FEATURED ON THIS EPISODE

INTERIOR DESIGNER’S GUIDE TO CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN THE EPISODE:

HOW MAKING LISTS HELPS EASE THE CHAOS DURING THE HOLIDAYS AND ON YOUR PROJECT

THE VALUE OF STAYING IN THE MOMENT AND ENJOYING EACH EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE

THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN GIFT GIVING DURING THE HOLIDAYS AND GIFTS FROM YOUR PROJECTS

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We are in the middle of the holiday season, and everyone is feeling stressed. This reminded me that this feeling and some of the actions we take during this time period are very similar to the feeling you get when you’re winding down a construction project.

I wanted to draw the connections so you can see where to pull back and reevaluate your next steps. 

My family and I celebrate Christmas, so we are hosting family for a ‘casual’ holiday get-together on Christmas Eve. But is it ever really casual? It still needs to be organized, the house has to be cleaned, everything has to be ordered if we’re not cooking it ourselves, and on and on. 

Then Christmas Day is next, and Santa comes, and presents are needed, and we are hosting, yet again, in a more formal sit-down. So that is an anxious thing I have on my plate, to get it all done by that deadline. 

Well, projects have deadlines, too. You may not know right now if you will finish the project you’re on by February 4th, but you know it’s likely going to be the end of January or the beginning of February. But as you creep closer to that time frame, you will be given, “I think we’ll be done by the second week of February.” All of a sudden, the anxiety kicks in because you have a looming deadline that isn’t going to wait for you to play catch up, and your anxiety will start building. “What have I forgotten? What do I need to get done? Will everything arrive in time?” And on and on.

A second analogy from the holiday rush to rushing to the end of the project is short tempers.

On job sites, there’s so much chaos and rushing to get everything tied up in a neat little bow (like a package) that tempers tend to get frayed. 

So what do we do? We make lists. I’ve got lists for the Christmas Eve meal plan, the Christmas Day meal plan, presents….I’ve got lists upon lists upon lists, and I know you all do as well. 

Toward the end of a project, you also are creating lists. You need to get all of the pieces of your project in place by the end of the project. 

So, everything feels rushed.

Internally and in your own office.

And on a project.

How are we assured everything is tied up before the contractors move on? It’s with punch lists. And they can be extensive if you aren’t monitoring them along the way.

Just like a Christmas list, and you realize at the last minute you didn’t get a Christmas gift for your long-lost Aunt Sally, things get missed on punch lists if you are rushing and not being careful and thoughtful as you walk through a job.

Missing someone on your gift list may mean hurt feelings, but missing something on your punch lists may mean you have to pull that contractor back into the project after he’s moved on to the next project, and that is not an easy task. 

So, your punch lists are really critical and need to be maintained and monitored throughout the duration of a project. You don’t start a punch list at the end of a project. That is the number one mistake I see designers making. 

But most importantly, with all of this, with the panic, the stress, the anxiety, the list-making, whether it’s during the holiday season or on a project, you’re not able to stay in the moment and enjoy the experiences you are having. 

I know for the holidays, I have run myself so ragged that I barely enjoy the moment until it’s gone, and I regret not taking that time to enjoy being around my friends and family truly.

The end of a project should also be that joyful time with friends. My hope is that your team has become your friends. You have spent weeks, months, hell, even sometimes years together, and they should have become your friends on some level, and you should enjoy the fruits of your labor. 

Gifts

Just like each gift can come with a bit of anxiety, hoping you go with the right color, will they like it, will it fit? Each project comes with gifts, too.

The first one on projects is new relationships. 

You can lean on those new relationships for referrals to the next projects. That is a gift. 

Frankly, it’s a gift from your client because they brought the team that you are a part of together.

The second gift is seeing your work come to life.

There is nothing more frustrating than working on a proposal, working through the designs, and then having a client say they can’t move forward with it. 

I talk to so many designers about this, and you’d think they’d be upset over the lost income, but they’re actually more upset that they don’t get to see it come to life. It is a true gift to see your creative work in real time. 

Lastly is a client testimonial

There is nothing more valuable than a client testimonial. To know that Mrs. Smith loved your services and got really detailed about how you supported her through a really bad surprise they found in the wall or whatever the case may be –  that is a real gift that can never be taken away from you. 

Finishing a project is exhausting and exhilarating, and I want you to experience both sides equally.

Enjoy the moment. Walk through your spaces. Photograph your work. And get that client testimonial.

I hope today’s episode helps you understand that there is a better way to tackle projects as well as holiday chaos, just knowing the steps that you can take to end a project on a strong footing to propel you to the next project of your dreams.