The hardest part of getting work done is

[Bill]

The hardest part of getting work done has to be Starting! --while I was tidying-up I figured maybe there might be one person who needed to hear that---mostly I was just listening to myself think.

I have also done pretty well by *making lists* of steps and being content to just "make progress" and "chip-away" towards a step (.e.g. if I can't move "everything" from one side of the garage to the other, maybe I can start by moving just a few items). It's too easy to be "over-whelmed" by a task and not make any progress--I have found the list strategy I described powerful. Maybe because making a list, or refining one, require that one start thinking about it. As it were, I ended up noticing maple trees growing out of my eave troughs, so the rest of the evening was "wasted"-- but things happen. Some progress is better than none! :)

I think it's interesting how well that software engineering principles lend themselves to WW! I think that SketchUp does do, but that's a subject for another thread (I'm currently chipping away at "The Missing Manual").

Bill

[Sonny]

Keeping things in perspective! Never let the whole of a task overwhelm you! Take one step at a time! This applies to almost everything we do.

In school, it's one class at a time, with one chapter at a time. After 4 years of this prodding along this way, you're done, with a degree.

Managing money is a learned process, one step at a time. I'm sure we've all heard of someone who come into money and it's gone in no time, because they don't know how to manage it. Sucessful businesses start by having a business plan, or a list of to-dos, as you noted.... and goals are included is such lists.

Building a cabinet, armoire, table, etc. is a process of many steps. Do one at a time and before you know it, it's done. Concentrate on the single little item, at hand, and not the end product... that will come, develope, as the smaller tasks are taken care of in turn.

So many folks don't manage, or don't know how to manage their time and efforts in a reasonably efficient way. And I have young relatives who want "things" now, don't want to work for them or go through the process to create them. I tell them to learn how to manage their time and efforts. Even if they get sidetracked with some other issue, don't loose peprspective as to where they've left off with the previous task.

Any progress is great and lends itself to further progress. The hardest part is starting? Start by making a list... include your goals, what you hope to achieve, one little step at a time.

Sonny

[Larry Jaques]

On Sun, 30 May 2010 02:47:03 -0400, "Bill" wrote the following:

I got my copy last week (or so?) but haven't had a chance to pop the cover and read it yet. How do you like it so far?

-- A well-informed mind is the best security against the contagion of folly and of vice. The vacant mind is ever on the watch for relief, and ready to plunge into error, to escape from the languor of idleness. -- Ann Radcliffe

[Bill]

Nice post Sonny. Of course, at the end you were preaching to the already converted. It's hard for me to think of anyone who wouldn't be well-served by possessing this "wisdom". Don't give up on those you can teach!

Almost a year ago I created a 25 step (or so) plan for implementing a workshop. I shared some of my ideas here, and was (well) advised about just how many things I had overlooked! I decided to address "electrical outlets and lighting first". That brings me to where I am now--after 3 evening sessions, my garage now has 3 or 4 feets of free space along two adjacent walls. Tomorrow I'll remove the 1970's vintage (old kitchen) cabinetry that is in the way. Unfortunately, the attic is an "ugly" place to work, but I'll be "pulling some wire".

Tonight I measured the distances between the studs by "tapping" the wall, and they are mostly 16" o.c., might be expected I suppose and I drew a line 50" high along the wall. I'm was just trying to visualize.. I anticipate 3 or 4 outlets at the 50" line with another below each of them at the 18 inch line, at least along the long (19.5') wall--a comination of 120v (at 50"), 240v (at 18") with some lines dedicated, some shared, and some unused. All 20 amp circuits for (wire purchasing) simplicity.

Question: if I rip down the wall, and replace it, I may as well add insulation, right? Is it just a matter of laying strips of the stuff in place or are there any important concerns I should be aware of? I apologize for not having done my homework on this yet. One step at a time...

Lew always says, "Have fun", so I try! ; )

Bill

[Bill]

Larry, I am at page 200 out of 516. I started learning SU by watching at least an hour's worth of Google tutorials on it, and then investing a few dozen hours in practice (modeling workbenches). And then I got the book, I'm sure I could have saved a lot of time if I had read the book sooner (but I wanted to model workbenches, not read a book!). I think that the video tutorials are a better place to begin than the book, but you probably have already seen some of those or you probably would not have ordered the book...

As a book I rate it 3.5/5. I don't think it's a "great read" but it DOES have lots of info you will be glad to learn. If it contained some decent exercises I might increase my rating to 4. You probably can easily come up with your own exercises. Some things about it remind me of the "... For Dummies" series of books, which seem eager to repeat things over and over. It's not a bad book and it is probably pretty reasonable for the demographic it is trying to serve (which probably includes high school students). Good luck with SU! Of course, you probably already know that Swingman and Leon are real SU pros! Tonight I may practice with "arrays" in SU (which I was introduced to via the book only recently). I probably don't need to tell you that practice is "everything". GL

Bill

[Bill]

Larry,

Since we were talking about SU, I put a "homework exercise" I did for arrays on my website. All of the "studs" (just lines here) can be added in a single-stroke by specifying the distance between centers and the quantity. I pasted in the position of the new outlets I hope to install this week. The idea is that the outlets on the top (50" high) will be 120v and the ones on the bottom will be 240v (or unused). And SU let me think about the design even though I haven't taken the wallboard down yet.

by this time next week I'll have made lots of progress. Replacing the drywall concerns me (because I never put up a whole sheet of it before...).

Bill

[Larry Jaques]

On Mon, 31 May 2010 02:48:52 -0400, "Bill" wrote the following:

Instant gratification takes too long, eh?

Verily!

I read the TOC online and decided that it was -well- worth ordering. The fact that I paid only $1.25 for it helps ease the fact that you didn't give it a 5/5 rating, Bill. ;) I much prefer having a book in lap when troubleshooting or learning, as opposed to a handful of pages open in browser and Acrobat Reader windows online, though having an instant search can help speed things along, too. I often utilize both methods when in distress, heading toward the knee of that blasted learning curve we all know and love/hate.

Thanks, and Dittoes!

Yuppers. And I've already learned things from both parties. (Thanks, gents.)

Yes, and practice maintains your skills with the software.

-- A well-informed mind is the best security against the contagion of folly and of vice. The vacant mind is ever on the watch for relief, and ready to plunge into error, to escape from the languor of idleness. -- Ann Radcliffe

[Larry Jaques]

On Mon, 31 May 2010 05:13:29 -0400, "Bill" wrote the following:

Look at the extras people have developed, Bill. I started to look into the engineering toolbox and house builder add-ons before being rudely pulled away to work by reality. Swingy'll tell ya.

Other than the weight, full sheets are easier. But I'd use OSB in my shop if I were to finish a stud wall today.

P.S: I especially like the boilerplate flooring and pegboard workbench.

-- A well-informed mind is the best security against the contagion of folly and of vice. The vacant mind is ever on the watch for relief, and ready to plunge into error, to escape from the languor of idleness. -- Ann Radcliffe

[Swingman]

By all means ... your productivity is upped considerably by standing on the shoulders of those who came before you with regard to "plug-ins".

One of my favorite stud wall tools, along with the "joist", "stair" and "window" plug-ins:

too many to list, but here's a PrintScrn dump of my SketchUp Plug In DIR:

are excellent tools for modeling construction projects. You will have to do your own Google to find them individually but they are all free, IIRC.

[Swingman]

Another repository of good ruby script plug-ins for SketchUp:

[Bill]

Thank you for the link to all of the resources! I "favorited" it for future reference!

Bill