Photos by Gabriela Hansen

As designers, we’ve all encountered more than a few clients who have a case of budget blindness. They’ve worked really hard and dreamed forever about what they would like to do with their house. They’ve saved and they’ve saved and they are finally in a place where they are ready to pull the trigger and SPEND on their space. And because those dollars are hard come by, they might as well be millions.

But the thing is, most often they’re not.

And when the budget blindness leaves you feeling like the WORTH of what you’ve got to spend exceeds the actual VALUE of what you’ve got to spend, well, you can be tempted to spread it out thinly like the last bit of peanut butter from the bottom of the jar onto a piece of dry toast. Never pretty. Never satisfying.

I’ve had this conversation many-a-time with clients over the years, though never quite like I’ve expressed it here. It usually begins with understanding the project scope, then understanding the allotted budget, then gently helping them align their budget reality with the work they can actually get done.

DO LESS WITH MORE

One of the things I always tell a client suffering from budget blindness is that they’ll never be satisfied doing a partial job on all the rooms in their house. Better to focus on one space and do it well and then save to do the next one. It may seem counterintuitive, but do less with more, I always say.

It’s in part a psychological thing: the finished space brings such clarity, beauty and inspiration that it fuels the process of getting the next one done.

It’s in part a legacy thing: a good quality renovation will outlast any design smoke and mirrors you might try to pull off cheaply.

And it’s also a sanity thing: it saves you from the mega-stress of getting midway into your project and hitting the inevitable “surprise” without the cash-in-hand required to fix the problem. It’s always best to leave margin. Order more tile than you need. Plan for it to take longer than anyone says it will. Budget for 10-15% overage on costs. And expect the unexpected.

AS WITH DESIGN, SO TOO WITH LIFE

Photo by Gabriela Hansen

Here’s the thing: I’ve secretly had a kind of budget blindness of my own for many years. Not as it relates to renovating my house, but as it relates to renovating my life. I’ve wanted for far too long to be all things to all people: a loving and supportive wife, an amazing mama, a really great friend, a successful entrepreneur, a creative, a maker, an innovator, a world traveler, a fit, healthy, happy, beautiful, spiritually mature, compassionate and inspiring woman.

Oh yes, and balanced.

I mean, it’s kind of funny when you read that last word, isn’t it? But it’s sincerely and earnestly been on my list, precariously perched at the top of my pile of goals like a pile of rocks that have truthfully been ready to topple over at any moment.

I want to do it all. I want to be it all. But what I am realizing is that this is really just a serious case of budget blindness with my life. As they say, you can do it all…just not all at once.

OK, so let’s get really real here for a hot minute. I’m not in a position where I can just stop being a wife and mama and contributor to the world and do nothing but focus on my own personal development for six months to a year {although we all fantasize about that sometimes, don’t we? My version would definitely involve time on a vineyard in France somewhere. Because wine.}. I mean, it would make for a quirky narrative, but real life doesn’t work like that.

Still, I don’t want to do a partial job on all of the many rooms in my life at the sacrifice of excellence and true beauty. So how can I do such an inspiring job in each of the mental, emotional, spiritual and physical spaces of my life that it fuels me to dive head first – with passion and purpose – into the next one, knowing that I can accomplish something profoundly beautiful if I allot the right budget and time to it?

START WITH A SOLID FOUNDATION

Photo by Gabriela Hansen

Perhaps it’s less about renovating and more about laying a great foundation like you would with a new house. When I know that my health and key relationships are in a happy place, I can increase my capacity to take on more knowing I’m on solid ground.

Like my design clients, I’m learning that my time and energy budget – though hard come by – is smaller than I’d like it to be. I can try to fight it all I want, but I’m still just one woman with boundaries and limitations. The best thing I can do is learn not to spread myself out like remnant scraps of peanut butter desperately trying to cling to the edges of my proverbial piece of toast. I’m learning that sometimes I have to take it one life project at a time by laying a great foundation and then building into the other rooms of my proverbial house from there.

So this year, I’m committing to renovating my life like I would renovate my house. I’m going to spend my “money” on paper before I spend it in real life. I’m making realistic time and energy budgets and getting super clear about what resources I actually have to spend before I commit to spending them. And I’m getting really focused and honest about which “rooms” of my house need the most attention. I’m also intentionally leaving margin for the unexpected so it doesn’t take me down when it happens. Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last several years, it’s that the unexpected is going to happen.

HOW “NO” CAN LEAD TO “YES”

Photo by Gabriela Hansen

Interestingly enough, this has already meant getting way better at saying “no.” In fact, I’ve already turned down three really big and very exciting opportunities in 2015. Guys, it was hard. They were totally opportunities that I would have said “yes” to if I wasn’t being really honest about my time and energy budget and my commitment to renovating my life with excellence.

AS WITH LIFE, SO TOO WITH DESIGN

Renovating, building, designing and decorating all require a solid “no” to get to a great “YES!,” don’t they? Without the ability to say “no,” our houses and our lives would both lack a focal point. What we edit out in design is just as important as what remains. Beautifully designed rooms have a clear focal point, and the same goes for life.

I’d love to keep letting you in on my renos as they unfold – the figurative and the literal ones. And in the meantime, I’d love to hear from you! Do you suffer from budget blindness – with your home or with your life? I’d love to hear about how you’ve been taking your blinders off and completing amazing renovations by choosing to do less with more.

xo
s.