I promised myself a two day break from house projects… and lasted less than 24 hours.
Last week I celebrated my 11th wedding anniversary. As part of the preparations I told myself no renovations and no tools for two days.
For context my husband and I have been tackling a full home renovation this year with me acting as the general contractor. It has been a lot and I wanted us both to have a real pause. My dad even joked that he would bring duct tape to keep my hands off the projects.
But on the very first morning we spotted wood rot near the chimney. I thought "that won't take very long". So, we brought out the extension ladder from the garage and found leftover wood filler from another project. But, quickly ran out because the hole was bigger than anticipated from what we could see on the ground. So, my husband ran out to the hardware store while I stayed at home, and noticed paint peeling away from the door frame. And started to chip away the paint....
You get where I'm going with this. Here is the takeaway: Give yourself the gift of an actual break. Not every day needs to be productive. In fact, stepping back is the most productive thing you can do. It is how we refill our cups.
Ultimately, my husband and I did have a great day, and physically removed ourselves from the project by taking a drive to a scenic hiking spot.