Putzing around is defined as spending time in a slow, lazy, or aimless way. It means doing small unimportant tasks or light busy work without a clear plan.
DIY (do-it-yourself) is defined more broadly as an activity in which one does something oneself or on one’s own initiative.
Since my retirement, I truly believe, because am experiencing it, putzing around is a common phenomenon. I feel I have the time to take on things I would just forget in the past. Watering the grass, wiping down doors and cabinets and vacuuming the basement ceiling are things I would not waste my precious time doing. If fact, these are not even DYI projects, just putzing around.
When one retires and really has no hobbies or interests other than the job one has done for almost 50 years, he needs to find something to do.
That is where, I believe, DIY and putzing around clashes. This confrontation on two fronts is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I think it can be a great thing.
Life in general can limit our ability to focus on DIY projects. We, late night and weekend warriors, toil away to complete our undertakings. We tackle the tasks we sometimes hate to do and those that give us great satisfaction (only after they are done). Remember it is not always about achieving that Zen Moment but saving tons of money doing it yourself.
So, when that day comes and you finally walk away from the one thing that interrupts your DIY projects, you now have the time to focus on them 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can use your putzing around approach to take your time on DIY projects.
Recently, I had mentally created a list of the DIY projects I want to accomplish. A list so long that I will never complete. However, I now have the time to start it.
Here is where a DIYer might become just a putzer. Can I focus on one project at a time? Will I shy away from a big project and just fixate on small meaningless tasks? Or will I start a project and never complete it? (That one scares me. I hate unfinished projects.)
Just yesterday, I told my wife, Efiwym, I could put a ceiling fan in our living room. (We do spend most of our time in this room.)
On days in the summer, we open the windows for some fresh air and for our cat, Yttik. Yes, we will sweat and stick to our leather couch so our precious Yttik can sit and look out the window. A ceiling fan would be a nice way to cool off.
Even though it is on that list in my brain, that project will not happen anytime soon. In fact, Efiwym asked me when I needed to go buy something where I could save 11% on everything if I was going to buy a ceiling fan. I told her it was not even in the top ten.
For now, my focus will be on a new DIY project: installing LP flooring upstairs. Definitely not something I could putz around with. Stay tuned for the highlights!