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Every person that’s ever done DIY knows the drill (excuse the pun); you get 10 minutes into the job and realise that you’ve forgotten to pick up that special gizmo that enables your entire job, and then once you’ve driven to pick it up and back on the task you realise that you haven’t got the one item that you need to finish it…. boo!

Repeatedly driving to the DIY shop at break neck speed before it closes in the hope that it might still have the thing you need is a huge time suck, petrol drain and money waster.

Here’s what to do about it:

Organise your tools and materials

You’re hunting around in your garage for that item that you thought you had from the last job, you can’t find it and then have to buy it again, you finish the job and then immediately find the item that you lost. Sound familiar? One reason why DIY jobs turn into a product hunt is because you cannot find the item you already own.

One way of tackling this problem is by getting more organised. Buy a decent toolbox, maximise wall space by installing shelves and tool hangers, buy metal storage units and large plastic boxes with flip top lids for ease of entry. Crucially, organise everything in themes and try to keep your kit within those themes and don’t just throw stuff into any old box at the end of the job.

If you didn’t get it the first time, this is permission to create your own crazy Home Improvement style workshop.

Plan your project well in advance

Yes - the above words are much easier said than done. But do heed the advice of my father; “fail to prepare, prepare to fail”. DIY jobs frequently have hidden problems that you did not expect, the trick is to ensure that you aren’t surprised by the problems that you really should have known about.

Try to plan your job well in advance, mentally walk through the entire job from start to finish and ideally start creating a list within a spreadsheet or your favourite notes app of everything you need for the job, the quantity and whether you already have it. Include everything - tools, kit, clean up, safety kit. Leave no stone unturned.

Consider buying more than you think you need

During your DIY task things can go awry, things break, your calculations were wrong, you have to re-do something - shit happens. There’s nothing more frustrating that running out half way through. Getting more than you need will ensure that you have spares if something goes wrong.

Buying from the DIY shop isn’t like buying from the supermarket, most of the supplies that you buy do not go bad (if stored well), so if you don’t use it on your immediate job you should be able to use it in future.

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Get your online ordering done well in advance

Online ordering can give you the advantage of being able to source items that aren’t available at your local DIY shop, it can also allow you to compare costs across all of the different suppliers to get the best price. The downsides are that deliveries can take days and items might be out of stock so make sure you get this part of your sourcing done well in advance.

If ordering large materials don’t order too far in advance if you lack the space to store them, you don’t want to be playing hop scotch in your hallway over your timber delivery for two weeks (been there, done that).

Watch online tutorials

Practically every DIY job that has ever been done is available on Youtube, watch one or two of them to ensure that you have everything that the Youtuber has used in their video.

Don’t take shortcuts

Buy or hire the right tools for the job. Yes, you might end up spending a bit more of your hard earned cash on a speciality tool, but better than stressing out using a struggling piece of kit whilst putting your end result at risk.

Bonus tip - post DIY reward

A day of DIY takes it out of you, you DO NOT want to be hungry/tired/dirty and taking a trip out to pick up something for your belly. Make sure you plan an easy meal that can shoved in the oven and some nice cold beers to help take the stresses and strains out of the day.

Good blog this isn’t it.