So they’re getting down to the finishing touches and the progress isn’t as exciting to watch anymore. It’s the old 80/20 rule: the last 20% takes 80% of the effort and time.
I recognize in myself that I much prefer the rough work where I can see quick progress than the finishing touches that require lots of fine-grained detail. I’ve been able to train myself to do that finishing stuff in software (luckily for my career) and I struggle though it in my hobbies, like when building furniture.
I recently built a shelving unit for our bathroom. I copied the design out of a Pottery Barn catalog but modified it to fit our space. I had the thing cut out, assembled and lightly sanded in no time, but took about a month to finally finish painting it. I’m hoping that when I’m older I’ll develop the patience to do that finishing and even enjoy it more, especially since my tentative retirement plans might include building furniture.
Ok, so back to the house remodel. Tuesday they start putting down the hardwood floor. This week the start painting and finish off the deck. Not long to go!
