Time Saving Tips

Today is Scrapbook Sunday, and I will be posting some of the layouts I've been working on soon.  BUT, Catherine Pooler just posted an article I wrote on her blog about some time saving tips.  I was planning on posting these up here on New Year's Day, but completely forgot!   Thanks for the reminder Catherine, and thank you for those who have jumped over to my blog from hers.

Creative Blessings,
Heather North
Rochester, WA



Here are some things I do to make time for paper crafting….



1. Give myself permission. Not sure why I need permission. I guess I feel like as a Domestic Engineer I should be spending most of my time on my family and home. Creating makes me happy though, and so I make time to create.



2. Schedule it in. I work better with a block of time, so I will spend a day cleaning house, another day running errands and paying bills, so I can spend the third day in my craft room. If your time to craft is "scheduled" then when somebody asks you to babysit or volunteer for something you can honestly tell them you already have plans.



3. Meal Plan and Crockpot…both are my friends. If I meal plan I can buy what I need in a big grocery shopping trip and not have to waste time making another trip to the store. I can also get dinner started earlier in the day and have it ready to pop in the oven later. The crockpot is great for those all day crafting days and when everyone needs to eat at different times. I plan either a crockpot, casserole or super easy dinner on "craft day" so that I don’t spend craft time in the kitchen. Leftovers are also great for craft day.



4. Clean as you go. If things are put away and organized they are easy to find. If things are put away as you go then it won’t take long to clean up when your time runs out.  Besides, I find if my craft space is clean I am more likely to go out there an play.  If I know I have to clean before I can play I avoid it.



5. Plan ahead. I usually print out the sketches and challenges when I find them and then I can be thinking about what I want to make so that when I do get time to go to the craft room I already have a pretty good idea of what I want to make.



6. Reward myself with craft time. Right now I am working on losing weight, so I’m using stamping time as my reward. An example, if I get my workout done and "chores" done by 11am I can go in to the craft room from noon-2. (DH comes home around 11am and leaves around noon, I pick up kids at 2) It’s helping me lose weight and it is a really fun motivator for me.



7. Craft with friends. If you work better with other people around set up a "play date" with some friends to stamp/scrapbook. It can be once a week, month or year. What I have found is that I get a LOT less done when I scrapbook with friends. I spend too much time visiting and looking at what everyone else is doing and I am easily distracted. However, I get LOADS of INSPIRATION when I craft with friends and usually come home with lots of creative energy and ideas. I get a ton done in the week(s) following a get together/retreat.



8. Hire a … Babysitter, Housecleaner, Landscaper, Trainer… whatever it is that is taking you away from your craft time. Hire somebody to do that and use your time to create. If you don’t know "how", then hire somebody to train you. Save yourself the time and frustration of trying to figure it out on our own.  I did this by watching youtube videos, joining clubs and attending online classes.



I think the biggest thing is to find what works for you and roll with it.