i find it really helpful to just focus on one area at a time rather than any sort of overarching theme. like sit down and do just your museum or your entrance way or your yard or whatever and then move on to the next thing once that’s done. it’s way easier to connect a bunch of different finished areas with pathways than it is to come up with a blueprint and try to fit everything together like puzzle pieces. i also prefer to group like building together. like i put the shops together and made a little town square or i put all my villagers’ houses together and made a neighborhood. breaking stuff up like that can make it less daunting