DIYers have a lot in common with people who commute to work: they always lie to themselves about how long a project took. It's a weird form of denial of which I am also guilty when I DIY.
The DIYer tends to factor in the time it took to make the item, and totally exclude the research, the time it takes for acquiring tools and materials, etc.
When I took the train to Newark every day, I was fascinated how commuters deceive themselves. "How long is your commute?" I would ask, and they'd say, "One hour and twenty minutes door-to-door." Then I'd ask them how long it took to drive to the train station (15 minutes), how long they usually waited for the train (10 minutes) and how far was their work from the train station (15 minutes). So in reality, their commute was over two hours, but they just couldn't say that to themselves.
If you ask me, I can install a ceiling fan in 45 minutes. But I'll totally exclude the four hours I spent in the library reading electrical books and reading the manual, the trips to Home Depot, and everything else that went into the project.
And when it comes to DIY gear projects, I'm in further denial 'cause I research like crazy and never count that time. Anybody else in denial?
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