Every year we publish a short list of resolutions to give ourselves a push and stay motivated. Before the list, here’s a current shot of the cabinet doors being primed as a little visual progress report…
Below are our goals for the year:
Resolution #1 – Get Around More: We hope 2012 will be a busy 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 the keynote speakers — exciting and a little nerve-wracking). When our book is released this fall, we also plan to tour and meet readers in person, so we’re looking forward to connecting with as many of you as possible. Meeting readers face-to-face is always a mix of awkwardness and warmth — the kind of moment where you might stumble over your words and end up saying something endearingly clumsy. We can’t wait.
Resolution #2 – Make Our Archives Easier to Navigate: After more than four years and over 2,000 posts, finding older projects can be a challenge. Our goal is to overhaul the Projects page and build a clearer, photo-driven archive so readers can discover past projects more easily. That means learning new tools and a bit of coding to create a more intuitive browsing experience. We love DIY, so rolling up our sleeves and improving the site should be fun and useful for everyone.
Resolution #3 – Find Better Balance: This one’s a repeat from last year because, frankly, we haven’t mastered it yet. Working from home makes it tempting to be online and available all the time — nights, weekends, even vacations. With Clara around, finding a healthier work-family balance feels more important than ever. Our aim is to set clearer boundaries, prioritize family time, and resist the urge to work constantly. We hope 2012 is the year we finally get this right.
Resolution #4 – Involve Clara in Simple DIY Tasks: We’d like to include Clara in age-appropriate ways so she grows up enjoying hands-on projects. We aren’t trying to teach her complicated skills too early, but simple, toddler-friendly tasks—like helping peel painter’s tape or handing us a tool—can be a fun way to involve her and encourage curiosity. She already loves the tape measure, so we’re off to a good start. The goal is to create family-centered projects that are safe, simple, and enjoyable for everyone.
Resolution #5 – Simplify and Focus: It’s tempting to say yes to every opportunity and juggle a dozen projects at once, but we’ve learned that simplicity and focus are essential to staying sane. Instead of trying to please everyone or stretch ourselves thin, we want to concentrate on what matters most: documenting the projects and stories that brought readers here in the first place. The blog began as a straightforward DIY diary, and we want to preserve that clarity. Keeping priorities simple helps us produce better work and enjoy the process more.
So, who’s ready for the year? What are your resolutions? We’d love to hear what you plan to tackle — whether it’s a short list like ours or a sentence about your main focus. Personally, I want to drink more water, eat more vegetables, read more books, and return to painting on paper and canvas (I’ve been busy painting walls and cabinets, so it’s time to pick up the brushes for art again). Also on my list: check out the TV series so many readers have recommended. Small goals, steady progress.
Psst—We’re also sharing a handmade, gender-neutral nursery full of modest, DIY-friendly ideas on BabyCenter. It’s a compact nursery packed with creative solutions and thoughtful details.