o this project, to daily redeem time, is getting easier after just a few weeks. My secret? My incredible key to unlocking more time? No more college football on Saturdays and no more NFL on Monday and Thursday nights (better luck next year for all of my teams!). Time to get off the couch! There’s a moral in there somewhere…
The previous Redeem 5.2 posts (Intro & Post #1) introduced, however awkwardly, the concept behind the project. This post will detail one of the area’s that I am filling the time with; Unfinished Projects. Starting simple with something that challenges me only with time. Hopefully something will inspire your own Redeem 5.2 projects.
We used to watch a certain TV show for home improvement ideas. This vehicle for the show was families choosing between remodeling their current home or moving to a new house (that better addressed what they wanted). After one episode, Kelsey and I had a realization: “Let’s not be the folks who ignore basic house projects until we sell the house”. In other words, why live day in-day out with unfinished projects. Get them done! Well…we are now those folks, with plenty of projects 90% done – time to finish the remaining 10%.
When I set up my calendar I slotted Unfinished Projects for Wednesday AM and Thursday PM. Here is my plan.
Wednesday AM
For some reason other family members are un-supportive of me pounding nails early in the morning (what?), so I will use this time initially to walk the house and create a list of work that needs to be done. I will not worry about the size, expense or estimated time required to complete a job…just make the list. Off the top of my head here are some jobs that will make the initial list:
- Trim: Upstairs sliding glass doors (3 sides – match to other upstairs windows)
- Baseboards: Upstairs Bedroom
- Electrical covers: Upstairs outlets (cover unused/future wiring)
- Deck Handrails: Front steps (permit issue)
- Desk Handrails: Back Landing (permit issue)
- Trim: Living room windows
- Shower Faucet: Fix loose water handle upstairs shower
- Paint Touch ups: We have kids…there are scratches, marks and one perfectly round divot in the sheet rock that, amazingly, fits perfectly the top of boy #3’s head (but none of the kids know “what happen”)
Some of these, like electrical covers and paint touch ups, can be done in the morning (already have the covers and the paint). Others like the handrails will take more than the 30 minutes I am allotting. So I may collect supplies, draw up plans/measurements and identify any trips to the hardware store that are needed during the AM sessions. I will also use some of the sessions to educate myself on “How to” videos. I have no idea how to fix a leaky shower faucet so I will learn what I can, make sure the exposed valve is off, and then give it a shot. (Why does that last line sound like a future post, and expense, waiting to happen?)
Side note: Want to submarine the whole project? Let 30 minutes grow to 60, then hours. This will inevitably cause other issues. So think year long and set limits for yourself. Larger projects still need to be done, but schedule those for other times.
Thursday PM
Everyone is awake so I can make noise. During this slot I will tackle projects like baseboards; measure and cut one session, paint another and install on another day. I will also plan Thursday PM’s with the weekend projects in mind. If I know Saturday will be spent getting into larger projects I may use the Thursday slot to prep for those projects; gather supplies, draw up a plan, shamelessly offer food to friends for help, etc.
Get the idea? These short times are not meant to replace time already devoted to house projects. The point is to redeem time that is lost sitting on the couch so that in a few months I can look back and see big fat “X’s” on my calendar. Not to mention walking around the house and not being bugged by little unfinished projects.
