1) Delegate as much as possible around the house. My husband is a great grocery shopper…he finds bargains, uses coupons, and does a far better job than I do. (He recently purchased 40 boxes of Kleenex at our local supermarket for 20 cents a box versus the regular price of about $1.25 - we won’t run out for a while and we saved a lot of money). Guess who is responsible for keeping the fridge and pantry filled? Not me. I have more time to make jewelry.
2) Have projects lined up so when you finish one you’ll have another one ready to go. I use small altoid-sized tins to set up projects in advance. I usually have about a dozen going at once. Spending the time to set up projects in advance will save time when you can sit down to work. It’s also great for traveling as you can just pick up a tin and go.
3) Make sure you always have a good supply of the basics that use you on a regular basis. Nothing is more frustrating than running out of something simple, like crimps, when you are ready to work on a project. As you start running low on a regular item, order more.
4) Put away tools, equipment and supplies when you are finished with them. Have a regular place for everything. You’ll save time if you know your pliers are always in the top drawer of your workbench rather than hunting all over the house for them.
5) Try listening to audible books while working so you kill two birds with one stone - reading and beading! Audible.com is a great source for audible books. I love to read but can’t bead and read at the same time (though I can knit and read at the same time) so I use audible books to get my reading fix. I play them on my iPod while I work.
6) The last but most important tip is to learn to say NO! Don’t commit to anything unless you truly want to do it. Don’t bake cookies for school unless you really want to. Don’t volunteer for that committee unless it is really important to you. Eveything you say yes to means less time for jewelry making. A friend taught me years ago to say to myself “what part of no don’t you understand: N or O”?
Note from Rena:
Thanks, Charlene! These are great ideas for very do-able things that can make a huge difference in creating more time.
I use plastic stacking jewelry trays to keep separate projects organized and ready to work on (although without some sort of cover they’re not portable for traveling).
I like the Altoid tin idea. It’s a great way to recycle these nifty little containers too!
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow those are awesome. I’m getting better at the saying “no” thing. It was hard at first but gets easier! I have to work harder on the putting tools away after I use them. I’m TERRIBLE at that!
Thanks for the tips!
You’ve got some fantastic advice that is applicable for anyone wanting to make time and progress with their art. My girlfriend and I use similar techniques- becasue I am writer my time is much more flexible than hers, and while she does work a day job, is aspiring to become a professional musician. To make time for her to practice and write, i find myself (happily) doing as much of everything as humanly possible, or she won’t have the time to pratice. Much of the art of anything is in making the time to take the time to act upon your creative instincts- Great post = )
Wow Char,
This is great!!!!!!! Thanks for your advice, especially putting away the tools. I sat on a pair of wire cutters and they went right into the fanny.
Ouch.
Elizabeth
The Cable Guy Girl