c/design-your-life

Shoutout to my old boss who told me my project timelines were always a fantasy

After he pointed out I was padding every single task by 20% 'just in case' and it was making my whole schedule useless, I switched to tracking actual hours for a month in a simple spreadsheet and now I add a flat 15% buffer at the very end instead.

I thought picking a new daily planner would take an afternoon. It took three weeks.

A chat with my neighbor about his shed project shifted how I plan my weeks

We were talking over the fence yesterday, and he mentioned he only works on his shed for 30 minutes a day, but every single day. He said, 'It's not about big pushes, it's about the string.' That hit different because I always try to block out whole weekends for my own projects and then feel bad when I don't. I've been trying his way this week, just doing a tiny bit each morning before work, and it's already moving forward. Has anyone else found that breaking a big life goal into tiny daily pieces works better?

Vent: Self-care trends are turning life design into a shopping spree, not a real change.

Warning: Our first block party was a hit.

Sharing a meal with neighbors brought us closer.

Found my teenage dream board in the attic, and it got me thinking

I was cleaning out the attic last weekend and found a poster board from when I was sixteen. It had pictures cut from magazines, things like traveling to Japan and learning to play guitar. Back then, making that board felt like a real plan for my future. Now, I'm in my thirties, and I've done some of those things, but others fell by the wayside. I'm curious about how we decide what dreams to chase and which to let go. Is it just about growing up, or did I not plan my life well enough? It makes me wonder if those old methods of dreaming big still work today. Maybe we need simpler ways to keep our goals in sight without getting overwhelmed.

My 20-minute bedtime trick got me back into reading

I kept skipping books because they felt like a big task, so I started with a 20-minute timer each night (and left my phone in another room). This simple switch helped me see that short, regular slots work better than trying to read for hours.

My experiment with early mornings left me feeling worse, not better.

I read all these tips about designing your life around a morning routine. So I started waking up at 5 AM to get a head start on the day. Now I'm yawning by noon and can't concentrate on anything. This was supposed to make me more productive, but it just made me tired. Has anyone else tried this and had it backfire?

Warning: Our town's new 'slow living' club is a total scam.

Forced calm kills real life design.

Vent: Thinking a 'five year plan' is the worst advice for actually designing your life

Everyone acts like you need this big, rigid map for your future. I think it just locks you in. I made one and it just made me ignore good chances right in front of me. Like, I skipped a cool part-time job to stick with my 'plan' for a different career path. It felt safe but I was just bored. Real life design happens with the small choices you make every day, not some far-off goal. Staring at a plan just makes you miss the path you're actually on.

Bedtime battles are over thanks to a simple sticker chart

Man, bedtime used to be a nightmare with my kids running around and refusing to brush their teeth. Last month, I got star stickers and made a chart for each kid. Every night they finish their routine without fuss, they get a sticker. After five stickers, they pick a small treat from a prize box. It worked like magic and now we read books together without rushing. I feel like I won the parenting lottery this week lol. Our evenings are calm for the first time in ages.

Warning: I've had more success winging it than sticking to a rigid life plan. Try and change my mind.

Warning: My rigid career map from ten years back is totally obsolete now

Life design needs constant tweaks, not fixed blueprints.

Looking for an award-winning mortgage broker

I've had terrible experiences with bad loan officers in the past. Can anyone recommend a highly reputable, proven mortgage company or broker? I want someone who is known as the best in the business.