Positive thinking

Ok time to pat myself on the back, jolly good chap, have a pat, how's that.

Project achievements to date:

1. Planning permission, whilst still not officially granted, has been unofficially given and is just awaiting some legal paperwork which is in the pipeline. I bloody hope so anyway.

2. Windows are half done, that is because planning permission is not yet officially received, i cannot touch the outside of the walls yet, but my builder has cunningly knocked out and built the openings on the inside of the wall (this is possible because the wall is stone and half a metre thick).


3. New water supplies installed. Wessex water spent a couple of days pissing about on the road, it was entertaining.


4. All interior carcassing complete, including 3 new bathrooms and one staircase


5. Upstairs 1st fix plumbing complete
6. Two new windows built, one installed
7. Floating floor, independent ceiling, and other acoustic insulation installed
8. Lots of problems solved

God I'm bored, that's enough pat old chap. Go relax.

The cursed to-do list

I hate to-do lists, I constantly try using them but end up getting tired and leaving them to get dusty in a pile or in cyberspace or wherever.

One such list is a whiteboard i use for daily planning, but the whiteboard happens to be just the right size for blocking up an old window I had to take out for repair (i had started to repair the window without taking it out, by giving it a soak of potent wet rot hardener, but it seems this dissolves glue and the frame fell apart in the process). Perhaps "go back to my day job and pay a professional" should be on the list.



Another list is a wall, literally the wall, since it will be plastered i can graffiti it as much as i like. But there's too much clutter by the wall i can't get to it. No doubt clutter-clearing is on the list.

I thought now to sit down and write a list of tasks remaining on my building project. I got to 3 items and got bored. It's Saturday for f&cks sake. But I want a sense of how long I will be imprisoned in this town for. And I'm loath to believe my original project plan which says I'm only a third of the way thru. And considering I started in June, that would mean I'll be here another year at least. I think I'd rather hang myself. But homo sapiens is very resilient, especially considering we are way past our sell-by date.

So let's try try the blog-list, where I ramble the estimate.

Gulp.

Main interior carcassing complete. First fix plumbing half complete. First fix electrics hardly started. Fuck i'm bored already. This lasted about as long as the paper list, except it focused on what has been done rather than what needs to be done. I guess I was trying to cheer myself up.

Another great way of avoiding to-do lists is to get busy only doing stuff you enjoy, and ignore the rest. I enjoy carpentry, so busy myself making windows, fixing barn doors etc. I enjoy design, so i draw plans, and more plans. I don't enjoy talking to people, so I avoid collaboration, though this is probably the one thing that would help me most.

But I'll get there in the end. With or without my fucking to-do lists.