Woo-hoo! We’re celebrating three wonderful years of sharing our home improvement adventures (and occasional misadventures) with you in this little virtual home of ours. That means blogiversary fun is officially underway.
As we head into year four, we have more projects lined up—big and small—and we like to use blogiversary week to give a little behind-the-scenes peek and kick off the next 365 days the right way. This week we’ll be sharing a mix of things: a video full of hilariously awful “before” shots from every project we’ve posted about (let’s call that footage “vintage”), behind-the-scenes details about how we live and work, and a few other surprises that show how we juggle life and projects.
We’re also running a special blogiversary giveaway, so stay tuned for that later today. But first, here’s an email answer:
Q: Have you two ever written a “typical day in the life of” post? I just finished reading about your latest project and realized that every time I read your blog (after a profound sense of “FANTASTIC!”), I wonder how you schedule to get done all that you appear to be doing (house projects + two blog posts a day + mood boards/other work + responding to comments so frequently + baby + all the rest that comes with life and house maintenance), and I would be fascinated to know if you have any scheduling/time-saving tips. I’m a very organized, list-maker, and master-scheduler myself, and I still can’t figure out how you do it. Regardless, WELL DONE! – Constance
Funny enough, Southern Flourish magazine recently invited us to write a “day in the life” piece, and that issue just went live online. We covered everything from diaper changes and Clara feedings to projects and post writing—yes, even what we had for breakfast. It’s a pretty candid snapshot of what a typical day looks like for us and how we squeeze projects into family life.
(Embedded content from the original issue has been removed for simplicity.)
Back to Constance’s question about scheduling and time-saving tips: we’ll be honest—we’re still figuring it out. We assumed adding another adult to the mix would double productivity, but in reality two adults and a baby often means one of us gets to work while the other handles baby duty. Plenty of people warned us a baby is a full-time job, but we optimistically thought we’d have more free time. The truth is we’ve learned to be flexible and experimental.
Here are the practical habits that have helped us make it work:
- Use nap time strategically: We work in concentrated bursts during Clara’s naps—often an hour at a time—then pause and pick up where we left off during the next nap.
- Babywearing is a lifesaver: Wearing Clara in a carrier gives us hands-free time to type, clean, or tinker on small tasks.
- Prioritize simplicity: Sometimes that means having cereal for dinner or choosing low-effort meals when projects demand more time.
- Focus, don’t multitask: We’re far more efficient when we complete one task at a time instead of trying to juggle many things at once. Systematically crossing items off a list beats chaotic multitasking.
- Make and trust lists: A written list keeps us organized and accountable—John even whispers “my list!” before leaving the house so he doesn’t forget it.
- Streamline routines: Over time we’ve sped up photo editing, post formatting, and other blogging chores so we can free up time for projects and family.
We’re grateful that we can alternate responsibilities—one of us can focus on YHL while the other covers baby duty—because we can’t imagine how the blog would survive without that flexibility. Best of all, Clara makes every bit of the juggling worthwhile. She’s the reason we’re even more motivated to make our home cozy and functional for our growing family.
Stick around for more blogiversary antics—expect a parade of DIY projects, paint rollers, and plenty of behind-the-scenes moments. We can’t wait to open up YHL and share what’s inside for year four.