Elasticated minutes

I had a question from someone on my YouTube Channel, asking how I schedule my work week so that I have time to craft as well. The person thought I had ample time at my disposal to craft at leisure. I so wish I did. I would have been in my element or at least on cloud 9.

I work a full-time job, as a Kindergarten Teacher. So, as you might be aware I am at school from 7 am to 4 pm, four days a week, then on Fridays we work half-day till 12:15. However, any educator will tell you duty does not stop at that time. It is almost impossible to have an entire weekend to myself, ever.

Now, please don’t get me wrong, I love my job and especially with the Little Ones, but it keeps me busy way longer than any other occupation will spend on their duty. This is the same with all educators worldwide and not a unique situation I find myself in, by all means, no!

I am also quite active in my church activities, of which I attend at least four or five a week.

How do I do it?

What I am about to share with you works for me. I am no guru and certainly do not say you have to change your ways of doing things. I am merely sharing how I do it as I was asked this question.

I always say that I have undiagnosed ADD. My attention span is that of a budgie, to curb my forgetting I ask friends to send me messages or make a list so that I cannot forget important things. I get so easily distracted, that when I go to the kitchen to grab a cuppa, I keep on repeating what I need to do there and after, much like a mantra, because I might see something else and continue with that, totally forgetting what I needed to do in the first place.

During the week I try to complete all my school-related duties, but there are times when this is not at all possible and I then have to work in extra time to get all done. Due to my scatterbrain, and I don’t mean this in a demeaning or derogatory way, it is merely a fact, I mostly try to work focused, I set a timer for 30-40 minutes, and do as much as I possibly can within that time. Then take a break of 5-7 minutes, to grab a cuppa or just stretch my legs, mostly cuddling or playing with my Pup. Then set the timer again for another session. After 3 or 4 sessions I will take a 20min break, in this time I will start on something crafty. So, over a few days, I will be able to make progress on whatever it is that I am working on. Again, I am reiterating this, it works for me, if you can focus and work for longer periods you keep on doing how you have always done it.

My basket or container method works for my disorganized brain where crafting is concerned. I keep my project(s) and all the resources that I use for a specific project together, which in my opinion saves me time. So, if I made tags, I keep that in the basket and grab one to decorate as I need or have extra time to work on it. If I have things to fuzzy cut, I will keep that in there as well. Things like my tools, such as cutting- and scoreboard, scissors, rulers, punches, ink pads, and glues I will keep on my worktable as I often use these, so they are readily available. If using specific stamps or stencils those will also be on my worktable. This enables me when I do have those spare five minutes, I can work easily on something for my current project. Add all those five minutes of work up and you soon see massive progress. I find if I wait for the perfect time to create that I often need to wait for the weekend to find that time. I previously wrote about the benefits of crafting or working on hobbies.

Now you might ask when I do chores. I am the first to say I absolutely hate ironing with a passion. I try to keep my dishes up to date, as I use an Item I will wash it immediately, then when it is dry, I will pack it away. I do my laundry as soon as possible. So, when I get home in the late afternoon, I immediately do that bundle for the day. That way I wash linen and towels over the weekend. Cooking is another chore that seriously interferes with crafting! I try to at least cook three days’ worth of food at a time. That way I have food for the next day which can merely be heated or freeze it for another day. Quick-ready meals with no added work or time consumption. Another thing I try to do is clean as I go. Put things away after use. Clean up a spill right away, it is easier to keep a tab on things than to let it build up and waste time to get it done. I also take the trash out daily, every morning as I leave for work. Back to ironing. I try to iron as I washed so that it does not pile up either.

Weekly shopping for groceries is done on a Wednesday when most of my planning is done. Or I use one of the delivery applications to deliver the needed groceries to my door. Yes, you do pay for the convenience, but it is not that much and saves my time so I can do something else during that given time. If, however, I need to get something specific, I will go and get it myself.

In a nutshell, everything has a place, and everything is in its place. I guess the secret is a little at a time for everything, as it all adds up and makes it so much more manageable and easier in the long run.

I hope this gives you some insight into my weekly planning and break up of chores to be done and helps you to stretch your minutes. If you have other suggestions, please leave a comment, we can always adjust our ways to something more effective that will save us time in the long run.