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I have heard Linda over at Calling It Home say that week 4 of the One Room Challenge, this crazy fun challenge where designers and bloggers are challenged to complete a room in 6 weeks, is the hardest. Boy is she right. Because looking at my photos and thinking that there are only 13 more days to finish this room off is kinda crazy!!!
Pot lights are in, room has been emptied of stuff save for the treadmill and a few other random things (so much purging happened!), closet is gone and first coat of paint went on today! Woo hoo. However… there are so many things still to accomplish. And so little time!
This is why I love a deadline. I've written about how to complete a room in 48-hours. And deadlines, self-imposed or not, are big time motivators. But of course it can be really challenging. From a whole bunch of personal experience, here are my tips for staying focused to finish strong:
1. Call in the cavalry. Sometimes it pays to pay (whether it be in cash or baked goods!). When life is busy you sometimes cannot afford to spend time doing things that other people can do (and do really well). While I painted myself for my last One Room Challenge reveal, this time around has been a bit nuts timing wise, considering I'm also finishing my bathroom, my husband has been traveling for work, my 5 kids are… well, 5 kids! and I am nursing a cold that is hanging for dear life no matter how many oranges I consume. If you need tissues, come on over. I've got them in bulk. So when other things demand your time that only you uniquely can do, delegate the rest. This time I called in my favourite painters from Finer Edge to help me get this room done. So whether it be in supporting a small business by hiring people to help, or bringing in friends with the promise of your best baked goods, delegate.
2. Picture what will be made possible when the task is complete. It can be hard to see through the drywall dust, bags of garbage, and paint cans what the finished product will be. Last week I wrote about how every time I opened the door to the gym I would literally get so overwhelmed and just close the door behind me without going in. What would motivate me to push through was picturing what it would look like when I would turn the knob and then walk in to a finished gym that will help me towards my health goals. Picture the end and how you'll feel and remember it will be so worth it.
3. Just do the next right thing. I recently learned about the Ivy Lee Method– where you essentially write down the 6 most important things you need to complete each day in order of priority and only focus on that list. Getting a project done is basically just a long list of small things- so just make that list, whether it be 6 or 600 and do the first thing on the list until it's all done.
Check out what the featured 20 designers are doing this time around and what my fellow guest participants are up to as well!
