Let's talk about it: Overcoming blockages in DIY projects

[Andreas Thaler]

Even experienced DIY repairers know the problem:

A repair project is pending, everything is ready, the procedure is clear - but you lack the motivation to start working.

Perhaps the thought of the work ahead makes you feel uncomfortable or even afraid.

Until a defective lens works properly again …


Even simple repair projects are no exception.

… there is some work to be done for whose success there is no guarantee …


You actually enjoy repairing and are actually looking forward to the project. But you don't have enough momentum to start.

… and that can really discourage you from starting the project.


It's like a curse.

What the causes of this phenomenon could be remains speculation. Psychologists certainly know more about it.


I feel the same way

and compare this blockage to school experiences, such as having to write an essay, having to give a presentation or submitting a project plan.

Everything is doable, but it is associated with the pressure of having to do it at a certain time under pressure to succeed.

That can be a blockage.

DIY projects are usually voluntary, so you don't have to do them and that can lead to you putting them off and then possibly not tackling them at all. Which really reduces your motivation.


How can you overcome these blocks?

These strategies have worked well for me:

Set a deadline, tell others that you will start work at time X and report back.

The idea that others are interested in your work can be very motivating. And since you have committed yourself, it is not so easy to escape. The forum here is the ideal place to make a commitment to others.


Prepare everything at your workbench for the repair project and then leave everything there.

If you feel like it, sit down at the table and play around with the tools, look at your repair candidate and then do something else. At some point you will get the urge and start working.


Forbid yourself from starting the project today,

especially if you feel like it but are not yet fully motivated. Maybe it will work the next day, „when you are allowed to again“.

Everyone can come up with their own strategies here.

---

Here is an example from my practice

I have set myself the task of making a tutorial on repairing the aperture control of the Nikon F4.

The aperture control of this Nikon F4E no longer works properly: there is a lot of work to be done here.


Everything is clear, I have experience with this work, colleagues have expressed interest, I just have to do it on an example, document it and report back here.

But I still lack the motivation to get up and start now.

Preparations: Plastic boxes for storing the removed parts.


Just the thought of getting the bag with the small plastic boxes to store the removed parts in out of a box makes me feel uneasy. I'm looking forward to the project. But it's also a lot of work and if it goes wrong, even more so...

So I have basically publicly committed myself to starting the work after Christmas and finishing it this year. So I can't get away from that so easily anymore. Others may be waiting for the tutorial and I don't want to disappoint them.

Nikon F4: Mission Aperture Lever - two ways to fix the aperture problem

{Moderator note 12 Jan 25: five threads on the F4/F4S aperture lever repair have been merged into the present thread. You may encounter one or two dead links to 'other' threads. The posts they pointed to, are now all part of this thread, which mostly still follows the journey in a logical and...

www.photrio.com

---

How do you feel about it? How do you motivate yourself in your DIY work? Or is this not a problem for you at all?

 

[Andreas Thaler]

It's calming that I'm the only one with repair psychology problems

I continue to work hard on myself!

 

[Laurent]

It's calming that I'm the only one with repair psychology problems

I continue to work hard on myself!

you're not alone, @Andreas Thaler ! In my case ADHD really "helps" adding issues, so I have many projects in parallel, as I tend to easily start them, then get stuck somewhere for whatever reasons.

Most of the time, the issue has to do with perfectionnism, and there hardly are solutions for this.

At the moment the period is "good" as energy seems to let me close projects rather than opening new ones (although there is the "Panda FTb" project which is half started)

 

[Andreas Thaler]

you're not alone, @Andreas Thaler ! In my case ADHD really "helps" adding issues, so I have many projects in parallel, as I tend to easily start them, then get stuck somewhere for whatever reasons.

Most of the time, the issue has to do with perfectionnism, and there hardly are solutions for this.

At the moment the period is "good" as energy seems to let me close projects rather than opening new ones (although there is the "Panda FTb" project which is half started)

I think I can understand that.

Ultimately, my severe burnout brutally braked me down from hyperactivity, anyway it took me a long time to learn to change. „Quality and enjoyment instead of quantity and rushing" is now my motto.

I no longer have the resources to overwork myself and stay fit, which is a good thing.

Maybe we are all victims of capitalism, who knows

 

[paul ron]

it happens... but mostly hobby people tend to procrastinate. i get it, and yeah its very common. people that do it for a living have no choice or they dont get paid regardless how much it sux to force yourself to do the job. pros burn out, diyers just get lazy.

one tip.... dont start the job and leave it sit partially done. you'll forget where you are n parts manage to take a walk and the lack of interest, it goes out the window... usually results in trashing the project. so take a break and get back to it when you are good n ready.

i build model 18centry scale square rigg ships. i started the hull n furnished it till i got to the rigging in just 8 years. then the ship sat on a shelf for the next 25 years. last year i took it down n started the rigging. im chugging along for a year n loving it, doing one thing a day. ive got at least 3 more years of work at this rate.... but heck, its only one of many hobbies. HOBBY- work at your own pace when you feel like it, its the pleasure we get from the journey of the project. btw i built 3 other ships in the mean time. this clipper ship is like your camera project... i just wasnt feeling it, not a lack of skills to do it. im now kicking it out n really enjoing it again. take a break!

 

[Andreas Thaler]

I know of another strange phenomenon that can put you off DIY:

The fear that a device you have repaired yourself will damage other devices you are using it on.

For example, a motor drive whose power supply you have restored and which you are using on an SLR that is several times more expensive. The idea here is that you have unknowingly not complied with factory standards, which could cause further damage, particularly to the electronics of the devices involved.

The reason for this is probably that with DIY you are very often on unfamiliar territory and it is difficult to estimate what consequences your own repair attempts could have.

A look at the service manual for any SLR is enough to know that you know nothing

I know that I know nothing - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

That is why it is always important to me to position myself as a DIYer and not as a qualified repairman, hence my disclaimer at the end of every repair report:

+++

All information provided without guarantee and use at your own risk.


But you have to face these fears, because without your own efforts as a DIYer, many older photo devices with faults cannot be brought back to life.

We all know the problem with the lack of support from manufacturers, qualified repairers and costs.

If I tried to repair current photo technology - for which qualified service is available - as a DIYer, I would be a freak.

But as it is, I have no choice but to try to repair my 1980s photo devices myself. Who else would do it?

 

[Andreas Thaler]

it happens... but mostly hobby people tend to procrastinate. i get it, and yeah its very common. people that do it for a living have no choice or they dont get paid regardless how much it sux to force yourself to do the job. pros burn out, diyers just get lazy.

I think that's well put!