Imagine with me for a moment a planner sitting on a table. It’s blue, thick but compact and has a thin strap holding it closed. It looks very simple and almost unnecessary.
NOW… open it up.
It’s full of color-coded notes and events, sticky notes flap from every other page, extra papers and lists fall if you don’t hold the book carefully, and the calendar is blocked off days at a time.
Does this intimidating planner sound anything like yours? Because it sure sounds like mine!
The Realization
When I first went to college and began my busy life as a student, I was so sure I wouldn’t have any time for crafting that I didn’t bother even bringing any crafting supplies with me. It hadn’t even been a semester before I realized how much I missed having a craft or two lying around!
The Plan
Once I decided that I wanted to incorporate crafting into my college life, my next big question was: “How am I going to find any time to actually MAKE anything?” Even though my heart wanted to craft, my student brain argued that I really didn’t have time.
Enter yet another paper- this one to map out my daily routine.
I began by writing down everything I usually do in a day, leaving out anything on my schedule that wasn’t a regular occurrence. After I finished that, I categorized those times into those “absolutely necessary” and those I would qualify as “free time.”
Now, if you’re a student like me, or even simply a busy individual, your free time is very precious. That’s when you go to bed early, watch a movie, hang out with people or just go for a walk outside to clear your head. For me, I realized that crafting would fit nicely into the category of things to do during my breaks.
When I saw the blocks of time on my schedule that I could label as free time, I realized that there were quite a few times throughout my week where I could fit in a half hour or so of crafting. I could craft and do something with a tangible goal rather than filling my free time with other relaxation activities.
The Extra Skill: Multitasking
I like to multitask. If I can wash dishes, listen to a podcast for a class, have a project file exporting as well as the washing machine running in the background all at the same time…
Multitasking is a skill that makes fitting crafting into my busy schedule even easier. I can watch a movie while cross stitching, read a textbook while knitting or make a card while listening to music.
Conclusion
To conclude, making time for crafting in the midst of a crazy schedule is a choice. If you don’t really want to make time for it, you won’t. However, if you really want it, I am fully confident that you can make the time you need.
Whether it be through multitasking or a rearrangement of what you consider “free time” activities, a busy schedule need not keep you from crafting!
“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men…”
Colossians 3:23
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