I’m writing this post after spending seven of the busiest days I’ve had in years. I’ve started a new project that requires regular work hours outside my home. I’m gearing up to teach at Spraguefest next week (so excited!) and we’re finalizing the details on our new home.

It’s all I can do to make sure I get my 8 hours of sleep each night so I don’t get sick.

However, I’m still finding the time. My photo flow isn’t as regular right now but there are things I want to document and remember and photo scans I need to process. The challenge right now is fitting it in. A typical day at my house starts at 6:30 and runs until 10:30pm. It would seem I didn’t have the time. I’m still finding it – here’s how:

Setting Goals with Deadlines – I have a goal to share my extended family photo scans for Christmas – knowing that there is a time limit and knowing what these photos will mean to my sweet family is probably my biggest motivator to finding the time.

Multi-tasking – our family has a few TV shows we watch on Hulu.com every week – during those times I’m watching TV I will also often be tagging and organizing photos.

Sundays – my favorite day of the week. Our family slows down, Troy does most of the cooking and I often can carve out a couple of hours of photo processing. Again most of this time I am multi-tasking, but being able to make progress on my goals while spending time with my kids and Troy makes me happy.

Honestly the biggest catalyst for me getting things done is setting goals with deadlines. I learned this firsthand preparing for my first supply class on my blog back in 2011. That pending deadline  really pushed me to find the time to get it done!

I also know that sometimes we can make things so much more complicated and bigger than they need to be. Setting things up so you can work on files 20 minutes here and there is an incredible tool for making progress in your digital library.

I also recommend taking just 20 minutes each week and reviewing the work you’ve done. Getting digital files organized is a BIG project. Keep yourself motivated by taking time each week to enjoy the work you’re doing. Search for a photo in the photos you’ve tagged. Find some supplies in your organized stash – you’ll start seeing the difference you are making in your creative process!

According to many proverbs time steals, heals, and flies. I believe that we are boats, anchored to the present moment in time – river water and shore moving past us. We measure our progress by the things we accomplish in the present moment – which is over all too quickly.

Finding the time isn’t just about photo organization – it’s about life and priorities. I challenge you to truly take a step back this weekend – take some time to think about life and your goals and priorities. Align your priorities and then assign time accordingly…

Happy Weekend!

Truthfully you will never find the time unless you know your WHY.

Why do you want to get organized? What will it feel like? What will all of this mean to your creative flow? When you know the answer to that you’ll find your how.

There are so many reasons I work on organizing my photos on a regular basis. Here are a few of my WHYs that will hopefully give you a jumpstart to find your own:

• For my creativity – I want to be able to quickly find the images I need when inspiration strikes. When an idea comes or memory flickers I want to quickly be able to find the exact images to tell that story. When a child asks about a family member or their own life at a certain age, I want to be able to find everything that answers that question in seconds. Having an organized library prepares me to be a better memory sharer.

• For my children – I want them to inherit our family photos and memories pre-organized so they can spend more time living, loving and curating their own.

• Have Less, Do Less, Be More – Having an organized library with less photos that more meaningful tell my story, means I have to DO LESS to share and preserve memories which in the end means I get to BE in MORE memories. It’s all about living…

If you really want to find your HOW – get in touch with your WHYs and make a fun little scrapbook page talking about your WHY. Make it your computer desktop image so every time you start it up you are reminded WHY you want to be organized.

Once you find your WHY it will lead you to your HOW. How isn’t as hard as you think – especially when you make it happen in 20 minute pockets of time you can find everyday.

In my next post I’ll be sharing more about HOW to find the time. I’m hoping this week you will work on your WHY and share it in the comments…

Happy Holiday Weekend!

A big part of not getting overwhelmed for me is being smart with my time, knowing my WHY, and consolidating BIG things into little, manageable tasks I can complete in 20 minute segments.

It sounds so simple, but the hardest part is getting started. Today I want to share just one simple thing that has helped me be a little better with my time and that is filling the wait.

How many times a week do you find yourself waiting? Waiting in line at the post office, waiting for the doctor, waiting for a meeting, waiting for a prescription, waiting for your kids…  This little piece of time in your schedule can be powerful.

I learned this last year and continue to use it today.  I had a goal of getting my digital scrapbooking supply catalog organized. Yep, all 50,000 images tagged and organized. The way I did it was to cart my laptop around with me. When I was waiting for my daughter at practice, waiting between basketball games, I would tag and organize a kit or a designer folder. The amazing thing is that these little tidbits of time added up over a few months to be something very tangible and measurable – with them and some other huge blocks of time I was finally organized!

Another time in my life I did this was when my twins were less than a year old. My two youngest were in school so I timed my schedule to feed & change the twins right before school pickup. I actually drove around for a few minutes to get the twins to sleep and then while waiting in the after school pickup line, I used the quiet wait time to journal a few lines on what was happening in our lives. I look back at the crazy busy time in my life and read those journal entries now and I’m so grateful I used that waiting time to do something so meaningful.

The reality is your life is filled with waiting moments that are just ready to be snatched up to snowball into a meaningful accomplishment in your life.

Just a few weeks ago I was waiting at a city council meeting for an hour. The old me would have whipped out my smartphone and played games or checked the news feed on Facebook. Instead I took out my notebook and smart phone and used it to Google references while mapping out a framework of the blog posts and projects I want to do for this blog and newsletter this month.  I waited for over an hour in that meeting until my agenda item and yet I wasn’t frustrated, I was excited!

My challenge to you is to take something with you that you can do in those waiting moments. Snag them while you can. Use them to accomplish things you don’t necessarily want to do during more important time in your day. I can promise you that you will be glad you did.

P.S. Today those sweet little twins I talk about in this post are turning ten – how time flies!  Happy Birthday Emily & Grace!