A side benefit of tidying up.

In my last post I talked about how I was using a paper planner to help me stay organised.  One of my sections in my planner is a quilts section and in it, I've listed my works in progress and some of the steps I need to move forward on them.

To list my WIPs, I had to know what WIPs I had, which meant laying hands on each one and tidying the pile.  I kept seeing references to Marie Kondo everywhere, so yes, I went and checked her out and, like many, I've developed an uneasy fascination with the tiny, bouncy, eternally optomistic woman.  I have not KonMari'd my whole house, but I did assess each WIP as to whether it 'sparked joy' in me.

For those of you who have ignored the Marie Kondo fad and don't know what the heck I'm talking about, basically I looked at each WIP while I was tidying and asked myself if I still liked it.  Did I want to carry this into the future with me?  Did I want to spend time finishing it?  If the answer was no, I then dealt with it, either binning it, putting it in the op shop pile, or if it was still in pieces, putting the fabric back in my stash.

I didn't let myself get caught up in any guilt.  Why should I finish something just because I 'should'?  My time is precious.  I'd rather spend it on something I'm excited about!

Working through my WIPs put me back in touch with my projects, a side benefit to tidying up.  I have a presentation that I do about how a little procrastination is good for us.  I believe that putting something away for a while lets the project 'ferment' in my mind, especially if I'm struggling with a problem.  Often, I'll pull out the project again and the solution will present itself.  But that method requires that I keep in touch with my WIPs, or the fermenting process bubbles out and I just forget about it entirely!

So I tidied up, got back in touch, and now I have a pile of things that I want to work on.

Of course I still want to start new things too....

'Heron Maiden' had been having a holiday in my WIP pile.  It was nice to see her again and realise that I wanted to finish her for the GNZQS.  So what was holding me back about finishing her?  I figured out that I didn't know how to quilt the big background hill and if I cracked that nut, I'd be away again.  So I printed out a colour photo and auditioned some quilting lines.  They looked good and I was inspired to continue.

You can see my quilting line design taped to the wall prior to starting to quilt.

So my long and rambling point is: don't get caught up in guilt about WIPs.  Go through your pile, keep in touch with your projects.  Look at WIPs with new eyes.  Is there something else you could turn it into that you would be excited about?  Is there a technique that was holding you back that you now have the skills to deal with?  Can you solve a quilting dilemma now that you couldn't before?

But if you pick up a WIP and truly wonder why you ever thought it would be a good idea, then just get rid of it!  You'll feel so much better.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts about your WIP pile!

A goal without a plan is just a wish.

Goal setting.  I personally find that I can't do it early in January - no serious New Year's resolutions for me - I'm too busy holidaying.  But then, within a week or two, my mind naturally turns to what I want to achieve in the coming months.

I've been doing lots of work towards getting myself sorted, and then all of a sudden it's February!

This year I've gone back to a paper planner in a serious way.  I've dallied with digital, love the idea, but it's just not as tangible as paper, not as flickable through.  I still use my digital calendar because it goes across all my devices and it's quick to refer to.  But for planning out my days and weeks and months, my goals and progress, it's me and my planner.

When you flick through it, this is how it's organised:

• A whole year-on-one-page calendar.
• A master to-do list.
• Months, each one having a month-on-one-page calendar, then a monthly overview planner, a monthly habit checker page and then a page-per-day daily plan.
• After the months I have a tab for goals, with each major goal having a page where it's broken down into steps and dates etc.
• I have a tab for midwifery work, with pages for booked locum dates, mileage, visit schedules etc.
• Next is my quilts section.  In there I have a year over two pages with dates of speaking engagements, travel, quilt show deadlines etc.  I have also decided to list my WIP's and the steps I need to do to complete them (22 of them at this stage, and that's after doing a Marie Kondo on my pile and discarding a heap that 'didn't spark joy'!)
• And lastly, notes pages, which are mainly blank pages for jotting down inspiration when it strikes.

I've used printables from Printed Pineapple, Elena's Papers, and Evy Draws, all found on Etsy.

I've also inserted a few inspirational quotes here and there to make it prettier and hopefully become part of my positive inner talk that I'm trying to nurture.  The quote you can almost make out in the picture above says,

"We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day."  

-Richard G. Scott

And I want to be an organised person that has a handle on what's happening today and also what's happening in two months time.

What organisational tools do you use?

2014

I've been spending some time thinking about what I'm aiming to do in 2014.  Yes, I generally steer away from 'resolutions', but I do think that it's a good time to review, take stock, plan etc.  And then I'll have a record about what I was planning for the year to look back on at the beginning of 2015 (and either pat myself on the back, or grimace and move on!).

I have a wall planner that I've written down my quilt related events.

On it I have two classes -

• Jeanette DeNicolis Meyer in March, a three day class held in Auckland about working in a series,
• and Jacqui Karl in August, a two day class/retreat held in One Tree Point in conjunction with Tulis Textiles.

My best quilting buddy in the last Jeanette class I took.

I have written down the dates for my Beginner Quiltmaking Classes, wednesday evenings for six weeks, beginning in February.

Then I have some hand in dates for exhibitions I want to enter - 

• 31st January, Living Colour - DONE!
• 1st March, Pour l'Amour du Fil, a French competition (themed 'Drifting Away') I found out about by reading QuiltMania (the link takes you to a page in French - if you can't read French, I have the details in English if you are interested).
• 5th April, Dorothy Collard Challenge hand in day, run by the Auckland Quilting Guild.
• 4th October, Auckland Festival of Quilts hand in day.
• 1st November, Manawatu Quilt Symposium deadline.

The other thing I've done is make some Quilty Resolutions (I know I just said I steer clear, but a girl has to join in sometimes!) and listed them with Quilting...for the rest of us.  Sandy, from Quilting...for the rest of us, writes a good blog and does a great podcast.  She discussed getting some quilting monkeys off our backs.  You know, those things that have been hanging over our heads - or on our backs - that we just need to get done and get out of our lives.

My three quilting monkeys were - 

• Boring, but necessary.  Taking stock of UFO's (unfinished objects).  Working on them, finishing them and getting rid of the ones that are just taking up space.
• Sewing a garment.  I started sorting my UFO's last night and I found at least three garments that I've started and never finished.  I need to sew a garment, even if it's just to say I can!  And then I promise never to buy another dress pattern again!
• Enter a quilt, or quilts, to the Auckland Festival of Quilts.  I've been meaning to do this for two years, I just need to do it and this is the year for it.

Yup, Blue Room is still not finished.

And Creme Brûlée needs basting and quilting.

So far, so good.  All pretty doable.

If you read this post, some of you might be wondering whether I'll be studying art.  Nope.  I had a long talk to my husband about what I wanted to achieve and where art study fitted in and we decided that it's not the year for it.  I want to eventually make quilting my profession.  How exactly?  I'm not sure.  But the people I've seen who do make their living from quilting seem to combine several strands to make it work - making quilts, teaching, fabric design, article and book writing etc.  So instead of spending a few years studying, I'm going to try and focus on what is already working for me - making quilts, writing patterns, and slowly getting my name out to the universe.  That's another reason why I'm starting to teach beginner quilt making classes - to dip my toe into teaching.

I'm being honest, this was my lounge this afternoon!

As for family/house goals - well, that photo might sum it up!  I have listed areas that I want to work on, and first up is the kid's stuff.  I've been really lax on cleaning, sorting and keeping chaos under control during the school holidays as it just gets undone so quick.  Nuff said.

We are still looking for somewhere new to live.  We've decided we really need to be closer to civilisation as the travelling with kids activities is getting tedious.  And hubby wants to be closer to the ocean for his fishing.  We offered on this block, but were rejected, even though we upped our offer to the registered valuation that we paid to have done.  So we are now preparing to offer on another block.  This one is bare land, no dump of a house thankfully, but it means it would be a longer process before we are able to move.

We've been spending some time doing much-needed chores around the house, just in case we will be selling or renting.

Much better now it

 

Wow!  This is turning into a missive, so I think I'll stop there.  I intend to revisit these goals and plans each month and see how I'm going.  I have a busy week ahead with kids back to school, work and a public holiday in the middle of it all so it might all fall off the rails....

My Lofty Aspirations.

A little while ago I found myself reading backwards through my blog like a diary - interesting to see what we've been up to and what we've achieved over the past few months since I started writing. And now it's that time of year when we typically feel the need to redirect ourselves, make sweeping resolutions about our waistlines and exercise regimes, how we are going to achieve straight A grades, become the CEO of the company etc, etc.




So here I am, thinking about this next year in the progression of my life. What do I want from it? What will it demand of me?


In 2002 I wrote a basic 10 - 15 year plan or list of goals:

• Completed Herbalism studies.
• Working as an Independent Midwife, perhaps homebirths only, along with some consultations as a herbalist.
  Be living in a house with 5-10 acres of land that I own jointly with M.
• Have an earning rental property.
• Have a large herbal and vege garden, an orchard and chooks.
• Have a couple of children.

So eight years later, it's that time of year for an evaluation.

• I have not completed my Herbalism studies! I started and almost finished the first year by correspondence and then had to cut it short when my first child arrived. It is still something I am interested in. Now that the children are a little older, perhaps it is something I could look into again?


• I have worked for a few years as an Independent Midwife and worked out the best way to fit it into and around life. But for now I have given up (paid!) work completely.


• We found the right bit of land and we are finally living on it!
  
• We do have an earning rental property. Although I personally don't own it, I do benefit from the income. And it's fully renovated, which took a long time in coming.


• As for the garden etc. I have started establishing one this last year and the chooks have been around for a while. I have my eyes on an orchard next.



• And the kids....well, they arrived earlier than planned, but they say the best gifts are surprises!

So in 2007 I wrote another 10-15 year plan.

• Two happy, healthy kids with no major social, educational, personal problems etc. (lofty aspirations!)


• Living out on our land, house finished, garden giving us most fruit and veges, chooks, cows and ?pig, herbal garden.
  
• Completed Herbalism studies.


• Happy in whatever part-time employment I'm doing, ?midwifery.


• Have enough time to quilt as I wish.


• Freehold with savings and investment property.

Not too much has changed. Quilting made an appearance after I discovered the joy of creating! And I guess I'm refining the type of lifestyle I want to lead. Really, if I wrote another 10-15 year plan today, I wouldn't alter much from the 2007 one.


The nitty gritty then: what are my plans for this year? What specific goals do I want to achieve this year to help me live the life I want for my family and I?

ORCHARD. This is my big one for this year. I want to plan, prepare and plant an orchard. And it's the planning and preparing bit that I really want to do properly.

RABBITS. I've been interested in rabbits for meat for a little while. Then I found some more information on it and it has really motivated me to try and incorporate rabbits into my growing systems out here. By the end of the year, I want to be eating my own bunnies (apologies to all who find this idea a little hard but this is what sustainable agriculture is all about).



LAND AND HOUSE. We own our block of land as tenants-in-common with another woman. We always had the intention of formalising a subdivision into two titles and this year we want to have some concrete progress towards that goal. Also we will shortly be constructing another shed and a large veranda on the front of this shed, so to have that completed and functional this year will be great.

WATER SUPPLY. We are officially in a drought. In this area we haven't had any significant rain for about three months. One rainwater tank is not cutting the mustard. So this year we need to investigate our options and establish a more consistent water supply in case we have the same weather pattern next summer.

HAPPINESS. And then a not-so-concrete, but probably most important goal: To make our family situation what we envisaged it when I made the decision to give up work. That is to have the kids in a routine, have time together as a family and time to spend doing the things we enjoy, and for me to have the time to provide my family with wholesome, homegrown and homecooked food.