“There’s an app for everything” is a famous saying nowadays, and it’s most likely true. Getting any service, you need is simply one touch away. Even chores like a home cleaner or minor repair services are available through apps, which has led to quite the situation, especially for those who grew up with technology in the forefront: millennials.
Millennials Don’t Want to Admit They Lack Home Maintenance Knowledge.
They grew up in a time with readily available services at the beck and call (provided you can pay), so, understandably, millennials never had to learn how to fix things independently. Add the fact that the technology has far exceeded the simplicity of the analog days- most devices nowadays have a printed circuit board (PCB) and a CPU that acts as a brain for the entire machine. The expertise necessary to fix the required has increased exponentially, and simply DIYing things can lead to more damage.
… But They Like To Learn
However, despite the lack of home maintenance knowledge, most millennials are fond of keeping their homes stylish and well-designed. This leads to an interesting problem: many millennials are learning home maintenance and repair skills later than being taught by their parents. This self-teaching attitude is empowered by the wealth of readily available resources such as the Internet. How-tos of different kinds of house chores and repairs receive thousands and millions of views, proving that millennials are eager to learn.
Starting the Journey
Whether you’re a millennial or older, learning to do things around the house is very helpful. Here are a few tips to help you start your learning journey.
Keep Watching Online Tutorials
We live in the age of the Internet, where information can be accessed more efficiently than ever. From free video tutorials on YouTube and other social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram to paid online courses from e-learning platforms like Skillshare and Coursera, learning a new skill is practically at the tip of our fingers.
Post Your Progress Pics
Speaking of social media platforms, posting pictures of your step-by-step progress and accomplishments is an excellent way to motivate yourself. Perhaps it’s also an effective way to push yourself to follow through with your projects. When we publish something in the open, people who follow our socials also look forward to the results, encouraging us to deliver updates. This can also be a way to encourage others because if you can do it, so can they!
It’s Perfectly Fine to Call a Contractor
Studying to do home maintenance doesn’t mean you’ll stop calling the pros eventually. Some tasks will be way out of your skill level and require calling the experts. Calling an AC company when your cooler breaks down is fine. An electrician is needed if something is fluctuating and going wrong with your power lines. It’s dangerous to tackle something serious alone, and there are some aspects to repairing electronics that only professionals can do.
Start with Small Projects First
Anything we set our minds to can be intimidating at first. We don’t want to waste money and effort on a flop, especially when it comes to home repairs and improvement where many resources are at stake. That’s why for anything, it’s best to start with the smaller projects at first, like changing a lightbulb. It’s a fundamental and straightforward ability, yet few people know how to do it. However, other tasks will follow once you learn how to do them. Soon enough, you’ll be able to do relatively complex ones, but what’s important is that you start small.
Invest in Your Equipment
Once you’ve done a project, you’d slowly gain and build more confidence to take on more projects. This is why settling for low-quality tools and equipment could have you losing money instead of helping you through more tasks. Even if you don’t feel like doing another project after your first, you can still use your tools by renting them out to those who’d need them for a one-time project too.
No matter what era, everyone needs to know fundamental home maintenance skills. And while the kids of yesterday (who are adults now) weren’t taught how to do them, they learned on their own anyway. The important thing is that we don’t stop learning- even with little things like doing chores.
