Staying focused
Have you ever had difficulty staying focused on a project? If you're a crafter of any nature, I'm going to assume the answer is Yes! There's just too many exciting things to be made and it's hard not to want to make them all at once. Here's a couple of quick tips for staying on track….
1) Make a project wish list - Make a list of projects that you want to try and set yourself a maximum number of projects that can be on the list at any one time. The number of projects can vary depnding on your own needs and skillsets. For myself, I like the number 3, it's not too overwhelming but still gives me a bit of variety when needed. You can go to 5 or even 10, just be aware the higher the number, the less effective the list becomes. The idea is to reduce temptations of starting new projects and leaving many others half-finished for let's face it, sometimes forever. And on the flip side, by allowing yourself a couple of options, it can give you the needed break on some of the more challenging projects. Quite often if I'm tackling something very intricate or time consuming, it's nice to be able to break it up with a quick and easy project to not only restore my own confidence level, but to keep things fresh and fun for when I am ready to switch back to the more difficult work again. The key is to be strict with the maximum number of projects on your list. Once you hit your maximum, you are not allowed to add anything else to the list untill you completed at least one project from the list.
2) Set yourself goals - Whenever starting a new craft or project, set yourself some personal goals based on what you want to achieve. For me, if i've got a busy week ahead, I might challenge myself to spend 15 minutes a day crocheting (usually on my lunch breaks), whereas if theres a month where i've got a lot more free time, I might challenge myself to complete a particular project by a certain date. You want to set yourself realistic goals that you can actually achieve to keep yourself motivated and focused. Another example, is when I was first teaching myself crochet, I set myself the goal of learning a new stitch every week, this kept it nice and simple and meant I could focus on one stitch at a time in short periods rather than getting over whelmed by taking on big projects straight away and having to learn everything all at once.
3) Set the scene - Create the perfect environment around you when carrying out your hobby of choice. This essentially is setting yourself up for success and eliminating any distractions where possible. For me, I quite like background noise, so I'll often put Netflix on have an easy watching show playing that doesn't require too much concentration. The biggest mistake I've made in the past is picking shows I really enjoy, as I usually end up putting my project down and become fully engrossed in the TV. My ideal home setup is always snuggling up in a comfty chair, a fresh cup of coffee by my side and some good lighting! And when out and about, again I try to find a nice quiet spot to sit down, throw my head phones on and listen to some music on my phone.
4) Hide materials not in use - The idea here is of out of site, out of mind! If you have all your materials and resouces constantly out on display in whatever crafting set up you have going on, you will always want to do everything all at once. By storing away any yarn, fabrics and general crafting supplies that you have in your stash, not only helps keep a calm, clean and tidy workspace, it also minimizes the chance of distraction. If you're ever looking for inspiration for your next project, that's always the perfect time to go through your storage, have a dig around and reorganise and only grab out whatever has peeked your interest the most. It's a simple, yet affective tip !
5) Create a crafting budget - If you're someone who's materials stash rapidly grows, then consider putting in place a crafting budget. For me it's always far too tempting to just grab a nice fabric whenever I see one I like, but by setting yourself a monthly spending budget will make you think more about do I really need to buy more resources right now or do I need to use something else up that I have at home first. This is the tip I always struggle with the most myself, but does also help me the most in sticking to my 3 project maximum. By being stritcer with my own budget forces me to hold back on purchases and only buying new matrials or yarns when i'm actually ready to start something new.
I hope these 5 quick tips are helpful and I wish you all the best of luck in your current and future projects! Happy crafting!
