Have you ever had the experience of wanting to undertake a project; thinking about all the steps involved; feeling overwhelmed; and putting it off for….years? And feeling a bit guilty and a bit annoyed at yourself for neglecting said project every time you think about or look at it?
One of the projects that’s been on my list since a few years now is to give my writing table a new coat of paint.
It’s a modern secretary desk, polished to look antique. Think dark wood finish with antique gold fittings. I love this desk, but I’m not crazy about the heavy wood finish.
In 2020, I decided that I’d had enough, bought a tub of Duck Egg Blue chalk paint, and painted the exterior of the writing table. It was my first chalk painting project, so there was a lot of reading and watching of YouTube videos and discussing finishing and debating the merits of sanding with the husband, who is a woodworking genius.
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I had considered painting the interior of the writing table at that time, but since I couldn’t have it out of commission for too long {given that I was working from home, from that very desk, due to the pandemic} I shelved the project for another weekend.
Friends, I did not know that “another weekend” would not come for FOUR long years.
Every time I looked at the dark interiors of the writing table, I wanted to get out my chalk paint and get to work. But thinking of all the steps involved was overwhelming and I convinced myself to put it off for when I had “more time”.
Finally, last weekend, in a burst of energy and inspiration, I pulled up my sleeves and got to work. It took me 3 days to wrap up the project, what with accounting for drying time and needing to wait for 24 hours before applying the finish, but every time I look at the desk now that it is complete, it fills me with such joy, and I wonder why I denied myself this simple pleasure for such a long time.
Because when all was said and done, the overwhelm was all in my mind. Once I got started, the actual painting and finishing time was probably a couple of hours, if that. Add in 10 minutes to empty out the writing table, 15 minutes to sort through everything and throw out all the accumulated junk {ahem!} and another 15 minutes to set up the desk — and I had built this up into a task of monumental proportions in my mind!
Encouraged by the relative ease of this project, I immediately started another one. Recently, I’ve fallen out of love with the paint job on the drawers and cabinets of my main painty table. I loved their vibrancy when I painted them around 10 years ago, and they made me happy every time I looked at them, until they didn’t.
What I want now is a simple coat of chalk paint, so these tables match the rest of the furniture in the room. I’ll be sure to share the finished look with you once its done.
Wish me luck!
Before you go, tell me this: What project have you been putting off because you’ve thought about all the steps involved and overwhelmed yourself with how large and unwieldy the project seems? {Come on, I know I’m not the only one who does this!} As always, you can simply reply to this email or leave a comment on this post.
Coming up next week: The Visioning workbook. It’s almost ready, and I can’t wait to share it with you!
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