My HA breakthrough, to borrow a basketball term, was switching from a man-to-man defense to a zone defense. I used to think, "I want this motion sensor to turn on that light," and added equipment to do exactly that. Reconfiguration was a physical chore.
Once I changed my mindset, I counted the number of rooms in my house and bought that many motion sensors. Same with door sensors: every door and closet got one. (I had already replaced all light switches with Lutron Caseta.)
After a weekend of attaching and configuring sensors, the physical part was done, and it was all software after that. Now, if we want a different behavior, we pull out a phone and change an automation, rather than getting out a stepstool and VHB tape. The house feels more like a platform than a bunch of temporary hacks.
Once I changed my mindset, I counted the number of rooms in my house and bought that many motion sensors. Same with door sensors: every door and closet got one. (I had already replaced all light switches with Lutron Caseta.)
After a weekend of attaching and configuring sensors, the physical part was done, and it was all software after that. Now, if we want a different behavior, we pull out a phone and change an automation, rather than getting out a stepstool and VHB tape. The house feels more like a platform than a bunch of temporary hacks.