At-home pedicure that actually lasts?

I do my own pedicures to save a bit of money, but mine never seem to last. Two or three days in and the polish chips and my feet feel rough again, while a salon one holds for a good couple of weeks. I must be skipping something obvious.

Is there a proper order to follow, and does the prep matter more than the polish itself? Any small tricks that make a home job hold up would be brilliant. I have all the tools, I think I am just using them in the wrong sequence and undoing my own effort somewhere along the way.