DIY or not?

Do It Yourself (DIY). A scary thought for some, a way of life for others. There are some things you need to do at least once, to A) see if you like it, B) decide if you want to do it again, or C) decide you will never do it again.

These three options are not mutually exclusive. You could like doing a task, but decide once is enough. You could hate the task, but decide doing it yourself saves you enough time and/or money that you will continue. You could actually like doing the task, but be so bad at it that you know next time it comes around, you should hire someone with a lot more training or talent.

Here's a list off the top of my head:

• Replace the water pump on your car
• Hang drywall in your house
• Care for someone else's infant
• Care for your own very old relative
• Cut down a tree in your yard
• Make food for 25 or more people
• Host a party for 25 or more people in your house
• Paint your room
• Preserve food
• Sew, crochet or otherwise make a garment/accessory/craft for yourself
• Make the same garment/accessory/craft for 6 friends/relatives

You get the picture. You can pay someone to do these things. You can do each one of these one time, and say 'never again'. You can do really well, or you can fail miserably. Regardless -- you've done it, you know how it should be done, and if you decide to pay someone else to do it, you know what to expect.

You can find thousands of resources online, to tell you a little about how to do things, or to tell you exactly how to do the thing like a professional. In general terms -- at the risk of sounding like somebody's Grandma:

• The more time and effort you put into learning up front, the better your results will be.
• The more you think through your task before you start, the fewer mistakes you will make.
• Practice -- either on a small sample, or on paper, or by going through the motions -- before you start.
• The more methodical you are, the better your results will be.

The first few posts here will cover the reality of what you MUST DO to successfully complete any DIY task.