3 Tips to Manage Your Stitching Time To Stitch More

Hello!

How has your week been? Have you been doing some Christmas stitching or getting things ready for next weeks festivities? I hope that you'll be able to spend Christmas with your full family this year?

I have been busy this week doing inventory of all my stitching fabrics, compiling a list of missing colours to order some new fabric from Zweigart, to be able to restock the missing colours and stitching fabric types. I have also been working out an offer for a fabric subscription, that I hope to launch in the new year, which will compliment my Thread subscription

Most of my time has been spent consulting my lovely group of 365 day SAL stitchers to find out what theme they would like for a possible 2021 Temperature SAL. I hope to be launching a free SAL project next year and will tell you all about it next week hopefully!

This week I'll be re-sharing an article I wrote a while back about how you can manage your stitching time better and get more time to stitch and do yourself good.

How to Have more time to Stitch

After having studied the hundreds of answers to the 'What would your dream stitching gift be' question I asked online a couple of weeks ago, one thing was asked for over and over again...more TIME! More time to stitch everyday, more time to be able to stitch all the designs and projects owned or just more time to have for oneself everyday!

I'm going to give you 3 tips to manage your time better in order to be able to stitch more!

Having had lots of conversations with different embroiderers, I've noticed a pattern that always comes up during these conversations. It's that you don't have enough.. TIME!

It's the same for me don't worry! It's the same for anyone passionate, or multi-passionate person like you! I'm sure you like to do many things with your hands..I am wrong? Embroidery, Knitting, Crochet, Patchwork, Painting, Drawing..the list goes on!

You can't watch TV without doing something... otherwise it's a waste of time for you, right?

These 3 easy-to-follow tips will help you manage your precious time, and I hope you'll be able to devote yourself more to your passions.

I've learnt that we have to take time out for one selves ... in order to stay positive and fit! When we spend most of our time working, then looking after family and home, and housekeeping, and the garden, and ironing..then ... STOP! The list is never ending .. and at the end of the day we realise we didn't do anything for ourself .. and it's a real shame.

To remedy this, there is a tool to free up time for yourself, and it's called planning ahead..it's simple but effective!

By planning your day, hour by hour, you designate the tasks to be done and when to do them. Each task will have its moment to be done during the day. Among this schedule, include 30 minutes or more if you wish (or can), to stitch ... and you will see that you will be able to do it ... The fact that it is integrated in your plan means that, you've done all the rest and that this time is for you..and you will stick to it.

Try it out, you'll see it works!

Reduce the size of your stitching projects! Whenever possible, choose small projects to do. This will allow you to see a faster progression and you will remain more motivated to embroider and finish it. You won't get bored and find that the embroidery is too long or painful this way.

Personally I always have several small projects in progress ... or a big one and a small one at the same time... it allows you to change projects.  If I start to find it's taking too long or that I have the impression that i'm not progressing quick enough..I swap! Often when we put something aside for a little while, it's clearer or easier when we come back to it isn't it?

You will reduce your pile of charts and kits to finish in no time!

There is scientific evidence that embroidery (among other things) is good for you. It acts on your brain and is an alternative medicine within itself!

The repeated actions of stitching,  allow your brain to relax from pressure and stress. You relax while embroidering. Let yourself go when you stitch. Let your mind wander ... you will see how the problems in the back of your head will emerge and you will find solutions to all them with very little effort!

When you're more relaxed you're happier, and so are the people around you. When you're happier you can move faster in your to-do list and save more time for embroidery!

• What do you think of theses tips?  
• Do you manage to get 30 mins time for yourself or not?
• How do you go about making time for yourself? 
• What things in your life take up too much of your time, or you feel like a waste of your time and energy?
• What frustrates you the most?

Please share your answers in the comments below or via messenger or by mail!

I hope that these 3 tips will help you to gain time, accomplish more and especially help you feel good! You deserve it!

Happy Stitching!
Melanie
xxxxxx