Home Improvement as Professional Development

Last weekend Kathy and I started in on a home improvement project. We'd hated the ugly wallpaper in the dining room and kitchen when we bought the house a dozen years ago. In a conversation over pizza at Rosati's we finally decided to tackle the project. And, a few hours later, I found myself asking the same, early-in-the-project question I usually ask, "Why did I decide to do this?"


Sometimes "ignorance" is the answer -- I don't fully understand or appreciate the complexity of what I am starting. Steven Pressfield (Do the Work) lists stupidity as the first of several "allies" in overcoming the resistance faced by artists and entrepreneurs:

Ignorance and arrogance are the artist and entrepreneur's indispensable allies. She must be clueless enough to have no idea how difficult her enterprise is going to be -- and cocky enough to believe she can pull it off anyway.

I think this was definitely the case when I put up a fence, hand-digging 2 ft-. and 3 ft.-deep post holes in our lovely, Central Texas soil. On this kitchen wallpaper project, however, I had a pretty good idea of what was coming. I'd previously removed the wallpaper in the entry way of our home, only to discover the various shortcuts the builders used, most notably failing to tape and float the corners, and neglecting to put a coat of primer on the drywall before hanging the paper. So if it wasn't ignorance...

Over the weekend, when I wasn't scoring, spraying, peeling, spraying, or scraping wallpaper/paste/oops -- drywall, I spent some time reading Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind (The 99U Book Series). A series of brief essays from a variety of creativity/productivity gurus, the book was a quick and enjoyable read. Within its pages I found not just a few tips for improved productivity and creativity, but also some possible explanation for my propensity to take on new DIY projects.

• In an essay on "Unnecessary Creation," Todd Henry (author of a book I started this week, The Accidental Creative: How to Be Brilliant at a Moment's Notice), advocates finding a means of "engaging in the creative act on our own terms." One benefit of "unnecessary creation," according to Henry, is that it allows you to develop skills that you can use later in your paid creative work. I can't say I've ever dug post holes or replaced carpet with a hardwood floor (my last big home improvement project) at the library. But part of the joy of UC is that the connection may not be obvious, or there may, in fact, never be a connection. I do, however, think I can point to a number of professional benefits from my DIY projects, such as improved respect from a facilities project manager who knows I've handled a jamb saw, refined ability to plan a project in an unfamiliar context, and positive reinforcement for the benefits of persevering in the face of a job that initially seemed overwhelming.
• Finding Solitude - Unlike the current wallpaper remediation project with my wife, most of my DIY jobs are solo ventures. As an introvert, I appreciate the time to focus and recharge my batteries while working along on a project. Leo Babauta's essay, "Making Room for Solitude," recommends meditation. I think Susan Cain's (Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking) notion of a "restorative niche" is an even better description of what I get out of my solo projects.
• Tuning In - Another benefit of working alone, especially on something completely different from my intense, always-on work life, is what Scott Belsky calls for in his chapter "Tuning in to You." He calls for disengaging from the constantly connected, over-stimulated lives most of us lead. While Belsky's essay is primarily advocating unstructured, unfocused time, I find that a DIY project -- especially once I get to a stage where there is some mastery of the task and rhythm to the work -- also takes me away from my devices, and gives my mind time to wonder (except when running power tools, of course).
• One final insight from the the book "Doing busywork is easy; doing your best work is hard." It is easy to plop down in front of the TV (meanwhile making regular checks of email and news feeds on your smartphone); it is hard (or at least, more challenging) to texture and paint a wall. Which can you point to with pride a year later?