Small Things Add Up
This week, we find ourselves inspired by the challenge to find time for the things we really want to do. This comes from our own obstacles to be able to work on our projects for Pacific MidNorth.
As adults, many of us have our day-to-day responsibilities. Finding time for hobbies and passion projects can prove to be difficult by the time our energy is spent on work, errands and chores. So, how do we work on the things we really enjoy?
Small things add up. Something as small as a 10-15 minute window one or two times a week can add up over time. “But I can’t even set up in that amount of time…”
Valid. Totally valid. This is why preparation is key. Your first few small windows of free time will likely need to be spent planning and preparing. It starts with finding the types of things you can do in a small amount of time, or can break down into steps that you can piece together. By creating a rough draft list of tasks, you can begin to envision how you will spread these out and break them up into bite-size (manageable) pieces. After whittling these down, it’s important to keep a final list that will be easy for you to access. We suggest keeping a copy on your phone (provided you have your phone with you at all times).
Your next step to complete will be planning out what you will need for equipment or supplies in order to complete each task. To further along your preparation, gather and organize these items. For example, if you want to do more photography, you might have a camera bag loaded with your camera, lenses and extra charged batteries. Whether you want to keep this in your vehicle or a quick-grab place in your home will be up to you. We understand safeguarding your valuables, so this may have an impact on where you shoot, but if you plan ahead, it’s still possible to fit in a few minutes here and there. One more example could be knitting projects. Brenda also knits plushy hearts as a passion project. By keeping the yarn, needles, scissors and fill in a tote, she is able to grab the tote, and pull it out any time she has a spare moment for crafting. This has allowed her to knit hundreds of plushy hearts over the last few years even with life’s busyness.
“My projects aren’t getting done fast…”
You’re right. Your projects aren’t meant to be done fast this way. This is simply to help you maintain progress. It’s important to remember that any progress is better than no progress at all. If you’re a perfectionist with high expectations for yourself (like some people here at Pacific MidNorth…), remember to be gentle with yourself. Setting high expectations that are unattainable will lead you to disappointment. However, you can adjust your expectations to reflect what is realistically attainable. Even if things take more time, it really does count that you are doing your best, and you may even be surprised just how much these small amounts of effort add up over time.