Q: Since you decorate/upgrade/reno your house for a living, do you ever feel like you are always working on your house but not ever getting to just live in it and enjoy it? Like when you spend all day cooking in the kitchen by dinnertime you aren’t hungry and don’t even want to eat half the time. If something (like your house) is never quite done and there’s a to do list longer than the purchase contract, is it hard to just peacefully sit without always thinking about the next project and thereby giving yourself low level anxiety? Or….am I the anxious one which is why this even occurred to me? – Rach
A: That’s a great question and one we hear often. Our DIY work started as a hobby—weeknight and weekend projects to keep ourselves busy and to share updates with friends and family—so even now that it’s our full-time work, a lot of what we do still feels like fun. During the day we take care of blog tasks like writing posts, answering comments, managing partnerships and other business duties, and in the evenings, when Clara is asleep, we actually get to pick up tools and do the hands-on work we love.
Because we didn’t begin renovating to make money, the physical, creative side of the projects has always been the joyful part. The business side—coding, taxes, logistics, insurance—can be stressful. But the painting, planning, and seeing immediate changes as work progresses is the reason we keep doing this. It’s rewarding and personal in a way that doesn’t feel like a grind.
That said, it hasn’t always been balanced. Early on in our first house we put unrealistic pressure on ourselves to finish everything quickly. We stressed about visitors and tried to cram a dozen tasks into short windows, which left us burned out and frustrated when things didn’t get completed. The lesson we learned was simple: it takes time. Some rooms took months to evolve; others took years. Accepting that helped us relax and enjoy the process.
A house that needs work rarely looks amazing overnight—unless you have a whole crew and endless funds. Taking your time often produces better results because you think things through instead of rushing and later wishing you had done things differently. One room of ours evolved over 4.5 years and was one of our favorites not only after it was finished, but throughout the transformation. Learning to chill out made the whole experience more enjoyable.
“Relax, it’s only decorating” is our unofficial mantra. Guests are used to seeing projects mid-progress, and it turns out they don’t mind. You don’t need to finish every last detail before people visit; friends and family come to see you, not a perfect house. Letting go of the pressure to present a completed home has been liberating.
Now we feel less time pressure—even with a long list of tasks—because we view renovating as a journey instead of a sprint. The variety of challenges keeps things interesting: we get to switch tasks, learn new skills, and enjoy different phases of the work. Living with projects in progress is part of the story; each completed step reminds us how far we’ve come.
We try to live in our progress. Finished elements surround us and serve as reminders of the satisfaction of turning something tired into something functional and beautiful. Even when a kitchen still lacks countertops or a floor, we find pleasure in small victories—discovering a new doorway, finishing paint, or simply cooking a meal together in a space that’s gradually becoming ours.
Our number one piece of advice: enjoy the journey and stop rushing. Pause to celebrate your handiwork and acknowledge small milestones. What good is a renovated kitchen if you don’t take the time to use and appreciate it? Since completing a major kitchen project, we’ve loved entertaining and also enjoying quiet family dinners. Those moments make the hard work feel worthwhile.
We also find value in spending time in upgraded spaces with Clara—taking her out onto the patio or letting her play in areas that used to be unfinished. Those changes aren’t just aesthetic improvements; they create opportunities and memories that make the effort meaningful.
So don’t pressure yourself to reach an imaginary finish line. Take small steps, have fun, and allow your home to evolve. The process can be energizing and motivating—each improvement spurs you to personalize other parts of your home. It’s freeing to say: it’ll be done when it’s done, and we’ll enjoy getting there.
How do you keep your DIY spirit up? Do you take time to appreciate progress along the way, or have you felt the same “must-finish” pressure we did when we first moved in? For us, embracing the journey has been game-changing.