Now that I am deeply committed to several substantial projects, time management really comes into play. This week I made a proper timetable of the dates I am free to sew and my expectations of what I can achieve on those days. Working back from the deadline, it means I can plan whether or not my expectations are reasonable or not, or whether I need to commit extra time in different places.
I know that kind of approach doesn’t leave much wiggle room for creative freedom, but the plan can be flexible! It doesn’t have to say ‘on April 9th I will trace pattern X and prepare fabric’ – just that that day is set aside for sewing is a good start, especially when it’s set up on an easy-to-view calendar showing other work and family commitments. (Or a real calendar, where you might get stickers for getting past each stage of a project – or maybe stickers only work for me!)
I’ll admit, mine is a lot more prescriptive and really gets into specifying tasks – but that’s how my brain functions best. I’ve got a whiteboard in my sewing space with a list of the patterns I’ve got my eye on, and whether they’ve yet been matched to fabric (and if so, whether that’s been purchased). I know what’s next in the queue, so to speak, and small scrap busters don’t count in the same way. On the calendar are the Big Deals (think wedding dress) and ambitious daydreams that would never get started if I didn’t schedule them into my plan.
My partner is very techy and has shown me an amazing digital system I can’t wait to learn more about using, but for now my google doc list and calendar will suit me just fine! It was supremely satisfying getting to the end of today and knowing I’d done exactly what I’d intended to – and giving it a big old emoji tick.
How do you organise your space and time?