The Five Day Plan

This plan seems to be working so well for me. I’m surprised at how much I’m enjoying it and how motivated I am to stitch. I’m going to stick with this plan, at least for now, and if anyone wants to join me, I’d love to have you do it. This is how I am doing it . . and it isn’t rocket science. There are so many ways to do everything.

Storage Ottoman:

I have several very inexpensive 15 x 15 x 15 storage ottomans. They have lids so they stack or I can not stack them and prop my feet on them. The project bags, either the plastic ones from Amazon or the ones I make, fit perfectly in these bins. All the projects for any given month are in the bin.

The Projects:

Since all my stitching frames are full, I chose the projects already on frames because the sooner I finish those projects, the sooner I’ll have an empty frame I can fill with something else. I pulled all the project bags for those projects and put them in a separate storage ottoman and I stacked all those frames, with the project already on them, in a closet off the family room. When it’s time to switch to a new project, all I have to do is pull the bag out of the ottoman, grab the frame out of the closet and I’m ready to start stitching. Of course, I have to remember to put the last project back in the bag and put the bag in the ottoman so I’m not having to search for it.

I think having everything right there handy is what’s making this so easy and fun – no searching for the started project, or the floss or the chart.

I make sure that I have extra projects. Most months I can work on six projects, each for five days so I will make sure to have at least eight or ten projects so, in case there’s one I don’t feel like working on, there’s another one I can grab.

Discipline:

Wait . . we’re talking about me. I seem not to understand the meaning of that word! 🙂

I have to stay disciplined. It’s kinda like a diet. Stay on it, don’t cheat. Once you cheat, it’s very hard to get back on the diet. I knew I could probably finish A Sampler for All Seasons if I worked on it two more days but nope . . I’m sticking to the five day plan.

Out of Sight/Out of Mind:

It really is like once I’ve decided on which projects are going into the ottoman, none of the other projects are calling to me. I realize it’s only been 10 days I’ve been doing this but I haven’t even felt tempted to look at the other projects. I hope it stays that way.

The Plan Going Forward:

1. I will make sure I always have at least eight or ten projects in the ottoman.
2. I will not decide ahead of time which project is next – it just has to be something out of the bin.
3. As I finish one, I will add something else – either a new project or another WIP.
4. I can always add stitch alongs or new projects to stitch with friends but those projects will also get the 5 day treatment. I have to know about them ahead of time so I can start them and end them on a regular cycle. Those kinds of things I think I’ll always know in advance and can plan for them.
5. Each cycle will start the 1st of the month so I can easily keep up with when each five day cycle ends. Some months will have 31 days and then . . there’s February. On the months that have 31 days, I can do whatever I want on that 31st day. I think it would be a good day to get upcoming projects, either SALs or projects I plan to stitch with friends . . get those kitted and in the ottoman.
6. If I finish a project in the middle of its five day cycle, I can work on something from the bin – either add one extra day to a couple of projects or spend all the extra time on one project.
7. There will be times when I hardly get any stitching time during a five day cycle. That’s ok . . at the end of five days, I still move on to the next project.

That’s about it . . or at least it’s all I can think of for now.