January Review
January ended up being a super productive month! Look at all the things I crossed off my list! Man, I love that feeling!
Honestly, when I made that list I wasn’t really sure if the amount of goals was realistic. I wasn’t sure if I’d have the time to fit all of it in. I figured I’d aim high and see what happened.
My success in January started with the Start Fresh workshop at Simple Scrapper. This workshop gave me a chance to ask myself questions about what I’d like to accomplish this year, and what I was excited to work on. It also helped me plan for necessary maintenance tasks I need to periodically complete. The workbook and planner have given me a place to write everything down in one place. I’m especially loving and using the monthly planning pages to keep it all organized. The workshop, workbook and planner are all still available at Simple Scrapper.
There are four things I learned about staying focused last month.
1) Having a list of goals for the month is key for my Crafty Dabbler mind.
You see, having a list in the first place was half the battle. Normally, I sort of wing it when it comes to my crafty time. Winging it worked ok until something shiny and new came along. Having a set list helped me stay focused for the month of January. I made sure to include a variety of goals so I wouldn’t get bored with the same projects. It was enough structure that I wasn’t too tempted to stray. I’m a work in progress, y’all.
2) I broke up each goal into smaller steps, and I made a list of what steps to work on each week.
I didn’t try to complete an entire project on my goals lists before moving on to the next. Instead, I broke things up and worked on all the goals almost all month. Pretty much everything was completed in the third or forth week of the month. Baby steps. That’s what works for me. Plus, it keeps me working on a variety of things each day. I need variety.
3) Sharing my goals and completed projects here at The Crafty Dabbler helped so much.
This month I realized the value of accountability. I didn’t want to come up short on accomplishments and have to admit that here. I also enjoyed sharing my completed projects here and in social media along the way. You can find my personal Instagram here. I’m using #cdgetthingsdone as I photograph things I’m working on throughout the month and year.
4) I kept my goal list for the month posted on my craft room wall where I could see it every day.
It was nice to be able to see at a glance what I wanted to be working on. So even if I was sort of bored with one task, I could easily shift gears and work on something else and still be moving forward with my list.
These things are not rocket science. These are things we’ve been hearing and reading for years, but, honestly I’ve never applied them. It’s amazing what you can get done by being a little bit organized with your intentions. Imagine that!
February Goals
Here we are in a new month and that means new goals for the next bunch of weeks. I realize February is a short month. This list is longer than last month, but I’m going to give it a go. Some months are busier than others…I will get nothing accomplished in December and very little over the summer months. I need to fit projects while I can!
All this being said, I do have a need for more spontaneity in my life. I’m not going to be super rigid around my crafting goals. Being crafty is my hobby, so it’s gotta be fun, and it’s gotta be flexible. Do I work better with a few deadlines? Yes. Do I work better with a list of goals? Yes. But if I want to switch it up for a bit, I’m ok with that. Sometimes I need to work on whatever I feel like, whether it’s on the list or not.
I’m excited to dive into February. What do you have planned for this month?
Links for Simple Scrapper and Start Fresh are affiliate links.