What Are The Benefits Of DIY?
There is no doubt that, even if you’ve never attempted any DIY yourself, you’ll still be aware of what it is. There are a plethora of TV shows dedicated to it, websites talking about it, and you probably even have friends and family who have tried it, with varying degrees of success. It might be that you’ve realized there are some tasks to do around your home. Maybe the wallpaper needs to be updated, or perhaps you want a new color on the walls. It could be a dripping tap or that your shower has to be regrouted. Perhaps it’s not your home at all, and it’s your car that needs some work.
What was your first thought? Was it to call a professional to do the work for you, or did you wonder if it was worth trying your hand at some DIY? In some cases, the former is definitely a good idea – especially if the work is dangerous or highly specialized. However, if the jobs that have to be done are something you might be capable of doing yourself, why not? There are actually a number of – perhaps surprising – advantages to DIY, and you might benefit from doing it. With that in mind, read on to find out what they are.
Improved Problem-Solving
When you were a child, you undoubtedly had a set of construction blocks or a Lego kit that you used to make things out of. And, what did you do when the envisioned creation couldn’t fully sustain itself? You addressed the issue by using a different configuration. This is one of the most effective strategies to help youngsters enhance their problem-solving abilities.
So what does this have to do with DIY in the home or on your car? The fact is that DIY – and the problems and challenges it will throw at you – is very similar to the problems and challenges that children face in their games. When attempting to construct or build anything new, you will almost certainly encounter at least one problem, and you’ll need to work out the best way to get past this issue and complete your task. In this way, your problem-solving skills will improve. And this skill to handle difficulties calmly will serve you well in other facets of your life where challenges may arise from time to time as well.
You’ll Feel More Creative
It’s not always easy to be creative. You might have a job that simply doesn’t require creativity, for example, or maybe you just find that it’s hard to turn on and off – you have to be in a creative mood to enjoy it. However, research has shown that you can turn creativity on at least, depending on the environments and situations that people are in. In other words, if you need to do something creative, you can help yourself by putting yourself in the right situation for creativity to occur.
You can also enhance your creativity through everyday activities, and one of those activities is DIY. More creative ideas emerge when positive and negative emotions are mixed together. The same may be said for weird or unexpected surroundings. A look at these findings suggests that DIY may also help people become more creative than they were previously. When you’re in charge of an at-home project, it can be both unpleasant and satisfying, which might inspire innovation.
In addition, you’ll likely have to think outside the box to handle the unanticipated challenges and speed bumps that come with DIY projects, which will help you improve your general inventiveness and overall creativity.
It Might Become A Hobby
It’s good for you to have a hobby. Hobbies keep the brain active and give you something to look forward to, which is a positive. On top of that, some hobbies are physical ones, which will improve your fitness levels. Life without a hobby would be rather dull, and having something to keep you occupied and entertained when you’re not at work is crucial.
One of the benefits of DIY is that when you start these projects, you might find that it becomes more of a hobby than a chore. You’ll finish the job you intended to do, and then, if you enjoyed it, you might find you want to do more, and that long list of things that need to be done around the house will start to be completed much more quickly and efficiently than you might have expected.
Better Time Management Skills
What’s on your to-do list for the weekend? If you’re doing some DIY on Saturday and Sunday, you’ll have to figure out how to fit your project in with the rest of your weekend plans. You’ll also want to include some relaxation time into your schedule, which you should do alongside your to-do list.
As the weekends pass and you devote more and more time to DIY projects, you’ll notice that your time management skills improve – they have to if you plan to complete everything in a few days. And, if you need a little assistance at first, you could use time-management tools to help you navigate both professional and personal pursuits. This is the great thing about modern technology; there is sure to be something that will help you achieve everything you want to achieve, and once you’ve found it, your life will improve.
You’ll Be More Active
You probably work at least 40 hours every week, which means, in many cases (although this will depend on your job), that you’re sedentary the majority of the time. A sedentary lifestyle has a host of negative consequences. For one thing, it can impair brain function – according to one UCLA study, an inactive lifestyle can lead the medial temporal lobe to shrink, impairing a person’s capacity to retain and recall memories.
Furthermore, being inactive raises your chances of obesity, high blood pressure, stroke, osteoporosis, depression, anxiety, and other health problems. However, getting up and exercising on the weekends when you’re doing DIY may help offset the harmful consequences of sitting all day. So, have a long to-do list, do it all by yourself, and let your body enjoy the advantages.
Lower Stress Levels
According to a Gallup study conducted in 2017, approximately 80% of Americans experience stress at some point or regularly throughout the day. The chances are that you, too, have been overwhelmed by your day’s events in some way. It’s crucial that you know how to reduce your stress levels to prevent you from becoming unwell.
Although there are a number of different ways you can do this, keeping your mind occupied and not thinking of the things that are stressing you out can be an ideal option. When you have plenty of DIY to do, this becomes a lot easier; you’ll concentrate on the work you’re doing and not think about anything else. During this time, your stress levels will fall, ensuring your blood pressure drops to a safe level and your heart rate decreases. Although this might only be a temporary solution, and although DIY can sometimes be stressful in itself, this is a useful benefit to be aware of.
You’ll Save Money
Finally, the number one benefit of DIY, and the one that most people will think about first, is that it will save you money. This is because, although you’ll still need to buy tools and materials, you won’t be paying for anyone’s time and labor, and this can often be the biggest cost associated with any project.
Thanks to the internet, you can find whatever you need online, and whether that’s a roll of unique wallpaper or C6 Corvette coilovers, you can source it, check the costs, and have it shipped directly to you quickly and easily. Then you simply need to use these things to complete the work that has to be done.
Of course, having the skills and knowledge is not always possible, and sometimes professionals are the ideal option, but there are so many benefits to DIY that it’s certainly something you should try at least once.
