Project Planning

Now that we are all moved into our new apartment (home!), I have so many ideas for making our space cozy and beautiful.  Plus, there are so many inspirational ideas on pinterest and other blogs that it just gets me excited to do work.  However, most of the projects that I have in mind are DIY and I just don't have the time to do them all in one day! I have so many great ideas that it makes it really hard for me to stay organized.  I almost always have to make another trip back to the hardware store because I forget to pick something up and I often don't have a good plan for how to carry something out (because my brain is so full of ideas!).

My solution? A project planner!

Project planning for me consists of two or three parts.  First, I have a master list.  This is where I keep every single idea I have for a project.  It is usually very general such as "Breakfast Bar" or "Shoe Rack". Sometimes I set a target date to get it done... most of the time I don't.

 Then I work on getting a vision for the project.  I figure out exactly the supplies I need, what sort of budget I am working with, what steps I will need to take, etc.  I try to include a sketch of how I think it will look (although I am a very bad artist) and any sort of resources I need.

I usually only work on one project at a time... otherwise I end up with a bunch of half finished projects. After using my project planning worksheet for a while, I came up with a "room redo" worksheet.  It most just helped me get a vision for the entire room rather than smaller pieces of the room.  For example, the room redo of my dining room consists of the mini projects of reupholstering our bench (a steal from the local furniture store... with cheetah print upholstery), repurposing a long window as a picture frame to hang, and making burlap/lace placemats.

In addition, I write down any supplies needed (not including project supplies).  For my dining room example, I needed to purchase a mirror and some corner reed decor (which I found at a garage sale this weekend... score!).

As usual, these printables are free for you to use.

• Master List
• Project Planner
• Room Redo

Do you have any projects you've just completed? I have a breakfast bar in the works and cannot wait to finish it! Check back for that update. :)