Annual Blogging Goals: Year Five

It’s time for our annual goals — a public declaration that helps keep us accountable and energized. This post outlines our priorities for the coming year, focused on balance, better content, and more inspiration for anyone following our DIY, home renovation, and blogging journey.

Goal #1: Find Balance

We want to build more balance between work and life. Over the past year we took on a lot — full-time work, major projects, writing columns and a book, renovating, moving, and parenting — and that sometimes left little time for truly unplugging. The internet is always on, and we’ve been guilty of answering emails and updating posts on nights, weekends, and even vacations. That’s not sustainable for work-life balance, family time, or creative energy.

To address this, our aim is to carve out intentional away-from-the-computer time: more family trips, spontaneous moments, and downtime that fuels creativity instead of draining it. We started a separate space called Young House Life to remind ourselves to live and have fun off the laptop — and we’re recommitting to that idea in the year ahead.

Goal #2: Keep Posts Focused and Readable

Not every update needs to be a long, heavily edited feature. Some of our best posts are short, visual, and immediate. When posts get too long, even we skim them, and we suspect many readers do, too. So we’ll focus on a better mix of in-depth tutorials and quick updates — concise, useful, and easy to read. Short and sweet can be just as valuable as long-form content.

Goal #3: Bring Back Before & After Inspiration

Before & after transformations are a core part of what inspires our readers. We used to publish regular Reader Redesigns and giveaways, but a shift in posting cadence moved some of that content off the main blog. We missed those design-driven features, so we’re bringing them back in regular rotations — maybe not twice a week, but often enough to keep the inspiration flowing. If you have a dramatic transformation to share, we’d love to see it.

Goal #4: Be Secure in Our Own Bloghood

This blog is our personal DIY diary: a mix of big reveals, small wins, honest setbacks, and everyday life. We know not every post will please everyone, and that’s okay. Decorating and renovation choices are subjective — what works for one homeowner or reader may not work for another. We’ll stay confident in our voice and approach while remaining open to feedback. Blogging works precisely because everyone brings their own perspective to the conversation.

Goal #5: Practice Gratitude

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by deadlines, comments, and projects, but this work remains a dream job for us. We want to be more intentional about pausing, breathing, and remembering how grateful we are for the opportunities this blog has brought: connections with readers, creative projects, magazine assignments, and a book on the horizon. When stress rises, a quick mindset shift — counting our wins and appreciating the journey — helps put things in perspective.

Goal #6: Try New Things

We want to stay curious and open to new projects, formats, and experiences. That might mean experimenting with new decorating ideas, exploring different series like House Crashing or Window Shopping, or embracing the new photo shoots and promotional activities that come with publishing our book. Trying new things keeps the work fresh and helps our creative voice evolve.

Review of Last Year’s Goals

We also revisit last year’s goals to measure progress and stay honest about what still needs work.

• Last Year’s Goal #1: Move On – Move into the new house, enjoy it, and document projects and life there. Verdict: Mission accomplished.
• Last Year’s Goal #2: Loosen Up – Post more in real time and mix long features with quick updates. Verdict: Improved posting speed, but we still need more short, timely posts. Continued focus required.
• Last Year’s Goal #3: Get Real – Share ordinary, spur-of-the-moment moments and smaller, candid updates. Verdict: Partially accomplished. We did return to more authentic content, but we still want to increase light, off-the-cuff posts that capture day-to-day life.

A Thank You to Our Readers

We’re grateful to everyone who reads, comments, and shares ideas. Four years after starting a small blog, the growth and opportunities have been surprising and humbling. Your support keeps us motivated to keep improving — to balance life and work better, to create content that’s useful and inspiring, and to try new things. We’ll keep working on the short-and-sweet goal, and we promise to bring more before & after inspiration, honest real-life posts, and occasional longer how-tos.

Life is busy and chaotic, but it’s also rewarding. Here’s to another year of DIY, renovation, creativity, and community — and to finding better balance along the way.