“I’ll get to that eventually.”
If I had a dollar for every time I said that, or “that won’t take long to fix,” or “I’ll get to that tomorrow,” I would have no issues figuring out how I’d fund my next renovation project.
If you’re anything like me, and every other DIYer I’ve talked to, you’re probably guilty of procrastinating when it comes to actually completing a project. Not major things, but small things that would make a project truly finished.
Well, enough is enough. I’m finally making a plan to tackle these annoying final steps. Learn what a 95% day is, why, if you’re a DIYer like me, you should consider doing it as well, and other tips to stop putting off those end-of-project steps.
What Is a 95% Day?
Simply put, a 95% day should be used exclusively to go around and finish the things in your house you’ve been putting off. That doesn’t mean starting a new renovation, or even making more progress on one you recently started or are still far from finishing. Instead, it means tackling those small, annoying things on projects that were never “fully” completed. You know, things that are 95% done.
One of the best examples, and the one I’m most guilty of, is installing trim. I’m currently sitting in my living room, writing this essay about self-discipline while 25 feet away I can see a small gap where, months later, I still haven’t added trim for my “finished” kitchen remodel.
Replacing outlet covers, painting new drywall, filling nail holes, and installing cabinet hardware are other small fixes that would have taken a project from 95% done to actually done done, but for some reason took months to do.
Why Is It So Hard to Finish Those Final Details?
Neglecting that final 5% of a project can be explained, or rather, justified to yourself, in a few ways. My favorite excuse is typically something like, “It’s basically done anyway.” I tell myself, “No one really notices X, Y, Z that needs to be done, so why stress it?”
So instead of doing those little things that bother me a lot more than I will admit to myself or anyone else, I put them off and start a new massive project in my fixer upper home.
As I’m writing this, I’m realizing part of that reasoning is that doing a new renovation rather than tackling those last little steps feels like a better ROI on my time. Getting the bathroom gutted while the kitchen looks finished to the untrained eye gets me closer to having this house in the state I want it to be in.
But that’s not the right way to go about projects, and now I’m going to take the proper steps to address it.
Why You Should Add a 95% Day to Your DIY Routine
I’d be lying if I said this is the first time I’ve done a 95% day. The last was when my wife and I were in the process of listing our home for sale, and we finally did all those annoying little things that the next homeowners would get to enjoy longer than we ever did.
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A quarterly 95% day has officially been added to the calendar. By putting the event into written, or typed, form, I now have a digital reminder to hold myself accountable.
That trim in the kitchen is getting added. The light bulb in the bathroom vanity that burned out is getting replaced. The drawer slide that sticks and needs to be yanked open with the force of 1,000 Hulks? Yep, that’s on the list too.
So if you’re a typical DIYer who feels personally attacked by this essay, know you’re not alone. Consider adding a 95% day to your DIY routine, and finally give yourself the satisfaction of calling those almost-finished projects actually finished.
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The post Why I’m Adding a “95% Day” to Every DIY Project From Now On appeared first on Family Handyman.
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