Mixing both is honestly the sweet spot. I’ve seen folks try to run a kitchen remodel with six apps and end up more confused than before—sometimes you just need a sticky note on the fridge. But yeah, losing receipts is a nightmare, especially when it’s time for warranties or returns. I usually tell clients to keep a “renovation folder” in Google Drive and snap pics of anything important. For the rest, jotting stuff down on paper works fine... as long as you can read your own handwriting (which, after a long day, is a gamble).
Title: Keeping track of renovation plans without losing your mind
I get the appeal of mixing digital and analog, but honestly, I’ve found that trying to juggle both just leads to more chaos for me. Maybe it’s just my brain, but if I start with sticky notes and then try to transfer stuff to Google Drive or whatever, something always gets lost in translation. I used to have a “renovation notebook” and a folder on my phone for receipts and photos, but half the time I’d forget which thing was where.
Now I just force myself to go all-in on digital. One app—Notion, in my case—and everything goes in there: receipts, sketches, random measurements, even those late-night “what if we did open shelving?” ideas. It’s not perfect, but at least I know where to look when I need something. Plus, my handwriting after a day of demo is basically chicken scratch anyway.
I get that some folks like the tactile thing of writing stuff down or sticking notes on the fridge. There’s something satisfying about crossing off a to-do list with a real pen. But for me, the risk of losing a crucial sticky note under a pile of takeout menus is just too high. Maybe it’s about knowing your own habits? If you’re the type who actually checks your fridge notes every morning, more power to you. For me, if it’s not on my phone, it might as well not exist.
Funny enough, the only paper thing I keep is a giant roll of painter’s tape for labeling stuff around the house—boxes, wires, mystery plumbing parts. That’s about as analog as I get these days.
Totally get what you mean about digital being the only way to keep your sanity. I tried juggling a physical binder and my phone during our basement reno, and it was a mess—ended up with receipts tucked into paint cans and notes written on the back of tile boxes. Now I dump everything into OneNote and just snap photos of scribbles or receipts if I have to go analog. Painter’s tape, though... yeah, that stuff’s gold. I’ve got labels on everything, even the dog’s water bowl once when things got really chaotic.
I get the appeal of going all-digital, but honestly, I still swear by a physical project board for renos. There’s something about seeing the whole plan laid out—paint chips, sketches, receipts, the works—right in front of you that just clicks for me. Digital’s great for backup, but I’ve had tech fail at the worst times. Once my tablet died mid-consult and I had to reconstruct a week’s worth of notes from memory... never again. Painter’s tape is a lifesaver, though. I’ve labeled light switches, floorboards, even my own coffee mug when things got wild.
- Gotta admit, I’m torn. I love the tactile mess of a physical board—sticky notes everywhere, paint chips falling off, receipts taped at weird angles. But then I lose stuff under piles of tools...
- Digital’s great until you’re covered in drywall dust and your phone won’t recognize your fingerprint.
- Painter’s tape labeling is genius, though. I once labeled my lunch and still had someone eat it. Maybe I need a bigger font?
