I'm so frustrated that I've crossed off so few problems from my "What's Broken" list. Primarily, that's because the most important problems were also big projects. Progress has been sure and slow. But mostly, progress has been slow. So I've decided to put my "What's Broken" list on a diet. It … [Read more...]
Hiring Handywoman Helpers – The Backstory
I'd be deluding myself (and you) to pretend I can fix up my house all alone. I can't. My knees are trashed from twenty-five years of running. Regrettably, hang gliding in my 20's did not cure my fear of heights, as I had hoped. (To this day, the mere mention of "hang gliding" makes my palms … [Read more...]
Hiring Handywoman Helpers – Sample Questionnaire
When qualifying a future handywoman helper, I make sure to ask everyone the same questions. To do that, I devised a questionnaire that I request my interested candidates to complete. While their answers may or may not disqualify them as handywoman helpers, they most certainly tell me a lot. I … [Read more...]
Hiring Handywoman Helpers – The Reunion
I'm planning a reunion of all my handywoman helpers in December of 2018. We'll reminisce about the tasks we've completed and what we learned along the way. Some of my helpers will get to meet their "coworkers" in person for the first time. I'm hoping I get to meet everyone's current significant … [Read more...]
Fun Estimating Tricks
I often have a hard time estimating how long something will take and how much it will cost. I'm certain I will never be able to predict the number of hardware store trips a project will require. But I have revived a fun estimating trick from my Information Technology (IT) days that serves me well … [Read more...]