Longtime Spoak-er, first time on the new forum 
Curious to know about the intentionally slow going DIY’s out there.
I’m refinishing/reinforcing an antique telephone desk I got off Craigslist. Anyone else have projects they dip in and out of, take your time with? 
oh my gosh YES. I am so guilty of taking an eternity on my DIYs, but I don’t think it’s a bad thing at all!
I tend to do one step at a time- Like I’ll buy a dresser I want to refinish, start with sanding, and then it will sit, sanded, for a while (longer than I’d like to admit )
I then take my time testing out different stains and finishes and kind of sit with them until I know I which one I really love.
Would love to see a picture of the phone desk you’re working on!
I have a lot of DIY projects waiting in the wings. Unless the project is a necessity (a daily used item or holding up a bigger reno project), I like to take my time and be intentional with DIYs (and who am I kidding, there is obviously a little or a lot of procrastination mixed in).
If the DIY is low effort (ie painting), I typically dive right in. But when it comes to the more time and resource intensive projects - like finishing or reupholstering furniture, wallpapering, etc - I like to live with the space / item for a while and wait until I know exactly how I’m going to use the piece in my space. And once inspiration strikes, I carve out the time and resource to get the DIY done.
For example, I have several vintage chairs I plan to reupholster that I’ve been living with for a couple years as I design the living room around them, but have yet to pick the fabric. If I had recovered them two years ago, I would have gone with a totally different fabric than I would today and would have likely ended up redoing it.
Same goes for closet or drawer organization. I DIY all my own wood organizers so they are custom fit to the size of my drawers/closets. While it’s tempting to outfit them right away with permanent storage solutions, I wait at least a few months to tackle these (and live with the mess) until I’m confident on how I’ll use that space long-term.
I have been working on our master bathroom for over a year! I always have a few diy projects going on at once (drives my husband nuts). In between I will do work for clients - then come back to my project. It helps to step away - sometimes I have even changed the original plan because I saw something else that inspired me. Plus, I want my diy projects to turn out perfect because I am my own worst critic so it’s nice to take your time 
I have an entire list on my iphone of home projects I want to do this year… lol. But the two DIYs I have been dragging is a Midcentury coffee table I found at an estate sale and I want to make mounted shelves for my hammock nook to give it a built in bookcase feel…Since I don’t have my own sander I have been dragging my feet and it’s also winter in Chicago…
I too do not have a sander and am too stubborn and will hand sand until it feels like I’ve been rock climbing
