Today we’re digging into an expert’s idea that your childhood interests—especially those you had around fifth grade—can point toward what you’ll enjoy most as an adult. We looked back at our own early passions to see whether the theory holds true, and it was surprisingly revealing. We also share a hiring mistake we made on a recent home project and explain what we’ll do differently next time. Plus: the truth about whether plants really purify indoor air, and the nerdiest decorating project you’ve ever heard of.
You can also find this episode on your favorite podcast app, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Stitcher, and Spotify.
What’s New
- We’ll publish a full post this week with more photos of our outdoor updates. For now, here’s a sneak peek of our new front path, where you can also see our widened front steps.
- Below is a photo from last fall that shows the old aggregate path and steps more clearly; you’ll spot another sneak peek in the shownotes for Episode #150.
- We referenced our approach to hiring contractors and other pros. For a full walk-through of our process, listen to Episode #68.
- More episodes with practical tips about working with professionals:
- Simple negotiating tricks in Episode #63
- Insider tips from contractors about being a better client in Episode #104
- Why contractors can be difficult to pin down in Episode #109
Update On The NASA Plant Study
- In last week’s episode we discussed the popular claim that indoor plants significantly improve air quality, based on a NASA study from 1989.
- That original report was conducted in controlled lab conditions. Subsequent journalism and research have shown those lab results don’t scale directly to real homes. However, newer studies do support the mental-health benefits of keeping houseplants—caring for plants can reduce stress and anxiety even if their impact on household VOCs and CO2 in real-world settings is limited.
The Rule Of Age 10
- We explored the idea sometimes called “The Rule of Age 10,” which suggests the interests you had around age ten often predict careers or passions you’ll return to later in life. There are articles and books that expand on this idea and on how people reinvent their careers and lives at different stages.
- Looking back at our own childhood rooms brought this into focus: the details, the creative choices, and the little projects that hinted at what we’d enjoy doing as adults.
- Sherry’s childhood room included painted clouds on her closet doors, light-blue trim she frequently changed, a seal poster, a “pet net,” and homemade tinsel tassels taped to the trim. Those little creative flourishes—plus a pair of airbrushed jeans she bought at the shore—tell a story about the things she loved even then.
- I was early to document rooms, taping 3×5 photos into crude collages I grandly labeled “a panoramic representation” of my space—first for a dorm room, then for an apartment. Those collages captured projects like a painted radiator shelf and the many small, personal touches that reveal long-term interests.
- You can spot the radiator shelf mentioned earlier, though the painted math-like top was buried under stuff for the photo. Clearly, cleanliness for photos was not a priority back then.
We’re Digging
- For a recent bathroom subfloor project we used a chalk line to mark joist locations before installing panels. That simple trick made it faster and more accurate to drive screws into the joists. The string leaves a faint, straight blue line when snapped, guiding each row of screws.
- Our chalk-line tool is a few years old; there are current models with similar performance available for under $10.
- If you enjoy home-related podcasts, check out the A Beautiful Mess Podcast for another friendly, design-focused listen. We also helped create a podcasting e-course that covers launching your own show, which we announced last year.
- For reference, we keep a master list of topics we’ve “been digging” across episodes, plus a Book Club page listing every book we’ve recommended.
A quick sponsor note: thanks to Annie Selke for supporting this episode. They run seasonal promotions and sales; check their site for current offers and dates.
Thanks for listening and reading along. We appreciate you joining us as we revisit childhood sparks, learn from our mistakes, and keep digging into creative projects around the house.
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