Reflections on 2012

If you were following this blog at the start of 2012, you will know that, rather than set resolutions for the new year, I decided to give myself a word. 

The word was organised.

(If you'd like to read more about my decision, you can read the original post here)

You may be wondering how I got on with the word: whether the change of focus meant that I managed to keep to my resolution this year. 

I have had a look back over the year and with the magic of hindsight I have to say that it was reasonably successful. After a highly motivated start (Oh, for the love of... boxes and January round-up), the momentum definitely slowed. Sometimes I felt very discouraged at my lack of progress (and occasional down-right failures) but looking back I can feel that something in my attitude has shifted. 

So what areas of my life have become more organised?

My craft supplies, organised way back in January, have stayed reasonably well organised (with a bit of tweaking for new purchases) for the rest of the year. 

My second year's tax return was completed online a full two months before the paper form deadline (and five months before the deadline for the online form). This was a huge contrast to my experiences in January and, although I still had to fight myself to get started, it was much easier to complete this time. I also had the added pleasure of seeing tax deadline adverts/reminders and being able to congratulate myself! I have also set up better systems for organising receipts/invoices and another for recording income/expenditure. I hope that this will save me even more time when it comes to filling in next year's tax return!

I have made a start on decluttering and, although there is still a lot of work to do, I am beginning to find it easier to let things go. I have managed to get rid of lots of stuff but still haven't even started on the spare room!

And what has been less successful?

I haven't found a routine for cleaning and tidying that works for me. I go through phases when I'll stick religiously to a routine and then something will come up. Missing one day discourages me so completely that I tend to give up entirely and then I still have to clean or tidy frantically when visitors are due!

 Schedules also need more work. I have tried several different ways to manage my time this year and none of them have been 100% successful. I have tried Sunday Summits (planning every hour of the week ahead), the Pomodoro technique (writing a to-do list and then working through in priority order in 25min intensive sessions) and writing a schedule each evening/morning for the coming day. Although it is evident that I achieve far more when I allocate my time efficiently, I generally slip back towards days when I don't. Budgets and expenditure records seem to be just as hard to maintain as cleaning rotas and schedules!

Another thing that fell by the wayside this year was my participation in the Pintangle TAST challenge. Although it seemed like a good idea when I signed up, I had not really appreciated the effort that would be involved in completing the tasks each week. When the pintangle website moved, I rethought my involvement, decided that I wasn't doing the challenge for the right reasons and dropped out. This was a bit of a shame but I will continue to develop my embroidery skills at my own pace.

What have I learnt from my experience?

1. Organisation is a very broad topic - during the year I have thought about most of the following: schedules for my work day, cleaning routines, personal finances, timing, procrastination, decluttering, tidying, business finances and paperwork.
2. I have very high expectations. I am critical of failure in others but even worse when it comes to myself.
3. It isn't possible to change everything overnight - some of my attempts at organising something didn't work the first time, often because I was trying to change too many habits at once.
4. I want to be organised in some ways more than others. For example, I wanted my business finances to be organised more than I wanted to establish a cleaning routine. Hence, I suppose, the success of one project and the failure of the other: the stress of impending tax deadlines far out-weighs my need to have hoovered stairs. Maybe, now the most pressing areas are more organised, I can start work on the next priority.
5. Some people set an impossible standard. My priorities are my own and I don't need to compare my way of being organised with other people.

A huge thank you to Alida at Your Powerful Mind for her help and encouragement in this (and other areas). I'm not sure I'd have kept up the momentum so long without you!  

How will this affect my 2013?

I will continue to experiment with daily schedules, cleaning routines and budget trackers until I find ones that work for me. I will continue to fight the urge to procrastinate. I will continue to work on my consistency.

This alternative to resolutions has been refreshing and I will definitely be repeating the approach in 2013. It has given me the opportunity to slip for a time and then pick up where I left off. I don't feel that I have "failed" to keep my resolution in any way because I have made progress and never expected perfection. Organisation will continue to be important in 2013, as I strive to raise the bar closer to where I'd like to be, and it will be combined with my resolutions for the new year. 

I have so much planned for next year - I'll be back in 2013 to tell you all about it!

Roll on New Year! I'm ready!

30 Days of Creativity

I have decided to take part in 30 Days of Creativity 2012. The name sums it up really! As their website says:

"30 Days of Creativity is a global social initiative encouraging people to create stuff (anything) every day for 30 days in June. 2012 is our 3rd year. We hope to make it a big one.

Your brain is like a muscle. When you exercise it, it gets stronger."

And why, you may be asking, have I decided to take part?

Well, as usual, there are several reasons. 

There's the Arty reason: I'd like to spend time developing new ideas and working with new mediums in order to expand my skills beyond my current range. 

(That sounds good, doesn't it? I think I'll use that - if anyone asks!)

Then there's plain old fun. I'll get to play with new materials and let my ideas run wild. I'll get to see what others have created.

It will be a challenge. I think it will be interesting to see if I can complete the challenge, if I can think of something new to create every day, if I can push myself beyond my comfort zone, if I can allow myself to make mistakes and if I can actually get stuff finished!

It will be good for networking: I'll get to see the work of artists and crafts-people from around the world who are all working on the same challenge. 

There's one more reason. And I'm a little bit reluctant to admit it. My other reason is this:

This enticing heap of goodies represents a proportion of my "stash" of crafting bits and pieces. Quite a small proportion I'm afraid to say. 

In this pile you have probably spotted beads, buttons and sequins,...

 

...fat quarters, 1in strips and selvedges,...

 ...embroidery cottons, ribbons,...

...and a box of felt scraps.

The felt scraps sum up the whole pile really. In my push towards organisation, I was encouraged by my other half to put a note in this box. The note said "If these haven't been used by the 5th May - THROW THEM AWAY".

Now obviously, as the box is on the table, I haven't managed to keep that deadline (probably shouldn't have reminded the OH of the date...) In fact the box is more full now than it was when I wrote the note - I blame the felt bears (to be honest it's usually a bear's fault, one way or another...).

So my real reason for joining 30 Days of Creativity? To justify the existence of my stash. To give meaning to all the scraps and off-cuts and bits and pieces that I have held onto on the off-chance that they will come in useful one day.

This challenge has a lot riding on it. I'll keep you posted, and let you know how I get on. I'll be adding pictures of my creations to the 30DoC Pinterest board and I'll try to blog as often as I can. You can find out more at the website or by following @createstuff or #30DoC on Twitter. You might even want to join in!

January round-up

If you read my post at the start of January (Thoughts on New Year), you will know that, rather than setting resolutions for 2012, I have chosen a word to be my focus for the year.

My word for 2012 is organised.

Anyone who knows me well will realise how much of a challenge this word poses: I am a bit of a scatter-brain, a terrible hoarder and an incorrigible procrastinator. How, exactly, are you supposed to change the habits of a lifetime?

With small, baby steps.

I have found some really good advice out there on the web: from professionals who help people overcome clutter and chaos (especially Rachel Papworth of Green and Tidy), as well as from others struggling along the same path.

So, now that January is drawing to a close, I thought I'd write a report of progress so far. 

One of the first things I did was to set up a diary and calendar for the New Year and so far they are both still in use (a big thing for me - diaries usually last about 3 weeks!). I have also completed my first self-assessment tax return this month (a daunting job that I was finding it far too easy to procrastinate about!). I have to send out a big thank you to my lovely friend Alida for helping me to see that starting this task would not be so bad, but that putting it off would have serious consequences!

I have also spent a lot of time sorting my craft stash (Oh, for the love of... boxes!) which has been very successful.

I have added two sets of drawers to hold bits and pieces, which means that I can now access all these things really easily. I am loving having just one thing in a box (so that I don't have to move all the card to get at the felt, for example) and the shelves, though full, are accessible and easily kept tidy.

So even though the space is small I feel I have made good use of it all (the space in the top photo inspired me to acquire the second set of shelves - the gap was the perfect size!). 

The decluttering/tidying mission has extended to the rest of the house but you don't really want to know about that right now! Suffice it to say that so far this year I have made:

 

2 trips to the Sort-It Centre (aka tip!) 

2 bags to the charity shop

Box of bits and pieces ready to sell

A pile of shirts etc that I will make into a scrap quilt

And I haven't even ventured into the spare room yet...

I am actually feeling quite proud of myself and hope that, if I can keep the momentum up, some of the new routines I am establishing will become automatic.

Next month, I intend to get back to crafting. I am hoping to set up an on-line craft shop in February as another outlet for my creations. I also need to buy some new shelves.

So there are just a few things on the to-do list for next month already!

How are you doing with your resolutions so far? Have you managed to keep them?

Oh, for the love of... boxes!

One week into January and I have been working hard on getting organised. I spent the early part of the week organising paperwork - not one of my favourite pastimes (which is, I suppose, why it gets left for so long) - and have therefore amassed a small mountain of shredded paper. 

A slightly more interesting task has entertained me since. I have been trying to organise my craft stash. Or perhaps that should be "reorganise"? Anyway, it has involved spending money; it has involved the purchase of some rather nice boxes.

Somehow attractive boxes make tidying more bearable, just like pretty stationery encourages me to write. 

So with six new boxes to fill it was time for a bit of a play. Organising my craft supplies is a bit like completing a puzzle when the pieces from five jigsaws are all jumbled up together. There are always pieces that don't seem to fit anywhere, there are far too many possible combinations and the process tends to make more mess than it clears! 

However, some progress has at last been made: ...

 ... there are labelled boxes for felt, fabric, paper and card...

 ... three containers of beads...

... and a box of glue. 

I also have a box of items ready for sale, a box of linen fabrics and a box of boxes (that sounds odd: they are small presentation boxes for the bears). 

This process has taught me a few things:

1) I would love everything to have a place 

2) Number 1. is going to be a very difficult undertaking 

3) I am going to need more pretty boxes 

4) I do NOT need more glue!

I am pleased to be making progress, however small the steps, and now need to decide where to go next in order to maintain the momentum...

Thoughts on New Year

Thomas Mann, in his novel The Magic Mountain, said 

"Time has no divisions to mark its passage, there is never a thunderstorm or blare of trumpets to announce the beginning if a new month or year. Even when a new century begins it is only we mortals who ring bells and fire off pistols."

And after the ringing in of another new year, I suppose there is an element of truth in his words. One year rolls into the next without much variation and, in our modern age of technology, there is barely even a lull in activity over the Christmas period. We can still shop 24:7, we can still communicate at any time and the usual rubbish still fills TV network slots.

But there is something special about New Year. It is something like the feeling of starting a new exercise book at school: the unmarked cover; the crisp, blank pages. It has promise. It offers a fresh start. 

New Year is all about hope.

In the northern hemisphere at New Year, the winter solstice is behind us; we can once again look forward to lengthening days and to the approach of spring. We no longer have to fear the cold seasons (as our ancestors would have done) but we still feel excited by the prospect of returning sunshine and warmth. 

This excitement drives us to make the resolutions that mark this time of year. As with the new exercise book, the promise of the new year compels us to dream. This year we can be anything we want to be; we can start afresh on that first blank page.

I have thought a lot about resolutions this year. I have had little success with them in the past. I fear my approach has been wrong. I have attempted the usual list (lose weight, stop biting my nails, read more poetry, etc.) but have always been defeated within days. I then feel completely discouraged, that I have missed my opportunity to change. But why? It is, after all, slightly absurd to expect to be able to change the habits of a lifetime overnight, with no real incentive to do so! Why now? Why does that kind of change have to be a New Year thing?

So this year I am attempting something new. I am not making a resolution as such, instead I am giving myself a word. It is a word that, at the moment, I cannot attribute to myself (anyone who knows me will agree!) and is certainly an area of my life that needs work! My word for the year is organised. I am not saying that by the end of this year I intend to be the most super-organised person on the planet: more that I intend to focus my thinking on how I organise myself, my time and my things. I would like to form new habits rather than try to break old ones.

I have made a start. 

The crisp, blank pages of diary and calendar have absorbed their first ink. I am organised when it comes to family birthdays at least. If it is part of human nature to mark and compartmentalise time, I'd like to make sure I spend as much of it as possible with the people I love and doing the things I enjoy.

So for 2012, I wish you health, happiness and success - however you choose to fill your blank pages...