Thoughts on Getting it All Done + Stitch Pink Update

Hello, friends! As many of you know, I love thinking about time management and productivity. I’ve always been interested in both of those topics but have especially loved pondering them as they relate to my home and sewing life. I believe that if I’m super organized then I’ll have more time for the things I love. So, today I’m sharing a few perspectives and Thoughts on Getting it All Done. I’ll start out with sharing a bit about the book that inspired today’s post and then relate everything to quilting and sewing. And keep reading to the end of today’s post for an important Stitch Pink update.

Thoughts on Getting it All Done

Many of the ideas in today’s post were inspired by my recent reading of Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman. This was definitely a time-management book different from any other I’ve read–it presents a detailed philosophical case along with practical suggestions. Burkeman also fills the pages with historical anecdotes and thoughts from great thinkers throughout history.

The book begins with the premise that in our race to get everything done we might actually be getting the wrong things done. Moreover, it might actually be impossible to get everything accomplished on our mile-long lists. Additionally, he guides the reader to consider individually how we spend our time and what really needs to get done. This book isn’t a “quick read” which is important. Taking a good amount of time to read also allows the reader to really contemplate all of the wonderful ideas and principles found in the pages.

Pay Yourself First

Burkeman suggests paying yourself first when it comes to time. I’ve often heard this idea in relation to finances, but I’d never really stopped to ponder how important this idea is when it relates to time management. I needed to hear this important principle and think about it as it relates to my personal experience with quilting and sewing. I’m blessed to be able to sew and quilt for fun…and for work. And because of this I’ve noticed what an incredible need there is for me to keep a balance between the two.

Thinking about this was eye-opening because it made me realize that my hobby needs to be for my personal enjoyment first and foremost in order to prevent burnout. I also think this is true for those who quilt and sew without any business aspect to it. Quilters often complain bout “losing their mojo” when it comes to quilting. And paying yourself first can be the first step to warding off that occurrence. To pay yourself, make sure you always have a “just for fun” project available to work on.

Keep Works in Progress to a Small Number

I also loved Burkeman’s ideas on limiting the amount of projects we work on. I think it’s absolutely necessary to have a master list of our works in progress, current projects, and bucket-list or “want to make” projects. (Note: my Quilting Life Planner and Workbook coming later this month has lots of space for recording all of these different types of projects). But it’s also important to have a relatively small list of things we are working on at any one time. In Burkeman’s appendix he suggests not adding any projects to our current list until we’ve finished one–and he also suggests keeping that list to a limited number.

Focus on What You’ve Finished

I’ve mentioned this a lot lately because I’ve really just become aware of how helpful this is over the past year. Earlier this year I started recording my weekly finishes at home and for work in a journal. It has really been a blessing to have this documentation–especially on those crazy busy weeks when I didn’t feel so productive. I’ve loved keeping track of my Quilt Works in Progress here on the blog and on YouTube at least monthly for this very reason. By focusing on what I’ve finished I seem to magically have more positivity even about the things I haven’t accomplished.

Practical Tips for Project Progress

Here are some my best tips for keeping up with projects:

• Have a plan.
• Divide your tasks into groups.
• Use block scheduling for sewing.
• Make use of even the smallest blocks of time.
• Choose simple projects.

Another Posts You Might Enjoy

For even more thoughts on getting more done, you’ll want to read this post: Thoughts on Getting More Done – A Quilting Life

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Stitch Pink Update

I know that we previously announced that the Stitch Pink Videos + Sew Along would begin this Friday. However, some shops are still waiting on some of the fabrics. So in order to give everyone time to receive their kits, Moda has moved the Sew Along schedule. We’ll begin on Tuesday, October 26th. Thank you so much for your patience! The videos are filmed and ready to go…just can’t wait to begin. And there are also a few Sincerely Yours pre-cuts available in the shop.

Thanks so much for stopping by and happy quilting!