Some of my quilting buddies were relating their cautionary tales of expecting too much of themselves during the holidays, especially when it comes to making gifts for friends and family. I thought it might be fun to give each other a gift of time – say, an hour – to help sort out fabric or cut patterns or whatever. Luckily, I kept my mouth shut. Why put more of a burden on people with already slammed schedules when we can give ourselves that same gift? I realized if I reframed my usual New Year’s Project List (which was a reframing of New Year’s Resolutions), I might be able to accomplish more. Instead of challenging myself to finish a certain number of projects in 2022 (which I may do anyway around Ground Hog’s Day just to keep me on my toes), I’m giving myself the gift of 1 hour a month to do prep work/tidying/planning without worrying about my deadlines. I may not use the hour all at once. I may start out giving myself 15 minutes a week just to clear out some clutter (because there will be extra clutter after the holidays, don’t you know). The point is, this is a gift. I don’t need to feel guilty about using my gift. I can actually look forward to clearing out at least one drawer in the sewing room, because the time is a present I gave myself.
Luck and wisdom!
Lani Longshore's Blog 