Preparing for the Holidays

Holidays – they come from out of nowhere, and they sneak up on us fast – especially if you’re a gift maker. And, if you’re anything like me, you’ll still be crocheting on Christmas Eve. (Please tell me I’m not the only one who does this!) This year it’s time to get it together and create a plan so that you won’t have to do the scramble to finish – or worse, go shopping because you don’t have time to crochet that gift after all.

Preparing for the Holidays - Tips to make sure  you have time for all your gift making this holiday season.


Goal setting and planning are two things I’ve been working hard on this year. Trying to find more hours in a day so you can do more is great, but it doesn’t work. Being more intentional with your time is what will help you accomplish everything on your to-make list this season.

 

Preparing for the Holidays

I mentioned I’m a Christmas Eve crocheter. It never fails! It’s usually my kids’ gifts – they are so very patient with me!  

If you’re ready to get organized, creating a plan can help! I’m going to call this a “crochet plan.” It’s kind of like a life plan, or a business plan, because it’ll be directly related to your crochet business/hobby. A good crochet plan will be organized, have priorities, and will give you a clear direction on what needs to be done. So, what do you need to do to make this crochet plan?

Let’s Get Organized – Make two lists of gifts you want to make for Christmas. The first one will be a definite list – a list of those that you absolutely want to make something for. The second will be a dream list – a list of people you would love to make something for if you have time. If you also take orders and sell items, make sure you set a cut off date. You will then want to add those items to your list. These lists will serve multiple purposes. Not only will they help you have a visual to keep you on track, but they will help with planning and budgeting for your yarn purchases.

If you have no idea how to keep track of what is going on in your life, get a notebook or planner. I personally use the Erin Condren Life Planner to keep track of business and family to-do’s. I also use my CREATE planner for organizing all my blogging ideas and tasks.

Set Your Priorities – Once you have a list of all the items you want and need to make, put them in order of priority. Are your gifts or your orders more important? Only you can determine that. Are you going to make one list and organize the projects by priority? Or are you going to have 2 separate lists? If you have 2 separate lists, make sure you don’t neglect one while working on the other.

Start Now – Don’t wait until the end of October, or worst Thanksgiving to start working on those projects. Now that you’re organized and you have your list, start now. You’ll set yourself in motion and you’ll be able to keep going through the crazy, hectic holidays.

Revisit Your List Weekly – Planning is great, but if we don’t follow through we’re not making any progress. Revisit your gift/order list at least once a week. The more you remind yourself of what you have set out to do, the more likely you are to finish on time, and maybe even in advance.  

In addition to the above, is there anything else you do to plan your gift making? Now is a great time to put one in place before the holidays creep up on us. Simply put, it’s time to make that plan and then take action!

Happy Crocheting!



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