Eating the Elephant one bite at a time

If like some of us at DIY Homefit you are old enough to remember the 1980’s craze for time management training you will be very familiar with the above phrase!  It is also still widely used today.  If not, let us explain – and don’t worry: no elephants (or any other animals for that matter!) have been harmed in the creation of this article!

Most of our homes need things doing to them and it can be a daunting – if not overwhelming – prospect.  The problem is that we can feel so overwhelmed by everything that does need doing that we end up doing nothing at all.  Here’s where the elephant comes in!   The concept is that when faced with a large task, we need to be brave enough to look at the whole thing then work out a way to approach it one little bit at a time.

So to plan the DIY you need to do in your home try the following five point action plan:

1. First of all make a list.  A very long list for a lot of us!  But take a deep breath and write everything down that needs to be done.  You will probably find that just by doing this the whole thing seems just that little bit less daunting.
2. Now put the list into a rough order of priority.  What desperately needs doing?  What could wait for a little while?  Are there some things that logically need to be done before others?  
3. If you are planning to move home in the not too distant future it would also be advisable to do a “cost benefit analysis” on each item.  Estimate how much it will cost to do it and whether that cost would add enough value to your home to justify you spending the money on it.  What needs to be done to improve the saleability of your home and what is just a “would be nice” improvement?  You can then make sensible decisions as to what to do and what to leave for the next occupant.
4. Now put an approximate time for each improvement based on when you can do the work (or organise it to be done) and when you will be able to afford it.   You now have a plan.  Rome was not built in a day as the saying goes, and you won’t transform your home overnight, but once you have a plan you can start eating that elephant!
5. Start making the first item(s) on your list a reality.  Research the products that you are going to need and pencil in some time to get things moving.  You may want to break down the job into smaller chunks to make it more manageable.  For example if you are planning a partial kitchen refurbishment then you may want to start with your kitchen cupboard replacement one month, then repaint the next month and purchase new accessories and light fittings etc the month after that, therefore spreading both the cost and the workload.

Don’t delay any further!  Look that elephant fair and square in the face right now and follow the action plan above to work out which bite to eat first!   For further help and advice on DIY Homefit products and how to install them effectively in your home take a browse through the help section of our website.