little Pony birthday cake that literally took four hours to decorate? That’s how I muscle through. My husband says my mind is always three steps ahead of my hands. I literally was arranging furniture on a deck I was building before I had the deck boards laid (I flattened the heavy duty cardboard the furniture shipped in, laid it on the joists, then set the furniture on it). It gave me the incentive to get out there in the worst of the heat and finish the deck. Annie
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