If you’re like us, you really value crafting. And you also have some barriers preventing you from having as much creative joy as you’d like. We are on step 3 of a three-step journey for more crafting joy. If you are just joining us, you may want to read step one and step two first.
The journey to more crafting joy
In step 1 we identified our creative purpose. We crystalized why it brings us so much joy. In step 2 we got clear on our barriers to crafting joy. We put them front and center so we can now address them. Now in step 3, we are ready to make a plan to remove our barriers and experience more crafting joy.
Let's talk about goal setting. It’s a powerful process in which you envision your ideal future and then turn your vision into reality. By knowing precisely what you want to achieve, you’ll know where you have to concentrate your efforts. You'll also be able to quickly spot the distractions that can easily lead you astray.
The method we love is called SMART. This stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. It is well proven in the business world and has been so helpful for us in our own creative journeys.
S – Specific (or Significant).
M – Measurable (or Quantifiable).
A – Attainable (or Action-Oriented).
R – Relevant (or Rewarding).
T – Time-bound (or Trackable).
How it works
Here are some common crafting goals before and after using the SMART framework.
Before— I will overcome my frustrations when I sew.
After— I will spend one hour each week watching YouTube sewing tutorials on basic sewing skills and practice them.
Before— I will find all of my crafting supplies so I can start crafting again.
After— I will gather my supplies from the basement, hall closet and guest bedroom. I will create an organization system to easily locate things and also keep them accessible. I will do this by the end of the month so I can start crafting again next month.
Before— I will make time each week to craft.
After— I will write out my daily schedule and decide what activities I can shorten, skip or delay and replace with three 30 minute craft sessions.
More goal setting tips
Be positive. Express your goals positively. A goal to "learn sewing techniques to increase my confidence" is a much better goal than to "learn sewing techniques to prevent any more dumb mistakes."
Be precise. Set specific goals with dates, times and amounts so that you can measure achievement. This way you'll know exactly when you have achieved the goal and can take complete satisfaction from having achieved it. "I will organize my craft supplies" is not as useful as "I will organize my three sewing drawers by the end of this week."
Set priorities. When you have several goals, give each a priority. This helps you to avoid feeling overwhelmed by having too many goals, and helps to direct your attention to the most important ones.
Write goals down. With documentation you are more likely to hold yourself accountable. It is also easier to reflect back upon your goal and keep improving how you write them.
We hope this 3 step journey will help you, as it has for us. We find it to be so useful in all aspects of our lives. Comment below and let us know. We also want to hear of other methods that have worked for you. Supporting each other, we are all individually stronger.
Happy back-to-crafting!