hm. I'm a career project manager and I never run into this issue because, by disposition, I'd never dive in without a plan. I also commit to baby steps. Friday night clean, remove swtich plates, and tape off the carpet. Saturday do the trim and doors. Sunday the walls. On Monday rehang the doors and put the switch plates back on.

I'm urious to know if others do trim first, too. I do trim first so that I don't have to be careful along that 1/4" lip against the wall. It's then very easy to cut-in with an angled brush above the trim. I don't tape the trim because I've found a that a great brush and a gentle hand eliminates the need.

I buy myself something in the beginning, and only let myself have it when the space is done.

Don't stop! If you stop the project will sit and wait for you to be driven mad by it's incompleteness.

It took me a year to paint the sliding closet doors in my dining room while the ENTIRE apartment was painted and completed around them. The minute they were done I had such a better feeling about our home as a whole! Don't let home improvement delay drive you mad.

http://classicconfectionssewing.blogspot.com/2011/06/hooked-on-hexagons.html

Drugs? Ha, j/k. I just painted my entire apt, also when "my man" was out of town. omg... it's 6 months later and I am still weary! My bf did take me out to a nice dinner as a thank you, afterward, that helped.

i go the opposite of 'dearly'.

for instance, i've been procrastinating painting my bedroom for over a year. so i purchased a beautiful wall tapestry last week and immediately hung it up. once it was up, i could see exactly what colors i want, and that item gave me a 'vision' that i'm working towards. it motivated me to do the tapestry 'justice' and i'm on my way to the paint store this weekend to get started.

for me, i just need a push like that to get me moving.

I just remind myself how much easier it is to get through the pain of finishing versus the pain of staring at my half-finished work mocking me! Then I try to plan a fun thing to do in that space once it's done (maybe a relaxing bubble bath with candles?) so I can enjoy my victory and have something to look forward to.

Definitely don't stop.... instead, look at the remaining tasks and break them down into their constituent pieces. Look at your calendar and start parceling the tasks out into manageable, non-overwhelming chunks. And, if things go easier (or harder) than expected make sure to retriage the tasks.

Sometimes you can make simplifying design decisions that save you a lot of short-term time while enabling you to enjoy a livable space until you have time for the perfect solution.

The trick is just to always do things one step at a time. Don't bite off the whole thing at once.

don't stop!--- but maybe throw a painting party (if you trust your friends)? even if there's only time during the party to do one coat in all those rooms, it's still a really big step forward.

Lolololllll...this CRACKED me up!!! But only because we have all been there. It's always eSier to start a project than to finish it. It took me four days to do my livingroom walls in a faux Tuscan finish and afterwards swore that I would never paint again. But like the pain of childbirth you soon forget how horrible or was as your standing there looking at the beautiful thing you've created. The only advice I can give you is put on dome kick ass music, pour yourself a big glass of wine and grin and bear it!!!

Call your girlfriends over - STAT! Emergency painting party complete with beer and pizza!! It will get done by the end of the day, and you will be jollier and less achy. Guaranteed. : )

Definitely have to do the trim first. Trim, corners and ceiling border. All the tight spots. I learned this when my friend who is a profession painter came over to help me out.

Plus painters tape is essential for me. Have to tape off everything first off before I break out the paint.

oh man been there. In fact I still havent finished a pain project on a couple of lamps on my entryway.

But I push myself knowing that when all is said and done I will really enjoy the new look/space and relishing that feeling makes it worth it. ...usually.

I do tackle the harder parts first though. The hard to reach trim along the ceiling, the corners etc. I will expend more energy on the hard stuff so better to get it out of the way before I run out of steam.

I agree with urbancricket. Always start with a plan and don't stop or take on anything else until you've finished. Trim and doors are a pain, there's no way around it. Using a great angled sash brush makes the trim easier and using a small 4" velour roller on your doors will help out too. Brush any profiles first and then roll. I'm an interior designer and my painter starts at the top of a room; ceiling, crown, walls, door trim and doors, base. I don't know if that helps or not. I reward myself with a glass of wine and some cheese or some Ben and Jerry's ice cream when I'm finished for the day with a project. Good luck!!

Painting is horrible. I never, ever do it, and if I am inclined to take on a painting project, I start small, which reminds me to stop painting immediately and hire someone.

I suggest you do the same. :)

My boyfriend and I have been in our "new" place for 5 months now. That means 5 months of living with our terrible reddish-brown bedroom walls. I painted my office first. Since we didn't "live" in there it was easier to get that project done. Just a couple of days ago I broke out the primer and started painting the brown. I only got about 1/4th of the walls primed, but I figured it's just enough motivation to force me to finish the job. I feel better in there already! The reward will be looking in there and never seeing that brown again.

It's easy to become overwhelmed by the scope of a project so I have gotten in the habit of creating a daily checklist of items that I KNOW I can complete on a given day. It could a long list one day and a short one the next. The key is being realistic about how much you can actually complete in the time given. Once I complete my checklist of the day, no matter how quickly, I walk away and do something else. Then in the evening, I make a new checklist for the following day. I don't become burned out, get frustrated or make stupid mistakes this way and it all does get done.

We are working on two properties at the same time and we have a few rules:

FOCUS on one task at a time (don't look at the mountain in front of you). Writing out each step helps to keep us on track. urbancricket... a plan is key. Without a plan you have no momentum.

Don't begin another task until the first one is COMPLETE. If you start too many things at once, I guarantee you will feel overwhelmed.

Have all your materials and equipment ready BEFORE you begin. The biggest waste of time is running to the hardware store mid stride. This goes hand in hand with doing your research.

Starting and finishing something is more often a mental challenge than anything else. If you find yourself getting tired or frustrated. Give yourself a BREAK and then get back into it! adbeck, this is where the music and glass of wine really helps.

It may be easier to call someone in and pay them, but it's the satisfaction of starting and completing a project that makes DIYing so satisfying :)

Push through and accept help. It really doesn't matter how that help comes.
Maybe it's working with your mom while "Extreme Home Makeover" plays in the background.
Maybe it's firing up the old iPod and listening to "When You're a Professional Pirate" while you tackle the wall above the shower. (Actually, it's a good tempo for the W technique...)
But whatever it takes. Do work. And get it done.

NOTE: YES. I did both of those things. The "Extreme Home Makeover" was when I was painting my old bedroom; the shower was a college makeover of the shared "kid" bathroom.

I watch an episode of Hoarders: Buried Alive. That usually scares me enough to get me motivated, as well as gives me a glimpse of what my life could be like if I don't finish the projects looming over me. Bonus, the hour spent zoning out in front of the TV is the perfect length for a serious break.

Um...my Dad remodeled our house for 15 years. It was me going away to college and my mom threatening divorce that finally got the house finished. I grew up in a construction zone.

lol this is me! It's completely awful. I feel your pain. My dog got painted too (palladian blue butt ha!)

P.S. still no motivation to complete it. I probably would've finished if I had someone doing it with me. I've learned my lesson to never paint again.

Hello. My name is A ("Hi A"), and home projects have taken over my life. I currently have the following unfinished projects:
- The kitchen (we're in the middle of a DIY reno - haven't made a home-cooked meal since last November, unless microwaved hot dogs count)
- 2 bathrooms - need to get and install toilets and sinks, tile the shower
- Need to paint what seems like endless walls

We have lived in some stage of remodeling in our home for years and years now. Is it my own fault? Uh huh. Do I ever want to look at a hammer or paint brush again once this is over? Absolutely not.

I reward myself after projects by starting the next one so maybe - just maybe - we'll be finished this year. Sorry for the whining, it's all the wood stain fumes.

We recently made the rookie homeowner mistake of trying to paint the whole house all at once. Many, many weeks later we are almost done. The two things that got me going when I thought I could go no longer were a before picture, and my mom came over and cleaned the paint off the floor. The first showed me how far I'd come and how much better it looked, and the latter ws a nice gesture that made the whole house look better.

I've lived in my apartment for five years and just now finished painting the kitchen walls...that I started two years ago.

...and I didn't even paint behind the appliances.

I have to just force myself to do it. I have a habit of procrastinating. I just moved into a brand new house a few months ago and after the inital unpacking I was so exhausted I was procrastinating on decorating projects (hanging curtain rods, assembling bookshelves, etc.) My friends were asking me when I was having a housewarming party, so I decided to just set the date and that has given me motivation to get things done. Now that I've done some of the projects I'm kicking myself for not doing them sooner since having them completed is its own reward.

Our kitchen's been torn up since September. I thought it wise to do everything myself (including building cabinets). The project's crept into the adjacent living room and down the hall. I've had 2 ER trips and totally lost any cost savings (compared to low-end cabinets) to the ensuing medical bills.

How do I stay motivated? I want it done! Oh, and inviting people from out-of-town to visit. It's amazing how that "lights a fire." If nothing else, it gets you to the next milestone. As for a reward? The satisfaction of a completed project and the associated peace and serenity will be reward enough.

I'm the queen of half-done DIY projects. Everything takes me 4-5 times as much time as I expect.

My current project - building a chicken coop and run - is on to week number four, and it was intended to be 1 to 2 weekends.

I find, though, that a good book on tape can help me power through the tedium.

I just finished removing wallpaper in our kitchen and powder room, and painting the entire downstairs, stairwell, and upstairs hallway in our house. I did the same thing ladybug5 did - about halfway through, I planned a party. It gave me a deadline to push toward. It's so nice to have everything done, now.

Sorry, I start with a plan, too, and do one thing at a time to completion. It's a lot of work, but I painted our last house by myself once plue a few rooms a second time, and I lived to tell the tale. I'm partially disabled, so if I can you can!

The trick is not to think of all the projects as being tied together. It is better to be doing something than giving up and doing nothing. Finish one component. Go from there to the next piece. Also, no one is going to fault you if you only got one project done, or even half done, before they come home or you have visitors, or etc.! Or - and put on some awesome music while working, and allow yourself to still eat well and take breaks.

I also have a trick for you now that the trim has to be redone. Once your walls are dry, put up blue tape along the edges of the trim and ceiling, but put it *on the wall*. Then give a light coat of the WALL color along the edge where it meets the trim - this way if any bleeds underneath the tape, it will be the same paint color as the wall itself. THEN paint the trim and ceiling, and you won't have to be so careful - you can overlap the white onto the tape. Pull up the tape when the white is dry, but not after it has dried for hours and hours - you'll end up with super crisp lines. Totally worth the effort.

Yeah, I've learned to find stopping points in my big projects. I set small objectives. I would have painted the green and then cleaned up and moved on to other getting-ready-for-guests tasks. All the while I'd be considering my next plan of attack, which might have included boarding the dog and doing all the trim in one painting session. If I had time before the guests arrived, I might have painted the hall. Then again, I might have just collected paint chips and had fun with them comparing colors and talking about the pros and cons.

Wow. I think trying to do this while the bf is out of town was your first mistake. I always convince my husband to do the painting. You know, because he's SO good at it and my wrists get tired ;-)

I don't think I should chime in because I have no answers and I actually need the advice. My usual pattern: 1. Idea for project; 2. Create a clean space (boxing things up (with appropriate labels), moving furniture out, removing art, window coverings, etc., etc.; 3. Make sure all items are labelled and stored carefully; 4. Buy supplies; 5. Begin project; 6. Buy more supplies; 6. Finish project; 7. Move 1 or 2 major pieces of furniture; 8. Stare sullenly at the remaining furniture, boxes, art, etc.; 9. Close door in room where stuff is stored; 10. Rinse. Repeat.

What urbancricket said. Just pick one small bit and get that totally done. Maybe it's just stripping paint off one door. Or priming one room. Or unsticking one window. Something you know you can get done. Clean up after. Enjoy. Take the next day or next weekend off and do something fun. Lather, rinse, repeat. Half-done projects (or worse, half-assed projected) are pointless.

Baby steps.

Thanks, everyone, for the great advice! I'm getting closer to finishing and am keeping all your tips in mind (I am jealous of you organized types!). Perhaps I'll post a Before & After of my bathroom when it's done. It never ceases to amaze me how transformative a little paint can be!

Totally agree: small steps.

I find it much easier to cope with a major change in my house if I let each day's work only add up to an hour or so. Like...

Wash walls and trim.
Tape off areas needing taping. Remove outlet covers.
Set out tarps, etc.. Drape furniture.
Cut in edges.
Use roller brushes for main portions.

When I know that each day only needs a small bit of work, I often add onto that work - painting the whole room, two coats, in one day, even though I allotted a couple days for that.

It is hell, though - being unorganized and trying to do this stuff. I feel your pain(t).

We are 90%-ers. Seems like even if we have the "plan" the unexpecteds always happen to derail us
I decided my basement laundry room needed brightening, which lead to adjacent bathroom looking shabby so it got a makeover, which lead to laying new flooring (not part of the "plan).
Next I tackled the kitchen cupboards but had to do the walls and trim as well (not in the "plan") This lead to buying new and switching around old light fixtures which lead to having to hire an electrician to update old knob and tube. The mess that was created caused me to repaint bedroom and hallway, all in the span of a month.
Of course both dogs rears & ears received a makeover, and the cat we are babysitting tracked little paw prints everywhere.
Motivation? My desire to see the results! I want it done so I just do it but seems there's always that 10 % chuckling at me from the other room :)

Don't give up! You can do it!

But practically speaking - remember that each leg of the project will probably consume more time than you're willing to admit!

Try this technique. Buy some post-it notes in the worst color you can think of. Then jot down one task at a time and stick them to a window, mirror, door, etc in the room they refer to. As you complete the task (ie: cut in walls, tape off trim, paint trim, roll walls once, roll second coat, remove tape, etc) remove the post-it and destroy it. I enjoy a nice crumple of tacky neon orange!

This way the bothersome squares will inspire you to keep going, you get a micro reward when you finish a task, and you don't forget about some time-consuming but forgetable tasks - why does taking tape down seem to take forever?!

This is also good if you're on a budget (post-its are much cheaper than buying yourself a "gift").

Again - Don't give up!

Painting is one of the best ways to change the look and feel of a room, but it's so easy to get burnt out fast.

That happened to me when I was repainting my office. I just wanted simple two-coat paint job on the walls and a design on the ceiling. It turned into a month's work doing it all by myself. It took more coats of paint than I wanted, of course, the ceiling more difficult than I thought, discovered the old trim would NOT work with the new color... OR the doors. Talk about a can of worms. You can see what I did here and here. I eventually did finish! Seeing the final outcome is usually reward enough for me.

Just finished a backsplash redo in the kitchen and need to paint the walls...however, tired-of-IT! so, i have all my supplies and one day i will wake up and say, "today is the day!". I'm big on not starting a project I can't or won't finish - so I just wait until the mood strikes me. This is my way of taking a job to completion. Ok, so I'm one of those that also will decide at 11pm to clean the entire house...so I get while the getting is good!

i forced my husband to go to lowe's at 5pm on a saturday night to get the paint, and that night we caught up on seasons of his favorite show. by the time we were done with the show, we were done painting and didn't even feel like it was 'work'.

totally recommend that!

I am in the middle of a Kitchen gut-remodel, and what I have been doing before I go in to give another day of work, is go into my Bathroom, which we gutted and remodeled this past winter, it helps me remember what I am looking forward to in the kitchen, the end result. I get pumped and eager to work.
Good Luck with your bathroom.

Oh, yes: never schedule painting for both ends of the alimentary canal at once.

I do this all the time. My cure is the same as one mentioned above: invite someone from out of town. Or, I put myself in a similar position to be embarrassed if it isn't done. Works every time.

I love listening to old archives of 'This American Life' or Radiolab on npr.com, listening to the radio makes time go by so quickly while you work!

And like others have said, part of the trick to getting things finished is to make sure to do the prep work involved- I hate cutting patterns, drawing out plans or taping woodwork as much as the next person, but doing the hard stuff up front when my energy levels are at their highest, then breaking out the rollers and slapping on a couple coats of paint is the last step when I'm tired and cranky. Doing a good job prepping also saves on being forced to repaint the trim or ceiling!

@A Little Paint: OMG wasn't expecting that when I clicked your link. Wow nice job!

I'm 7 and 1/2 months pregnant. I stayed home from work yesterday to pain my kitchen. I didn't stop until 1 AM. Sheer craziness (and hormones) is what kept me going.

having a plan is a good way to avoid AnnaMaria's current situation. HOWEVER, once you're in this situation, you ned a completely different solution. like everyone is saying, you need something to get you back in the mood. like other moods, this can change from person to person. buying stuff or planning a party don't work on me. but, like bodicegoddess, getting help does. I ask my husband to help me do something small and quick, but essential to getting back on track. when its done, I'm in a better place: mentally and project-wise. that makes me want to finish.

and @home body: that is a great tip! know that I'll be using it a few weeks from now while painting our long hallway.

"I hate to pay for something I can do myself."
Well ... obviously ... erm, how to put this?
Just hire someone.