A Stitch in Time Saves Nine

I thought I had a handle on my monthly deadlines and schedules. It seems I was sadly mistaken! Whether you make your living by working at home, like I do, or work in an office, it is so very important to have tasks scheduled so they get done before they are due. This is not rocket science! When I worked in an office, it worked flawlessly most of the time. Working at home is a whole new world!

Most of my work revolves around machine embroidery designs and embroidery quilting. While neither can be described as a quick and easy task, I have set my schedule to allow me to get as much work done as possible without driving myself crazy or finding that I’m spending too much time at my desk or in the sewing room. Balance is definitely the key.

I had a spurt of energy and inspiration at the turn of the New Year, and my new schedule shows it. I had become convinced that I could do more embroidery designs and spend more time making quilts than I had been. After all, years ago, I would spend eight hours in my sewing room, making quilts, and never thought about it. It was my weekend sewing time. Household chores got done during the week, in the evenings after returning home from the office.

Now that I work at home, I feel a bit of guilt for spending so much time doing what used to be my weekend pleasure. Even though it is my job, making quilts and digitizing embroidery designs is so pleasurable, that it still doesn’t feel like work, even after several years.

Last year, I would really hustle to get my deadlines met at the end of each month. The last week of the month was spent meeting obligations, while the first week of the next month was spent in answering questions and fixing any mistakes made the previous month. The middle weeks were mine to do as I wished. Generally, I didn’t work as efficiently as I should have.

Recognizing that I should have been using the middle weeks to actually get my work done, I changed up my schedule. Guess what? It actually works! Imagine that!

Now, I meet my monthly obligations a couple of days early and use the last days of the month to do follow-up. With embroidery, this means making sure everything is listed accurately. With the quilt embroidery, it means answering questions and, possibly, revising my work.

I then let myself enjoy a few days of leisure, which usually involves some sort of work because I truly do enjoy it. This also gives me a break between one deadline’s work and the next, which is important because each month is a different project. Keeping fresh is key!

I now spend the middle weeks doing my work, wandering between making quilts and digitizing machine embroidery designs as I feel the need to do so. Since what I do is art/creative, it is easier to accomplish my goals if I don’t force it. As long as I meet my goals, nothing else matters.

In an office setting, that isn’t always true. But, you still have some flexibility to schedule your time to use it most efficiently. I tried several schedules until I reached this one that seems to work for me; changed it if I saw an area for improvement.

You can do this, too! Your boss will honestly appreciate a motivated, organized employee who meets deadlines ahead of time. They might persist in wanting you to do certain things at certain times, but you can show them the light! Just tell them you’re making quilts.

If nothing else, it will confuse them and they will go away!