Tearing Out the Floors Taught Me About Career Growth
Sometimes, real change requires demolition
⏱️ Reading Time: 5 Minutes
TL;DR
- Skills fade faster than we think. Staying sharp requires regular maintenance — short, consistent reps to apply and refine what you already know.
- Refreshing adds energy. Updating tools or perspectives can breathe new life into a skill you’ve outgrown — without starting from scratch.
- Big growth often starts with demolition. Sometimes the next step isn’t adding more... it’s tearing things down and rebuilding with intention.My house looks like a bomb went off.
Dust everywhere. Furniture stacked in the garage, while my kids climb over toolboxes and pallets to get to their room.
We’re remodeling. And it’s messy.
You know what else is often messy?
Career growth. As I watched our floors get torn up to make room for something new, I kept thinking about how similar this feels to professional transformation.
The kind that changes how you operate.
Today, I’d like to share a simple way to think about professional growth inspired by the chaos in my living room.
It’s a framework I’ve been using to check in on my development:
Maintain
Refresh
Remodel
Here’s how it works.👇
Maintain: How You Stay Action-Ready
Your space looks great today. But if you don’t touch it for a week or two, dust settles. Junk piles up. The fridge starts to smell off.
Not because you’re doing anything wrong — that’s just how homes work.
Same with your skills.
Don’t take my word for it. LinkedIn’s Work Change Report anticipated 70% of skills used in most jobs will change by 2030.
If you’re not actively maintaining your skills — applying, reflecting, refining — you’re not staying still. You’re sliding backward.
Signs you might need to maintain
You feel rusty doing something that used to feel natural
You’ve learned new ideas but haven’t applied them in weeks (or months)
You’re defaulting to the same answers or approaches
You’re avoiding challenges that would stretch familiar muscles
You can’t clearly describe what you’re practicing right now
What maintenance looks like
Think of it like regular housework. You’re not knocking down walls — you’re doing the work that keeps your space livable, clear, and ready for whatever comes next.
After years of studying and experimenting with professional development, I’ve landed on a simple approach to maintenance: It’s called Develop Daily. A commitment to show up, learn, and grow just a little, every single day.
No big transformations. No perfect streaks. Just small, consistent reps that keep your skills sharp and your momentum alive.
Because the truth is: skills fade faster than we think.
A little daily dust-off keep us action-ready.
Refresh: How You Add New Life
Sometimes, all a room needs is a fresh coat of paint.
The walls are fine. The layout still works. But something feels… stale. A little dull. Like you’ve stopped noticing the space altogether.
Skills get this way.
We tend to think of skill growth as learning from scratch. But often, it’s about rediscovering and revitalizing what you already know — with new tools, perspectives, or use cases.
A prime example of this is AI.
You don’t need to become a machine learning engineer to benefit. By learning how to integrate AI into your workflows — writing, planning, research, or analysis — you can modernize your skillset.
Same core.
New layer of capability.
This is what refreshing looks like: taking what you’re already good at and updating how you apply it.
Signs you might need to refresh
You’re bored with a skill that used to excite you
You’re using the same tools and processes you were 3+ years ago
You feel behind when others talk about new developments in your field
You’re craving inspiration but don’t know where to start
You’ve plateaued — not stuck, but not stretching either
What a refresh looks like
Think of it like updating your kitchen hardware or swapping out old light bulbs for LEDs. Small changes — but they change how the space feels.
Refreshing your skills works the same way.
You pick up a new tool. Learn a faster technique. Apply an old strength in a new domain. You go from going through the motions to rediscovering motion itself.
This is where excitement returns.
Not from abandoning what you know — but from expanding it.
Sometimes, a little update is all it takes to bring your skills back to life.
Remodel: How You Build Something New
There are times when a new look isn’t enough. You need to break things down to the foundation and build back up.
Why? The hallway’s too narrow. The closet door hits the bed. The kitchen has no counter space, and the floors creak every time someone walks by.
That’s when you remodel.
Maybe you bring in a contractor (a coach or mentor). Maybe you spend hours sketching out new layouts (career paths, role shifts, or skills to build).
Maybe you start small — pulling up one plank at a time — or go all in and gut the whole thing.
No matter how you approach it, the principle is the same:
Transformation.
Signs you might need to remodel
You’re outgrowing your current role, but not sure what’s next
You’ve hit a ceiling and can’t seem to break through
You’re tired of solving the same types of problems
You’re doing well, but it all feels a little too easy
You have a nagging feeling there’s a bigger shift ahead
What remodeling looks like
Take it from someone who’s been through a remodel or two — career-wise and around the house. This is a major inflection moment.
You have to clear the room before you can rebuild it.
Move furniture. Rip out old flooring. Sit with the mess for a while.
Professionally, that might mean stepping away from a role that no longer fits.
Letting go of a title. Saying no to “good enough” opportunities.
Or starting fresh in a space where you're a beginner again.
It’s uncomfortable — because for a while, it feels like you’re tearing down more than you’re building.
But that space you create?
That’s where something new can take shape.
To Wrap
The work of growth is ongoing. But it doesn’t always look the same.
Some weeks, you’re just sweeping the floors.
Other weeks, you’re updating the fixtures.
And sometimes, you’re standing in a torn-up room, wondering what comes next.
That’s normal.
Growth isn’t always clean or linear. Having language for where you are — and what the moment calls for — makes it easier to keep going.
So ask yourself this week:
👉 Am I maintaining, refreshing, or remodeling?
👉 What does this phase require from me?
Then do the next small thing.
Still remodeling,
Stephen
P.S. Ready to dive deeper into new skills? The LinkedIn Career Content Library is packed with 390 curated resources to help you explore topics like AI, productivity, and career growth. Happy exploring!