Now, After Sleeping On It

New Bern, North Carolina

I spent yesterday in a fit of worry about the painting project.  I talked with a lot of people.  I've gotten a lot of advice; much of it good advice.   Most of all, I slept on the problem.  Today, the rational decision seems very clear -- I am going to wait until next spring to do the painting.

The decision became clear only after I got past three mental obstacles.

1. Confirmation bias:   Alan at Sailcraft told me that the one-part Petit paint I bought was an inferior product, and that I should change to a two-part epoxy primer paint in any case.  That means I have to admit a mistake and suffer the embarrassment of sending back the paint.
   
2. I feared that leaving the decks bare over the winter would allow oils and waxes from air pollution to spoil the surfaces and make painting next spring fail.   I finally realized that I can cover the exposed surfaces with plastic over the winter, then wash them with soap and water and acetone next spring.  In reality the risk of bungling the clean-up next spring is less than the risk of bunging a paint job in cold weather.  It took me a while to get that risk trade-off straight.
   
3. My history as a project manager gives me a powerful bias, "Don't tear up the project plan and schedule or radically alter it once the team has started work."   That bias stood me well in my professional life.  But the underlying reason for that project manager's bias is that the changes disrupt the plans of the project team, and undermines their confidence.   In this case, I am the only member of the project team.  I'll get help from Libby and Dave, but the old paradigm of having a large team already working to implement the plan does not apply here.