Thanks so much for the outpouring of love after our little announcement this morning. You all are the best.
We won’t make 2,013 resolutions, but here are five goals we’re sharing publicly to keep ourselves accountable. We’ve done this every year — you can see past lists for context — and it always helps light a fire under us. So, without further ado…
#1. Hold On. If anyone worries we’ll run out of rooms to makeover or projects to tackle, rest assured: this is shaping up to be our busiest year yet. We have lots of DIY plans lined up, including several rooms and outdoor areas that have yet to be touched (think Clara’s big girl room, the front porch, the carport, the guest bathroom, and more). There are also a few major projects we can’t reveal just yet, but we’re excited to share them as they come together. And just to be clear — no, we’re not expecting.
#2. Chat Things Up. You are what makes Young House Love what it is, and we want to fold more of you into the conversation here. Many readers have suggested forums as a friendly space to share photos, advice, ideas, and inspiration. We’ve been researching solutions that won’t crash the site or require hours of daily maintenance. Our goal is to launch a community area in the spring after our book tour, so keep your fingers crossed for a smooth, stable rollout.
#3. Be Realistic. We’ve always approached the blog like we’re talking to a handful of friends, but the reality is that many more people visit each month. Most large sites are run by teams, and we want to remind ourselves that we’re two people juggling family life, DIY projects, post writing, site coding, and a few secret projects. This resolution is a pledge to be kinder to ourselves and accept our limits. We’ll continue our grassroots approach — no hired comment-answerers or ghost writers — but we’ll focus on working smarter and setting realistic expectations so we can keep doing what we love without burning out.
Being clear about what we can manage will help us sustain the blog’s honest, personal tone — the very thing many of you say you enjoy. We’re John and Sherry, and we’re proud of the down-to-earth, two-person operation we’ve built.
#4. Reclaim Our Lives. This ties into being realistic. For years we’ve struggled with balance and joked that we’ll sleep “next year.” Well, that’s now, and we’d like to stop staying up until 1 a.m. finishing posts or scrambling through book commitments while trying to keep up with everyday life chores like laundry, cleaning, and grocery shopping. We never intended to be a team that works nights, weekends, and vacations, and after moving out of a hustle-heavy city years ago we’d like to honor that choice.
To help reclaim balance, we’re reducing our posting frequency slightly — from eight posts a week to seven — while continuing our regular updates on the companion site as usual. This small change will let us space out recurring series like Window Shoppings, House Crashings, Budget Blooms, and Reader Redesigns so there’s one less of those posts each week to write, photograph, edit, proofread, and respond to. You’ll still see plenty of content — our typical weekly rhythm will likely be a couple of posts on Monday, single posts on Tuesday and Thursday, and a couple more midweek — and the pace will give us room to actually do projects, plan better, and recharge with family. The goal is longevity: to avoid burning out and to keep bringing thoughtful, creative projects to the blog over the long term.
#5. Be Free. Some of our most-read and most-commented posts aren’t strictly DIY — they’ve been personal or offbeat, and those spontaneous, stream-of-consciousness entries are some of our favorite things to write. Whether it’s a piece about parenting, running, or a random Friday post with strange facts, those honest capsules of life spark great conversations and laughter across the comments. This year we want to embrace that freedom more often: sharing the full sweep of life, not just the sanding and painting. Keeping the blog light, human, and unpredictable is part of what makes it fun for us and for you.
So those are our five resolutions for the coming year. What are yours? On a personal note, I’m committing to simplifying: cutting down on gadgets, decor clutter, and miscellaneous stuff so life feels less crowded. We used to live simply in tiny studios, and I’d love to reclaim some of that minimal focus. Less truly can be more in so many ways.