What if the goal is not to finish everything at once or develop an overarching plan? What if it’s about getting to the root of what you really need from your home? Beyond aesthetics, beyond what anything else thinks—just what functions best and brings you the most joy.
A friendly reminder: This is part two on the topic of prioritizing which home projects to do first. If you haven’t read part one yet, start here!
For years, I had a list going. Every January, I’d map out the rooms I’d “tackle” that year—one after the other—like some home design gymnast collecting medals made of before-and-after photos.
The drive to keep the projects moving was about creating a home we loved. But if I’m honest, the pace wasn’t just personal. It was professional. When your payroll is supported by showing your home’s progress, there’s an unspoken push to keep going. There were people to pay and a mortgage to cover, and that meant my renovation schedule was set by business needs more than by life needs.
It worked… until it didn’t. And somewhere along the way, I realized I was miserable.
Have you noticed how renovation culture can make even the happiest home feel like it’s not enough? It blocks our intuitive response to what we actually need. It keeps the next project hovering on the horizon, sometimes before we’ve even finished the last one. It can be a joyful, creative outlet and it can be a great distraction from whatever we’d rather not face.
I call it The Next Project Trap: that constant sense that your home (and by extension, you) is only as good as whatever you’re working on right now.