It's the Prep Work that Takes the Time AND Makes the Difference

My husband and I just bought a house! A dream come true - not only do we own a piece of this Hawaiian rock, but I can now paint walls. I have been living for so many years as a renter inside the 4 sterile walls of white or some type of beige and now I can create the warm colorful home that I have envisioned.

Sounds fun, sounds easy, and I've painted before, so I thought it would be a piece of cake to simply slap a coat of sage green over the glaringly white walls of our new bedroom.

But, the first rule of homeownership - any project will take at least twice as long and cost twice as much. I grumbled this to myself as I discovered that the existing paint was peeling in one corner of my little room. I pulled and a whole sheet of thick latex came off in my hand. Rats! My little project has turned into a big one now.

So - I spent my Sunday peeling and scraping paint. It's about preparation. I suppose I could have satisfied my need for color and quickly slapped that sage green right up there, but I would have been peeling it off in the years to come. So, I might as well do the drudgery of the prep work now, so that I can lay in my bed, admire my luscious green walls and know that it was done well.

Scraping paint for 6 hours got me thinking about preparation in general and how important it is for our final product. It's true for just about everything: a presentation, a proposal or bid, a tough conversation, picking a health care professional, managing time..... But, I imagine if you're at all like me, you tend to just jump into making the decision, working on the project or painting the wall without doing the appopriate preparation.

I'm currently taking Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero's Red Hot Copy Bootcamp, which has been great. One of the great lessons that she's taught us is that before you write a word, you have to do your research - the preparation. The copy doesn't just bloom from you fully complete. There is a strategy that requires getting information, tools, and other resources before any writing even begins.

Where in your life could you be focusing on preparation instead of the outcome? Is there a project or particular area that continues to require your attention over and over? Are you simply slapping on a new coat of paint, when what is required is to scrape the walls?

I recommend that you take a look at those things that repetitively take up your time and devise a plan to take care of them once and for all. Do the preparation, whatever that means, and you'll find that you get to enjoy your results and you don't have to repaint it, unless you want to.