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That advice about saying no to small jobs saved my sanity
My buddy Mark who runs a bigger crew told me to stop taking $200 handyman gigs because they eat up the same mental energy as a $2,000 renovation and I burned out for 8 months before I finally listened, anyone else have a tip they ignored at first?
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averyc944mo ago
Honestly @drews55 hit it right on the head. I kept telling myself "this one's just a quick job" and then it would turn into three trips to the hardware store and a whole afternoon. I had to bail on a $300 leaky faucet job halfway through and eat the cost before I finally got it through my thick skull. Tbh it's like your time and energy are worth the same no matter what you charge, and the small stuff just doesn't cover it.
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thomasb414mo ago
Wait, is that the part where you're standing in the hardware store at 5pm covered in pipe dope wondering how a "quick faucet job" turned into a whole new water heater? Because I've been there too man. I told myself once "it's just replacing a toilet flapper" and then four hours later I'm under the sink with a bucket and a broken shutoff valve. The worst part is you know you're gonna do it again too. You'll see a "simple" job come up and your brain will just forget all the bad times.
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drews554mo ago
Ask him how long it took before you actually started believing it though. Did you have to mess up a few more times first?
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ruby_bell474mo ago
The leaky faucet thing is exactly the kind of trap that gets me too. Drews55 is right that you have to learn it the hard way a few times before it sticks. The real trick is figuring out that small jobs actually cost you more in lost big jobs because you're booked up and tired. Mark told me to start telling people no politely and just refer them to a handyman who actually wants that kind of work. It's a free referral that builds goodwill and keeps your schedule open for the stuff that pays real money. Once you get used to turning down the small stuff your income actually goes up without working more hours.
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