One of the frustrations I see most often about crafting is how to find time to craft? Lack of time is a true struggle and one of the biggest reasons people don’t craft.
Crafting has so many benefits. It can be a way to relax or to be creative. It can be a way to show our love for others or a way to make money. But those benefits only exist when we make time to craft.
Time
In order to make time to craft, there are a few important things that have to be done. The first is to jail your time robbers. I am borrowing that term from Sarah Ward at Cognitive Connections. Sarah talks about Executive Function which is the mental processes and skills that enable us to plan, focus, and juggle tasks. Sarah explains that time robbers are “any distractions that might be ‘stealing’ one’s time from a task.”
In the era of smart phones, many of us lose a lot of time throughout the day to scrolling our screen. Have you ever tracked how many times you pick up your phone throughout the day?
If you have an iPhone, Apple created a function called Screen Time. Android has Daily Device usage. Whatever device you are using, there is likely a function to track your usage, and if there isn’t, there are apps available that will provide you with usage reports.
When I checked my Screen Time on my iPhone, I learned a ton of interesting information about my phone usage. Note that I am not saying good information. It’s kind of a slap in the face to be confronted with just how often and how much I use my phone.
Have you looked at your usage? If not, take a minute to do that now.
Time Management
Besides your device, there are other ways to lose time throughout the day. For many crafters, they often don’t plan time to craft. It may sound silly, but making time to craft throughout your day and your week is just as important as any other appointment, meeting, or task you schedule.
Set up an appointment with yourself to craft. Schedule it, write it on your calendar, and plan to do it. Then imagine that appointment as if you were meeting someone. You wouldn’t show up late or skip out at the last minute. Time to craft should be as important as the things you do for others.
The next big hurdle to overcome when finding time to craft is space. It’s great to have time, but without a designated space, you will still struggle to craft. This doesn’t mean that you need a big craft room. It doesn’t even mean that you need a dedicated table or workspace.
What it means is that you need to have a bag or box of craft supplies ready to go. I wrote How to Create a Craft Space to help you do this. Basically, you are putting your craft supplies into a container so that when you have time, you can pull it out and craft. Which brings us to supplies.
Supplies
I created a Top 5 Everyday Items You Can Use to Start Crafting Right Now. If you’re just getting started, the Top 5 basic craft supplies are all you really need. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can also read my 7 Craft Supplies You Need to Expand Your Crafting.
In the past, I have packed items for a craft and crafted on the waiting room floor while waiting for my daughter (pre-Covid). Not all crafts are portable, but when you have your materials ready to go in an easy-to-reach container, it is much easier to make use of your time to craft. Even if that means crafting for 5 minutes while you make your tea, or while watching a commercial. Think about times and places you can squeeze in a craft.
Craft Organizers
It is also more fun when your supplies are organized and easy-to-find. Nothing is more frustrating than making time to craft only to spend most of that time looking for supplies. Again, this doesn’t mean you have to organize your entire craft space or all your craft supplies. It means that then when you are ready to start a new project, you should gather all the supplies and put them into a container. Then whenever you make time, everything will be ready for you.
Maybe your next project can be to craft an organizer. Cover a shoebox with pretty paper or fabric. Decoupage a jar or soup can.
Craft Planner
One more step that can help bring all the pieces together is a craft planner. Using a craft planner, or even a notebook, will help you keep track of all your great ideas, what supplies you need, what projects need to get done, and more.
It may feel like one more thing to do, but using a craft planner will make a big difference in your crafting. Keeping track of ideas, supplies, and notes will help you evolve as a crafter. You can track notes on how a project went and what you learned or might change if you do it again. You can keep track of colors or special supplies you used so you can replicate a project.
It can even help you know where to start or what project to tackle next.
Making time to craft is a struggle for most crafters. If you still need a little help carving out time for your crafting, try my FREE 3-Day Make Time to Craft Challenge. The challenge is designed to walk you through the steps that will help you take time for yourself and a hobby you love.
Happy (lazy) crafting!
