I Do Things My Own Way (And It Almost Always Works Out)
Yesterday, I had someone ask me, “Are you going to finish painting the ceiling before or after you finish the cabinets?” To be clear, this was not a snarky comment, and it’s perfecty fine to ask questions. She was just wondering about my process, and I certainly understand that. And you want to know what’s funny? Once again, I had conveniently forgotten that I still haven’t finished painting the ceiling and walls in the studio. 😀
The ceiling looked like this months ago, and it still looks like this today…
As I mentioned a few days ago, I’ve developed a kind of blindness to it at this point, and I’ve become hyper-focused on my current project — finishing the office area cabinets. Those cabinets looks like this right now. I’ve finished the side panels, the electrical for the sconces, and the cubby bridge.
At this point, I really don’t remember the unfinished walls and ceiling unless I’m making a mental list (or an actual written list) of the projects that I still have to finish in the room. And at this rate, painting the ceiling will probably be one of the very last things I do to finish this room.
I’ve always been a DIYer who does things my own way. I’ll be the first to admit that my ways don’t always make sense, and they’re very often not the most efficient way to do a project. But after 30+ years of DIYing, and especially since we moved into this house and I had such a daunting whole-house remodel to tackle pretty much by myself (only calling in help or pros when absolutely necessary), I’ve learned that I have to be led by my motivation.
My current work in the studio is a good example of that. I’m absolutely dreading having to paint that ceiling. I don’t know why, and it’s probably one of those projects that I’ve dreaded for so long that I’ve made it much worse in my head than what it will actually be. But whatever the reason, I just don’t want to do it. So if I insisted on doing things in the order in which they make the most sense, or the order in which they seem them most efficient, and I tried to force myself to paint before doing anything else, I’d be making excuses every day as to why I can’t paint, and the whole studio project would be stalled.
Instead, I went with my motivation. I felt motivated and excited to tackle the office area cabinets, so I went with it. Will that make things more difficult for me later? Maybe a little. Now, before I paint the ceiling, I’ll have to drape the cabinets and the wallpaper mural with plastic, and I’ll have to cover the floor. But that’s not a huge deal, and it’ll only take about an hour to get all of that done before I can paint.
And I also suspect that when the office area cabinets are finished and looking beautiful, I’ll actually feel motivated to get the ceiling and the rest of the walls painted. At that point, I’ll be super excited to get the whole studio finished, and to tackle any project that’s standing in the way of me having a completely finished studio. That’s generally what happens. I eventually get excited to complete those projects that I’ve been dreading and putting off simply because those are standing in the way of me having a finished room.
I know I’ve shared all of this before in previous years, but I just want to reiterate for those of you who are also working on big whole-room or whole-house projects. Yes, there’s probably always a “correct” order in which to do things. But we DIYers aren’t strictly bound by them. Obviously, there are times when things do need to be done in a certain order. Yes, you have to hang drywall before you can install cabinets. Please don’t install cabinets on studs and then try to drywall around them just because you hate drywalling and want to put it off. 😀
But you know what I mean. Don’t be so strictly adherent to a proper order that you find yourself dragging your feet, procrastinating for days, or weeks, or months, because the “proper” next step is one that you absolutely dread. Instead, see if there’s a way that you can move on and find something else that you can do so that you can see progress. And if you’re anything like me, once you see that room coming together, you’ll find yourself waking up one day excited about getting that project finished, and you’ll finally feel excited to do the very thing you’ve been dreading.
Just don’t be so hard on yourself, or so strict with your schedule and order of projects. It’ll all get done eventually. And I’ve found that creating a little bit of extra work for myself later (like now having to drape everything with plastic before I can finish painting the ceiling) is well worth it if I can just move forward and make loads of progress on other things that I’m truly excited to tackle right now. That’s been the story of my 30+ years of DIYing (especially since 2013), and things always seem to work out in the end.
So with that in mind, I’m going to ignore my unpainted ceiling and walls, and I’m going to spend my afternoon and evening trimming out my cabinets and getting them prepped for primer and paint. It’s going to take a lot of trim, wood filler, and caulk to get this thing looking like what I see in my mind, but this is the fun part!
And perhaps after these cabinets are finished, I’ll wake up one day feeling excited to pick up the paint roller, drag out the scaffolding, and get that 11-foot ceiling with the ceiling fan and 10 recessed lights painted. 😀 But for today, I’m incredibly motivated to work on these cabinets.
Note: On a completely different topic, I know that my email program has been sending out doubles, one hour apart, over the last few days. I’m so sorry about that! I promise I’m not trying to spam y’all! I thought I had fixed it on Tuesday, and then it did it again yesterday. I took another look, and I really do think I’ve fixed it now. I hope. So you should only get one email a day, but please let me know if it’s still sending out doubles. So sorry for the annoying double emails lately!
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
You go girl! Your clarity on this is a great help to those of us who get side tracked by thinking about doing stuff in order! Thank you!
I wouldn’t know where to store a scaffold, but if I were motivated to DIY, it would be *my* motivation to do the ceiling first. Get that out of the way! And *then* everything else could be the focus. You know, when I’m more motivated than just downloading pictures and writing out a shopping list. But I tell you that, because you are definitely an inspiration! A personal scaffold, who knew? 🙂 (…. as I glance at my ceilings…)
So, I’ve forgotten. Are the walls and ceiling going from blue to white, or white to blue?
Haha! It looks like a confusing mess this point, right? 😀 But they’re going from blue to white, and the walls are going from blue to Benjamin Moore Classic Gray.
So funny…my comment I just sent was the same question as Judy. I’m glad I’m not the only one that lost track!
So glad you asked ♡
Sometimes we become blind to things that need attention around the house. Sometimes we just procrastinate on finishing projects for whatever reason. Sometimes i leave a job unfinished because i can’t make a decision about it. Sometimes I’m afraid might make a mistake or I’m not skilled enough. Sometimes another project is more exciting. I figure as long as I’m doing something it’s ok to leave other projects till later.
Hey Kristi, I read lots of blogs and I am rarely motivated to comment, but every time I read yours I just feel compelled to write you.
Possibly it’s because my husband is bedridden and nonverbal, but I really think it’s because I’m always celebrating your bravery in just knowing in your heart that YOU CAN DO IT!!!!
You go girl, you’ve got this!
On a positive note, who’s going to be looking at the ceiling? 🙂
Can you share with us what caulk you use? Thanks!
Found it, had searched the blog but had misspelled caulk!!!! !
Thanks for you motivation as we watch you tackle these projects!
Makes so much sense to me, and makes me feel a little validated when I do something in less than proper order too! Right now, and for a while now, looking at your ceiling I cannot remember if it will be white or blue! 🤣 I’ve only noticed it in a few photos lately and I cannot remember what you were doing with the ceilings. BUT it will be done when it gets done, and will look beautiful! I love how fussy you are…I’m painting some trim that my husband did…he is NOT fussy enough for me. But I can’t redo all his stuff. Next time I will be checking everything before I paint! I’m already repainting because he is a faster/sloppier painter than me too. SIGH…
hearing from you is like hearing from a friend! I look forward to it, no apology necessary!😊
If I recall correctly, you had some back issues that kept you from finishing the ceiling. And also a fear of falling off a ladder (why you bought the scaffolding, which was smart). Maybe hire out that little bit of work?
Now that I have scaffolding, I’d feel wasteful hiring it out. I can do it…just not today. Or tomorrow. Or this weekend. 😀
YOU’RE SO RIGHT!!!
“I’ve learned that I have to be led by my motivation.”
We bought a fixer upper about a year ago and hired out most of the remodeling. It dragged on and we ended up staying in one of my brothers properties: supposed to be for 3 weeks, turned into 6 months.
When we finally moved in, boxes were everywhere and my nervous energy was in overdrive, until it wasn’t.
After a week of moping around, barely doing anything beyond survival (lol) my SIL came to help. We worked until I was ready to drop. When she came back the next week I said instead of doing what we should, can we just do what I want? And voila. I was back on track. And I’ve been going strong until my low back flared 3 weeks ago. Daily chiro visits are helping and it feels good to know how much we’ve accomplished. I’m at the decor stage, ready to hang pictures, etc.
Thank you, a thousand times over for your blog, your talents and your encouragement. You’re a blessing! XO
I like your logic. Makes sense to me.
To each her own. “Most” people say to dust and then vacuum. But since I hate to dust, I always do it last. You do your way, Kristi, we will do life our way! 😉
Love this. As someone with ADHD, this makes total sense to me.
Have you figured out how make the countertop this time so you can avoid the skin irritation that you experienced last time?
I’m not gonna lie. I’m absolutely terrified to do that countertop. But I can guarantee you I’ll cover myself from head to toe, make the necessary cuts, and then immediately get into the shower and wash off all of the dust. I might even get one of those white suits from Home Depot that people wear to crawl under their homes and do other things that require them to be fully covered. I’m not letting that stuff sit on my skin for any amount of time this go ’round.
Get you a bee suit. Lightweight and full cover. Lol
Yea, I think I got 2 emails yesterday which I thought was odd but I chalked it up to my gmail which has been really glitchy for me lately.
I too am dreading a dumb little task I have to do in a couple of weeks that feels like it’ll kill me when in reality it’s a nothing burger!
Just soldier on…
When you first started dreading and avoiding painting the ceiling you did not have your scaffolding. If you stop and remember the scaffolding, does the project seem a lot more do-able to you? I don’t know if you can really overcome the dread you’ve built up in your head now that it’s there. And if anyone has tips, please let me know as this this something my ADHD teen REALLY struggles with and I have a hard time helping in an actually helpful way.
It does seem a lot more doable now with the scaffolding. And another thing, now that I’ve been walking and doing free weight and kettlebell exercises, I think I’m stronger and steadier. The first time I got on my scaffolding, I was terrified. It moves back and forth a little, even with the wheels locked, and I felt very insecure up there. When I was working on the cubby bridge, climbing up and down on that scaffolding, I noticed that I was much steadier and much more confident being up there. I think losing some weight and feeling much stronger now has really helped my confidence and steadiness, so the job doesn’t seem as overwhelming to me now. I’m still not looking forward to it, though. 😀
That’s awesome! It’s great to feel more sure and confident in yourself. I think we under estimate strength. We don’t need to be bodybuilders, but just having a bit of general strength of body is an amazing thing.
Hi Kristi,
I get excited every time I see your email with another update and thoroughly enjoy your thoughts and your progress! Just wondering, why did you decide to make the cubby bridge with three cubbies instead of four?
Three reasons: (1) I think odd numbers are better than even, (2) I tried four, and they looked squished, and (3) if I did four, I’d be neurotic about the middle separator on the cubbies lining up perfectly with the middle of the window, and it would drive me crazy if they were the slightest bit off. So I decided to spare myself the headache and do three so nothing had to line up with the window. 😃
The double emails weren’t annoying to me at all. Just funny actually. I had that happen on another blog I follow, for awhile. They’ve since been fixed, and today, no double emails. 😁😁
I only got one today.
Yea, I think I got 2 emails yesterday which I thought was odd but I chalked it up to my gmail which has been really glitchy for me lately.
I too am dreading a dumb little task I have to do in a couple of weeks that feels like it’ll kill me when in reality it’s a nothing burger!
Just soldier on…
I don’t think I got double emails from you, but I would MUCH rather get two than none!! Your scaffolding will help to make your ceiling painting go much easier, when you decide to do it.
I’d noticed the blue in your photos but also saw that that the area above the cubbies was painted so you wouldn’t have to try to reach in and get that area. I totally get the do what your motivated most by order of business. Better to get something done than stagnate completely.
Kristi,
I agree with every thing you say about being led by motivation…and doing things your own way. I enjoy reading about your DIYing….and love the way you tackle it all. The final finish is always so professional and ‘one of a kind’.
Thank you…thank you…thank you. Until I read your post today, I to would procrastinate because of something I dreaded doing. But now that I have thought it over (‘ I think you are right) I think I’ll just do something else that excites me more…within reason of course.
And your studio is looking better and better. You do good work Kristi~
It is ok to do things in your order.
My problem is I do the parts that I want to first and then abandon the project completely. 😱
Your new scaffolding will probably make that ceiling painting much more bearable!
I love the way you get things done and your creatively! My question is what type of scaffolding do use/brand/etc? As I have 12 foot high ceilings in my living room, dining area and kitchen and at my age I’m not the monkey I used to be and ladders make me anxious. I have thought about scaffolding. I wish that I could just have you do my house for me as I admire your endless talents!
This is my affiliate link to the exact one I have. I love it! https://amzn.to/3V4SBTj
Home Depot also carries this exact one.
Thank you for your reply and the links!
As Frank Sinatra sang””I`ll Do It My Way””” everybody has to work the way that suits them plus your not on your own working backwards there are loads of us out here that do it,,lol …..