Starting a new personal endeavour is always heaps of fun, especially when it is something that you are really passionate about or interested in! However, there are a lot of things to be taken into consideration when you begin your project. Things such as: do you have enough time and money for the project, or even if you have the correct tools?
Luckily, companies such as Specialised Force can help you with the equipment side of things to get your project rolling, but the rest is up to you. That’s the fun part about a personal project, you get to be the boss and you get to decide how and what happens.
If you are feeling a little bit stuck and don’t know what to expect when embarking on a personal project mission, then fear not, for here is a list of 5 things you probably should consider before starting a personal project.
Time management
Time is an extremely important thing to consider before starting any sort of project, personal or otherwise. You need to figure out how much time in total the project should take. Try and set yourself dates to have certain things finished by, so you don’t end up running overtime with your project and end up hating it. Set a final due date for the entire thing to be finished; working within a timeline can help you build structure and figure out a game plan for how you will tackle it.
Set realistic goals
It’s a great feeling to be confident within yourself.
Sometimes, people can get a little too confident and end up setting unrealistic goals for themselves when it comes to working on personal projects. Giving yourself unrealistic goals to work towards is basically setting yourself up for a loss and could leave you despising and never finishing the project. Go easy on yourself, set realistic goals and work towards them to ensure you stay proud of yourself and passionate about your goals.
Accept mistakes
When working on a personal project, especially if it is a first time endeavour, it is important to recognise that there will be little mistakes and mishaps along the way, but that’s okay! Nobody is perfect. Embrace every mistake as another challenge for you to jump over, or even find a way to work it into your final plan; through each mistake you may end up learning something new.
Budget
To ensure that your DIY endeavour doesn’t come with a massive hit to your wallet, it is important to look through everything you need for the project and try to find a cheaper alternative; perhaps you could borrow material from a friend or even find something in a junkyard. Set a realistic budget to keep you from going overboard when it comes to buying materials, tools, or whatever else you may need for your goal.
Take breaks
There is nothing worse than being overworked and overtired from a hard day.
You don’t want your personal project leaving you feeling like that. Taking breaks can help you stay refreshed and focused so you don’t burn yourself out.
Personal projects should be fun, not stressful.
Find something that you’re really passionate about, that truly makes you happy and dive into it. Spending your time working on things that make you happy can keep you refreshed and revived throughout other aspects of your life, plus in the end you will have something you can look upon with pride, knowing that you worked hard and achieved something you can be proud of.