“Once we [define] our limits, we [can] go beyond them.” Albert Einstein
1. Avoid Decision Fatigue Syndrome. Shorten the process!
No, DFS isn't a clinically recognize condition, but it should be. It's my term for the gnarly wall of tiredness that remodeling homeowners often hit -even those with a very talented designer on team.
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Here are just some of the early symptoms:
1. You wonder which colour chip you’ll hit with a flying dart.
2. You call Fido in to see which floor sample he’ll sit on first after he enters the room. (I tried this once but my dog, whose rear-end never before cared where it sat, suddenly developed an aversion to strange objects on the floor.Who knew?)
3. You find yourself asking everyone their opinion; from the designer friend-of-a-friend who can get you a 99% discount, to the plumber on your job who confesses plainly that he’s colour blind
“uh...but I like blue!”
“uh...but I like blue!”
When people’s opinions begin to confuse you even more, then you need to stop asking for opinions from other people. It should be clear to you that this technique isn’t going to get you where you need to go.
Decision Fatigue Syndrome can occur anywhere between demolition and drywall. I’ve seen it hit people before they made their first decision. Now, I’m not going to tell you that once you do this or that you will never feel DFS again, because you will, absolutely!
But you can manage it. You can avoid going toxic, or becoming emotionally exhausted during your remodel.
Why is DFS a problem? Surly its just a part of doing a home remodel, right?
Right! But while you may remodel just once or twice in your lifetime, the wisdom of serial remodelers like us can help that twice in a lifetime project more buoyant an experience. Life is short and challenges in life are abundant. There are problems we can’t do much about, of course, but the ones we can manage ...why wouldn’t we? It always help to have a nifty way of knowing we’re covering all our bases.
To Cover your all bases -you first have to know what your bases are.
A simple rule worth its weight in gold, is pre-setting a criteria for making decisions [BEFORE]- you make your first decision. Without a defined criterion, you can be assured that each decision will take more effort and energy than it needs to, which will guatantee a hastened journey to Numbs-Ville.
“But WAIT! I want to make sure I love everything I pick...” you say?
Great! You should. You should drool with personal pride. Really! It's you baby and you need to feel tremendous pride. But here's the shift you want to make:
Shift from hair-splitting each and every decision, to splitting hairs over what common-sense means to you and what beauty and quality mean to you. That's the time to get your heart involved. Let it rip when defining your criterion.
This way you agonize (to any intollerable degree) just once. All that's left for you to do after that is to measure those countless decisions against your intelligently calibrated list and you'er onto the next best thing.
You see, once you know exactly what went into crating your criteria and why, then each decision that follows feels far less incumbered because by default, each is based in who you are rather than on someone else’s story, or values.
Start with the basics:
1. Where will quantity apply? (a large floor area? large tile area? large number of sconces? etc)
2. Where will quality apply? (touch-friendly cabinet hardware? Swiss door locks? Italian Windows?)
3. Where will sheer beauty apply? (designer colour? Texture? fine accents?)
4. Which items will require (for you) a combination of two or all three of the above?
Now, here's where the money comes in. This is general guide when budgeting for your basics. Keep in mind that the costs associated with each of the six ‘q’s can increase significantly where quantity, quality and beauty increase:
The Criterion: Your Defining Questions
While Value typically equals price, price does not always equate to value. When the value doesn’t live up to the price we feel ripped off. But now and again the price seems not to live up to the value, and then we feel like we’ve won the lotto. It isn’t that you are looking for that miss-priced thing. Look for items you imagine carry a higher price than they actually do.
• Before you looked at the tag, what do you estimate it would fetch?
• What did a similar item cost elsewhere?
• Is your sense of beauty excited?
• What about quality? How does your eye measure quality before you touch it?
• Did you instinctively assign a higher price tag to the item than it actually costs?
Always be prepared to ask why a thing is so low or so high. If it is a great deal higher than you’d have expected then think of it as an opportunity to further refine your educated eye. You are still the only one who can decide if that reason is worth the price tag. On the other hand, if it is remarkably less expensive it is actually pragmatic and sensible to find out why.
The answer will inform you, but more than that you may want to qualify the reason:
Asking the ‘why’ question could save you from making a choice you’d have to live with for years.
• Perhaps the way the item was acquired offends you?
• How do you feel about forced labour or possible slavery methods?
• Does the items acquisition require deforestation or the extinction of a species?
In other words, if you have ethical “Not with my money!” sensibilities, then you should be sure to list them as part of your criteria. Remodeling one’s home is rarely a necessity like just having a home is a necessity. So, remodeling isn’t the time to trade principles for vanity. What’s more important, your value-cantered self esteem or that gorgeous stone you can’t believe you can afford even though it’s extracted without conscience? If you can handle the badgering of your own conscience over the years to come, then go for it. But, if you can’t then your decisions now will only hurt you in the long run. Will the immediate value seep away with the years? How will the cost of replacing the offending materials offset your initial Bang?
Up Next:
The Art of Designing Better Bang into Your Buck
2. Find Your Sweet-Eye: How many senses do you See with?
Subscribe now to follow.
Participate in this conversation.
Click: Petalyn Swart-Albert to email your story or question.
Right! But while you may remodel just once or twice in your lifetime, the wisdom of serial remodelers like us can help that twice in a lifetime project more buoyant an experience. Life is short and challenges in life are abundant. There are problems we can’t do much about, of course, but the ones we can manage ...why wouldn’t we? It always help to have a nifty way of knowing we’re covering all our bases.
To Cover your all bases -you first have to know what your bases are.
A simple rule worth its weight in gold, is pre-setting a criteria for making decisions [BEFORE]- you make your first decision. Without a defined criterion, you can be assured that each decision will take more effort and energy than it needs to, which will guatantee a hastened journey to Numbs-Ville.
“But WAIT! I want to make sure I love everything I pick...” you say?
Great! You should. You should drool with personal pride. Really! It's you baby and you need to feel tremendous pride. But here's the shift you want to make:
Shift from hair-splitting each and every decision, to splitting hairs over what common-sense means to you and what beauty and quality mean to you. That's the time to get your heart involved. Let it rip when defining your criterion.
This way you agonize (to any intollerable degree) just once. All that's left for you to do after that is to measure those countless decisions against your intelligently calibrated list and you'er onto the next best thing.
You see, once you know exactly what went into crating your criteria and why, then each decision that follows feels far less incumbered because by default, each is based in who you are rather than on someone else’s story, or values.
Start with the basics:
1. Where will quantity apply? (a large floor area? large tile area? large number of sconces? etc)
2. Where will quality apply? (touch-friendly cabinet hardware? Swiss door locks? Italian Windows?)
3. Where will sheer beauty apply? (designer colour? Texture? fine accents?)
4. Which items will require (for you) a combination of two or all three of the above?
Now, here's where the money comes in. This is general guide when budgeting for your basics. Keep in mind that the costs associated with each of the six ‘q’s can increase significantly where quantity, quality and beauty increase:
i) quantity ($)
ii) quantity + beauty ($$)
iii) Quality ($$)
iv) Quality + quantity ($$$$)
v) Quality + beauty($$$$)
vi) Quality + beauty + quantity ($$$$$)
The Criterion: Your Defining Questions
While Value typically equals price, price does not always equate to value. When the value doesn’t live up to the price we feel ripped off. But now and again the price seems not to live up to the value, and then we feel like we’ve won the lotto. It isn’t that you are looking for that miss-priced thing. Look for items you imagine carry a higher price than they actually do.
• Before you looked at the tag, what do you estimate it would fetch?
• What did a similar item cost elsewhere?
• Is your sense of beauty excited?
• What about quality? How does your eye measure quality before you touch it?
• Did you instinctively assign a higher price tag to the item than it actually costs?
Always be prepared to ask why a thing is so low or so high. If it is a great deal higher than you’d have expected then think of it as an opportunity to further refine your educated eye. You are still the only one who can decide if that reason is worth the price tag. On the other hand, if it is remarkably less expensive it is actually pragmatic and sensible to find out why.
The answer will inform you, but more than that you may want to qualify the reason:
Asking the ‘why’ question could save you from making a choice you’d have to live with for years.
• Perhaps the way the item was acquired offends you?
• How do you feel about forced labour or possible slavery methods?
• Does the items acquisition require deforestation or the extinction of a species?
In other words, if you have ethical “Not with my money!” sensibilities, then you should be sure to list them as part of your criteria. Remodeling one’s home is rarely a necessity like just having a home is a necessity. So, remodeling isn’t the time to trade principles for vanity. What’s more important, your value-cantered self esteem or that gorgeous stone you can’t believe you can afford even though it’s extracted without conscience? If you can handle the badgering of your own conscience over the years to come, then go for it. But, if you can’t then your decisions now will only hurt you in the long run. Will the immediate value seep away with the years? How will the cost of replacing the offending materials offset your initial Bang?
Up Next:
The Art of Designing Better Bang into Your Buck
2. Find Your Sweet-Eye: How many senses do you See with?
Subscribe now to follow.
Participate in this conversation.
Click: Petalyn Swart-Albert to email your story or question.
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