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....