Ample time at home is amping up people’s focus on lingering house projects. It’s also highlighting wants and needs previously overlooked (or purposefully ignored) during normal daily routines. Everyone in a household goes through this examination of the “un-dones” and “what-can-be-betters” and boom – each person finds themselves holding a whopper of a “Honey-Do” List they’ve drawn up for themselves or one that someone else has so generously drawn up for them (the gift that keeps on giving!).

In the best of times, it can be difficult to get house projects done with a combined effort of those living under the same roof. My fitness trainer told me his parents have been married for over 30 years and he and his siblings never heard them argue EXCEPT when they would clean out the garage. If the kids caught on it was happening, they’d yell, “Run for cover!” A friend of mine called me on FaceTime and asked me to speak with her chef husband to persuade him to get rid of excess kitchen storage containers, a request she said has for years fallen on deaf ears and irritates her to no end. A client told me he had to tell his roommate that there is a ticking clock for how long he can tolerate his mess before he gets a dumpster delivered and moves the bulk of it in there with no apologies or remorse.

We’re already up against those under the same roof having varying opinions on what projects need to be done when then add in the complications of working from home in a time of great economic uncertainty, home-schooling children, and the pressures of keeping the household fit, fed, and entertained without leaving the premises…it can be extra challenging and easy to strike a nerve. To ensure a hospitable existence while addressing house projects on the radar, here are a few things that you can do to foster progress with power and peace (and not profanity!):

1. No finger-pointing. We know it’s true: There are no winners in the blame game. Letting go of preconceived notions of how and what we want to be improved in our homes can set the stage for success. Accept things – and people – as they are now, and direct energy toward the future versus how they were in the past. If everyone in the household makes a pact to do this and is held accountable for it, a dream team is assembled with the right mindset to tackle whatever is on that home project list!
   
2. Map out the joint mission. Allow all household members to voice what they would like done and who they would like to be involved. Keep an open forum and be respectful. Any member who uses the place or thing that is the focus of the project gets to equally weigh-in. Discuss not only what would be done, but why it would be done. Ensure the intentions are clear and everyone is on board with the same goals in mind.
   
3. Pick the time and date. Set mutually agreed upon start and end times for working on the project and make firm commitments to follow through. From the onset, come to an agreement on how it will be handled if one person runs out of energy or motivation before the set end time or if the project results in more time needed than originally planned.
   
4. Stay in your lane. Every person is different and will go about things differently. When each party focuses just on his/her own items and their own way of working, more gets done faster and with less fuss. It is fine to provide gentle reminders of the agreed-upon goals if someone starts to get off-track, just be sure to guide them back without running over them so everyone can keep heading in the same direction in good time…and feel good about it.
   
5. Have fun! This is not an attempt to cure cancer. This is an attempt at home improvement. Turn on some music, have water and snacks ready, take a before and after photo if you’re clearing out a space or making a design change, snap some pics of the household goofing off while making progress. See it as a special event versus a chore. If we’re going to do it, we might as well enjoy it!

Having a comprehensive list of the household projects while sheltering in place is a good thing – it’s nice to know what is on everyone’s minds! A combined effort with a positive mindset, a strong and effective plan in place, realistic time commitments, agreement for mutual respect, and genuine contentment with the notion of progress, not perfection may – just may – have us looking back on these months as the time we all came together to show some love to our home sweet home. And in doing that, to each other.

About the author:
Nancy Meck is the owner of Meck Organizing which services Atlanta, Los Angeles, and beyond. A former competitive runner, Nancy regularly runs, snowboards, and strength trains, but also is a huge proponent of being still and relaxing, what she calls “constant motion followed by aggressive rest.” Nancy believes in the power of positive thought, making the most out of any situation, and bringing out the best in people. Those beliefs form the basis for how Meck Organizing approaches any task or project.