Every year we publicly announce a few resolutions, hoping they’ll light a fire under us and help us actually follow through. So, without further ado (and accompanied by this in-progress photo of primed cabinet doors)…
…here they are:
Resolution #1 – Get Around: We’re looking forward to a better travel year. We’ve been invited to speak at the Portland Home & Garden Show in February and at the Haven Conference in Atlanta in June (we’re even the keynote speakers there—exciting and a little nerve-wracking). We hope to meet many of you at those events. When our book comes out this fall, we’d also love to do a tour to thank as many readers as we can in person. Expect awkward, blushing interactions and heartfelt “thank yous.”
Resolution #2 – Make Our Archives Easier to Navigate: With more than 2,000 posts written over four-plus years, we know how hard it can be to find older projects that get buried over time. We plan to revamp our Projects page with photos and a more usable archive system so projects are easier to find. Since we like tackling DIY challenges, that means learning some coding along the way. Should be fun and useful for everyone.
Resolution #3 – Find Better Balance: This is a repeat resolution because we still haven’t mastered it. Last year we noted that, since the internet is 24/7 and we work from home, it’s easy to slip into working nights, weekends, and vacations. With Clara in the mix, creating a healthier, family-friendly balance feels even more important. We’re hoping 2012 is the year we finally get it right.
Resolution #4 – Teach Clara Age-Appropriate DIY Skills: Maybe painting and priming are a stretch for a toddler, but we’d like to involve Clara in small, safe, kid-friendly tasks—things like learning how to peel painter’s tape or hold a tape measure. It’s less about forcing a trade and more about including her so she can grow up enjoying hands-on projects. She already adores the tape measure, so we’re off to a promising start.
Resolution #5 – Simplify, Simplify, Simplify: It’s tempting to say yes to every opportunity or tackle a dozen projects at once, but we’ve learned that focusing on one thing at a time keeps sanity intact. We need to resist the voice that urges us to do more, be superhuman, or try to please everyone. Sharing our little corner of life is what brought readers here—this blog is essentially a DIY diary. Keeping things simple helps us create better work and enjoy the process.
Are you ready for 2012? What are your resolutions? I’d love to hear what you plan to accomplish this year—whether it’s a list like ours or just a sentence about your main focus. Personally, I want to drink more water, eat more vegetables, read more books, and get back into painting on paper and canvas (I’ve already done plenty of wall and cabinet painting). Also, lots of people have recommended Netflix’s Homeland—maybe that’s worth adding to the list.
P.S. We’re sharing a modest, handmade, gender-neutral nursery full of DIY ideas over on BabyCenter—check out the nursery for inspiration.