I'm Too Busy

I had a very sudden realisation the other night - I'm too busy right now.
I'm trying to do too much with my time and I'm getting frustrated.

Let me explain a little more specifically. I realised that trying to make and sell handmade things like crochet blankets and beanies was taking up far too much of my time for little reward. I have been crocheting and knitting for a very long time and get so many compliments on the things I make. I've sold things here and there through my Etsy store and in person.

So many people tell me "you should sell your stuff" and I seriously try to but very few people are actually interested in buying it. I believe the price of handmade items is more than what people are expecting and don't realise this when I make things.

 The following process takes place when I make an item:

- find a pattern (not every time but a lot of the time)
- sometimes I have to purchase a pattern - can be anwhere from $3 to $10
- buy materials for item by searching craft shops or ordering online
- make item - can take several hours/days/weeks even
- finish off item by sewing in ends/attaching pieces etc.
- photographing item in good lighting (might have to wait for good weather/light conditions)
- edit photographs
- list item online, create description etc.
- promote item on social media (continuously!)
- promote sales or coupon codes
- promote name on social media to attract potential followers and potential buyers

This process happens for every single item I make. It takes up a lot of time and I don't feel the interest I get in person follows through with purchases. I don't want to be bitter about this because I don't make things to make much money - I have compared my prices to others and mine are priced quite affordably. I don't charge an hourly rate to make or photograph each item, edit these photo's and list the item online. That would be far to expensive and I don't know anyone who'd pay $200 for a beanie!

So I decided I no longer want to make things to try and sell. I'm only going to make things for myself, for my family, for gifts and maybe the odd custom make for friends.
I already feel good about this decision. I will be saving money because I won't be buying materials that I hope to turn into profit eventually. I won't have to find places to store finished items waiting to be sold and my wardrobe will be unique and one-of-a-kind because no one else will have the same item. And I won't feel bitter or frustrated about not selling an item.

I'm one step closer to this years goal of being Less Busy!

Photos are all things I have made over the last couple of years.
You can still follow my crafting instagram account @chunkystitches and my Etsy store is ChunkyStitchesAU - I may still have things for sale when you are reading this.

xx Emily

Goals for the Next Year

My goals for the next year are not resolutions. Resolutions get broken and are often so much of a change of lifestyle they are unattainable. For someone like me who doesn't exercise apart from a walk around the river once and a while, a resolution like "I'm going to exercise everyday by doing a 20 minute tabata workout + walk around the river" wouldn't last very long. It's just too much of a lifestyle change too quickly.

Instead I'm making goals for the next year. These can then be broken down into mini goals or steps that push me further toward achieving the big ones. I think this way will be much easier to continue throughout the year.

Goals also change as your circumstances change. I will be returning to work this year from maternity leave so I think some of my goals will alter when my lifestyle changes again.

Source

1. More De-cluttering.
I plan on going 'full on minimal'. But not like completely. Does that make sense? Well my version of 'full on minimal' is to get rid of things we have or held on to because we 'thought' we use them. I'm talking mugs, plates, containers, tools etc. We have like 25 mugs for two adults. Sometimes the in-laws come over and have a hot cuppa but we still don't need 25 mugs.

2. Practice Single Tasking.
You may have seen my post on single tasking here and I plan on really giving it a red hot go this year. A big one for us is playing on our phones while watching TV or a movie so I'll be making a new rule - no phones out while we are watching TV.
When I return to work I plan to utilise single tasking wherever possible as well. I believe in putting out the best quality work possible and I can do a better job if I am able to single task.

3. Discuss our minimalism journey with friends and family.
We can't expect people to know we are de-cluttering to reduce our stuff because most people assume we are de-cluttering because we live in a small unit. I was offered novelty drinking glasses a few days ago and refused them, accidentally adding we don't have room for them. It was then said once we moved into another house we can have them. What I should have said was "we have no room for them because we choose not to have room for them" or plain and simple "No, we don't want them, ever!". We must learn how to stand up for ourselves when people try to force their unwanted/unused items on us.
I have no desire to turn my friends and family into minimalists but if they ask I will definitely boast about all the positives I have personally experienced.

4. Enjoy more experiences with my family (see infographic left)
I want my child (and hopefully future children) to grow up remembering their parents played with them and had time for them. I want them to know we always wanted to spend time with them going on adventures while still making sure the essential things were taken care of. What I remember growing up was my mum dropping us off at a family members house to be babysat or telling us off for making a mess because she just cleaned the room/house etc. We weren't allowed to play or use our stuff because it meant it didn't stay packed away. I couldn't eat my sandwich until I had washed all the dishes and utensils I had used to make it - I prefer to eat my meal and then clean up.

5. Get outside more often.
I am already enjoying getting out with bubs in his pram and walking around the river down the road. When I was living back home in Perth every weekend was spent at the weekend for about 7 months of the year. The beaches here in Melbourne don't live up to the coast in Perth but I'd still like to get out and explore more. We are already planning our first trip to the snow (my first trip too) and road trips to other destinations in Victoria to explore. I'd love to do the Great Ocean Road again but even just having picnics at the park as bubs gets older would be enjoyable and refreshing.

6. Be Less Busy
By being less busy I am hoping to use my time to play with my child and give my partner attention. Bubs deserves a family who is present and educational and fun - as do we! I'm sick of always having a million things on my mind that I think need to get done whilst trying to give attention to my bub. Nothing is as important at that moment than he is. If we have less things 'to-do' then we have more time to have fun and enjoy ourselves.


xx Emily

Single Tasking

I have been a fantastic multi-tasker for as long as I can remember.
I'm pretty sure every job I've ever applied for had 'multi-tasking' in their desired attributes and I prided myself on how well I could multi-task, prioritise and how quickly I could finish off tasks.

But, I now feel multi-tasking is more 'distracted working'.

This past year I've realised than instead of multi-tasking by doing several jobs at once I was actually being distracted by and creating additional things to do. I had way too many things going on at one time and I began wondering why I couldn't just finish something before moving onto another.

Single tasking can be quite difficult because you have to completely focus on one thing at a time and I feel it requires more skill than multi-tasking does. I still think you need to be able to prioritise your workload or tasks/duties which will often mean leaving what you are doing when something more urgent pops up but this should only apply in some workplaces depending on your role.

I feel that by focusing on just one task at a time allows you to have more focus and the finished product will be of better quality. I find if I truly focus on just what I'm doing I'm not thinking about all these other "to-do's" and allowing my mind to wander, it stays on task and I can finish things quicker than expected.

I try to keep my phone away from me also to avoid the temptation to 'take a quick phone break' to check social media or what not - this is one of the biggest distractions for a lot of people, myself included - it's even on the list below.

Image Source

While writing this post I can look at all my open tabs and there are currently five, BUT I haven't allowed myself to click through them in between writing this because I want to finish this while the words are in my mind. I think there is even a notification flashing on my phone as I may have heard a notification tone but it isn't near me so I'll check it once I'm done here. If it was urgent, they would call!

I read a post on Pinterest recently (that put into much better words than I could hope to write myself) how to avoid the urge of multi-tasking and you can read it here.

We are too busy and this is something I want to work on in the future, hence my journey into living a minimalist, simpler life. If I wasn't so busy I wouldn't need to multi-task so I'm trying to single task as a way to determine what is actually important to me.

xx Emily