Stopped by my pal Orvs place at lunchtime today, hi Orv! I needed him to heat a tab and help me bend it slightly (no tanks at home). I mentioned that it feels good to knock out some little project at lunchtime. It is something I like to do. Orv made a great observation that if you do ONE little project, such as my tab, you will knock out 365 of them in a year! DUH! What a great way to look at it. Think about all those little to-dos that a hotrod has. If a guy can pick up parts, materials or even some light work like this it not only helps the overall project but it helps build momentum. By doing this one little thing today I will end up doing 3 more steps related to it tonight
Thats how I built my car, every night after supper I'd go out and work on my junk a little each day. Took me a full year to get on the road but I did .
Yeah, it feels really good when you're making progress on a build, no matter how big it is. When you're chipping away at it, it just feels good.
One year?? You are fast. it has taken me 14 years to get my heap back on the road. I had a bump or 2 along the way, but I made it.
Absolutely.....slowly chipping away at a project by concentrating on one little aspect of it, a guy can make substantial progress.....even if it doesn't seem like it at the time. And sometimes going to the garage to do a small task, it ends up being an all day deal (you're dirty anyway, right?) and ya get ALOT done.
When I'm working on a project, I try for an hour a day... & usually end up getting in two. It's good to know, at the end of the week, that you're 5/10/15 hours further along than you were a week ago. JH
I think Roadstar was the first person to tell me that. Just do one thing each day, even when your burnt out, if you can get one thing done each day it will be done before you know it. Gus
And, along with accomplishing the tab bending, you interacted with your pal, Orv. It's more than a car hobby, it's a social adventure.
Yup, we looked at a couple things on the board, benchraced about the ladderbars for his 57, and just shot the breeze.
The time I get is on the night my wife's shows are coming on the TV. All I have to do is set in and ask questions one time....from then on when that show comes on she says don't you need to go work in the garage? Oh yeah....
I hear guys say all the time that they are broke and don't have any money to work on their cars. But there are so many little things that can be done for pennies or even no money at all that not only contribute to the car getting done, but contribute to your at***ute toward the car and like you said T, your momentum. Great post!
A little diplomacy goes along way, don't it? As if she had no choice but to send you to the garage as punishment for the interruption. It's soooo easy to get overwhelmed sometimes. Break all that big stuff into little things here and there and.....one small victory at a time. Thanks Tman for the insightful words of wisdom. I'll get busy welding in all of those small holes in the floor tonight.
Yep. Yep. Good plan make a list and just pick out of the list what you can do, with the time allowed for that day.
One small item a day helps with the sanity too! On my end because it also involves listening to music and some beer, breathe and relax.
It's funny what gives you a sense of accomplishment, just some seemingly little thing. For example, figuring out windshield wipers on Henrietta the '38 Ford pickup gave me a bigger sense of accomplishment than building the engine, because of encountering more frustration before arriving at something that works. The engine went together and went in without a hitch.
I like "getting stuff" on lunch break - hardware, parts, tools, whatever odds and ends. It seems like running to the parts store and/or hardware store can take up a whole saturday! So if I do it during lunch, everything is ready at night and on the weekends so no interruptions.
I am lucky I can eat at my desk. That leaves lunch for things like parts running, a hike on our MTB trails a few minutes from the office or important things like a siesta!
Good advice but I'm at a halt due to lack of money, need welding tanks, and parts. Selling stuff on eBay is good, but keeping funds "Car Funds" in this econemy is tough to do.
Thats why the smart South Dakotans live in the Black Hills! I have nicer weather than you WILL EVER get in Georgia!
Ya just gotta get creative. We budget using Dave Ramseys principals so I really do not have a "car budget" at the moment. Even then, I find a way to get little crucial things done.
The Jalopy Journal
