Disclaimer:  Grab yourself a coffee and settle in before proceeding, because this post isn't a fast read!  If you're just looking for a quick and easy list of tips to fit more knit and crochet into your life, you might want to take a look at 13 Helpful Tips for More Knit & Crochet Time instead.

 

I started this year with a quiet New Years Resolution to gain more focus in my life. Too much time wasted on social media, not enough time actually doing the things that mattered to me. The goal went way beyond knit and crochet and crafting, but of course it included them too.

I read the book Getting Things Done by David Allen. (Yes, it’s an affiliate link!)  Such a great book. It’s about maximizing your personal productivity and gaining better control of your time and of your life.

Profound stuff written in a simple and straightforward way. You can find all sorts of articles about it, from opinion pieces to TED talks. The ideas have a wide following.  But you don't have to sift through all that,  here's a great 2.5 minute recap of the entire philosophy.

So what does this all have to do with finding more time to knit and crochet?

 

We’ve all got tons of commitments and forces pulling us into millions of directions. We get sidetracked, trapped into ruts, overwhelmed…  We buy yarn that we forget about. Then that yarn grows into huge stashes. We favorite designs and projects on Ravelry or pin them in Pinterest. And then we never look at these things we loved again. We buy patterns we never follow, books we never read. All while dealing with (escaping?) our own complicated lives. Our responsibilities and commitments pull us in a million different directions. Very little time remains to pursue the things we do just for the love of it. The things that bring profound joy to our lives.  Passions like knit and crochet!

 

If I'm a designer and I don't get enough time to knit and crochet, it's GOT to be a common struggle.

 

In honor of National Crafting Month, I'm sharing a bit of the process that I'm using to regain control of my life.  What better way to celebrate than reclaim your focus and your time so that you have more time to express your creativity?

Don’t have time for this process?  You'll need to invest a few hours up front. And then you'll need to make a continuing effort to refine the process.  It’s been worth it for me, but that may not be what you're looking for.  For a more immediate and actionable list, take a look at my 13 Helpful Tips for More Knit & Crochet Time .

Capture a list of techniques and projects that inspire you.

 
“A task left undone remains undone in two places - at the actual location of the task, and inside your head. Incomplete tasks in your head consume the energy of your attention as they gnaw at your conscience” - Brahma Kumaris

 

There is great power in making a definitive list of all the forces that have been pulling your attention.  It’s like a purge for your brain.  For knit and crochet, this "list" means having a central reference of the projects that attract you. Or at least having a well-defined and maintained set of references for these designs and techniques that have called your name.

Since this is the first step, it may feel like the hardest. It’s like chaining or casting on when you start a project and work the first few rows. It’s usually the most fiddly and seems the most difficult. You'll need to block out a couple of hours so you can do it right.

 (I know - I said I was going to help you find more time, and now I’m saying you’ve got to block out 2 hours to do so.  Believe me - I've had payback tenfold!)

Many of us already have created these lists. The problem is that they're scattered, unorganized, forgotten or incomplete. Have you ever pinned a design on Pinterest?  Or favorited a pattern or project on Ravelry? Do you know how many incomplete projects are floating around your house? Can you instantly recall all those craft tools you bought for projects not yet attempted? 

David Allen calls this "capturing" things so that they are not running amok in your mind.

How you capture your list is up to you. It's a good idea to use some of the lists you already have like your Pinterest boards or your Ravelry favorites - but those lists only manage a subset of your project ideas well. Some people work best writing things down on paper and keeping a physical notebook. For me, that seems like torture. I'm one of those paperless people and I use Evernote a lot to clip things when I browse online. I use it to photograph physical things to quickly add it to my central list.  I use it to capture audio notes when inspiration hits me. What’s important is that you use the tools you're most comfortable with. Also important is leveraging the lists you've already made by making them useful again.

Here's the idea: Identify then go through everything you have and decide whether you're keeping it or not.  What you do with what you keep is the next step.

Where should you look to identify all these knit and crochet-related projects?

•   Your UFOs (projects that you were once engaged with but lost interest)
•   Your books (especially bookmarked or dogeared pages) -  both digital and hardcopy. 
•   Your favorites in Ravelry  and Instagram (do you review them regularly?)
•   Links to items you’ve “saved” in Facebook, Evernote or as a browser bookmark
•   Items you might have saved in Evernote or a physical file or notebook.
•   Swatches for projects never started
•   Your craft stash: yarns, tools, supplies that represent project goals. 
•   Patterns you bought but ever started
•   Online video tutorials you’ve saved but never sat down to learn

As you go through your online lists, delete the things that now seem just like noise. Delete the things you know you will never do or that no longer attract you.  Make those online lists valuable again.

Donate books, yarn, patterns and tools that no longer appeal to you. Rip up UFO's and swatches you realize you no longer need.  Transform your collection of supplies into something vital and inspiring.

 

Getting rid of something that doesn't excite you gives you more mental space to focus on what does.

 

[This advice may feel very familiar to those of you who read the Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo (<-- shameless affiliate link). I read it last year in preparation for my cross country move.  And I really did all these things. I'm a total fan. It was absolutely liberating.]

Now you've identified projects and pared down your collection of things. You've revitalized certain online lists so that it will be a pleasure to revisit them. You've created another to track your physical creative landscape and anything not already contained in your online accounts.

 

Next it's time to organize everything.

Process your list.

Now that you are managing these potential projects, it is time to categorize them in one of 3 ways:

 

 

I know, I'm telling you to consider getting rid of your things again. I just love getting rid of things, especially physical things.  I know this isn't for everyone. But I do want to leave you with the following thought.  These things have remained neglected for a reason:

Have they already served their usefulness in your creative journey?  If so, you're under no commitment to complete the project or use the item. Do you really need yet another commitment?! As Marie Kondo says, just thank those possessions for helping you get to the point you've reached and let them go. Donate or gift them to bring someone else joy and bring simplicity to your own life!

 

So what to do with the things to keep?

 

If I have decided to hold on to an item or idea, it goes into one of three virtual buckets.