Hi, all!
Another week of staying close to home has passed - how are you all doing? It still feels weird, but as it's the new normal for most of us, we need to make the best of it! It seems like I am busier than ever, but surely that can't be so - after all, I'm spending more time at home, not less, right?
I don't really feel like making a list (again!) this week, but this does seem like a good time to talk about a good way to make good use of your time. After hearing today that we are looking at probably at least two more weeks of our new "normal", I recalled that old saying that if you do something for two weeks, it can become a habit. I don't know if that's true, but here are some suggestions for things you could do for the next two weeks to build a good habit...
Read a book! And while doing it (weather permitting) get outside and get some fresh air and sunshine. Maybe you are already an avid reader? Try branching out to a different kind of book. Learn a new skill. Read a biography of someone you admire. Do it a little bit every day! And if you crave social connection, get a bunch of friends involved. Choose a book to read together. Set up a private Facebook page to discuss what you are reading, or communicate via phone, text, Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, or yelling at each other across the fence! (Six feet away, please!)
 |
| Victoria Findlay Wolfe's studio - isn't it gorgeous? |
Organize your quilt studio! And while it can be a daunting task, you can follow the 30-minute rule over the next two weeks to make a good dent in it. Set a 30-minute timer (hello, Alexa, my new BFF!), choose a task, and work on it for 30 minutes. Maybe it's to sort your fabric by color, or press or cut up scraps, or just to pick up the piles on the floor and put them away - but whatever you do, if you do it for 30 minutes a day for the next two weeks, you'll be amazed at the difference it makes!
And speaking of your studio, do you (like me!) have large piles of batting scraps cluttering up your space? (Oh the shame of it!) So spend 30 minutes a day making frankenbatting! Concentrate on building pieces large enough for your common size of quilt - for me that would be about 64" square - and then you can have a stack of ready-made batts instead of a pile of useless bits and pieces! Or if you have a stack of UFO's sitting there ready to quilt, make batts specifically for those - and get them done!
Have you always wanted to learn how to do yoga or tai chi? Well, here's your opportunity! Find a YouTube video or TV class and jump right in. With social distancing, at least you won't have to worry about looking silly in front of others, and it really is a great way to exercise. You wouldn't think that something so low key would tone your muscles, but it does! Bonus points for doing it outside and soaking up some good Vitamin D and fresh air!
Get organized! Once again, that 30-minute timer is key. Don't try to do it all at once, or you will burn out! I have started adding this to my Monday morning list (the day I do household chores, like laundry, shopping, paying bills, etc.). The entry on my list says: "Organize one area of new house - 30 minute timer". This week I worked on the laundry room, spending 30 minutes moving things from where they landed when we moved to places that were more convenient for their purpose. Some things left the room, others were brought in. And at the end of 30 minutes, I had a much more functional room! Maybe there are things in your junk drawer that haven't seen the light of day for years (I found a pacifier in mine, and my youngest granddaughter turns 8 this week!) or your hall closet is a stuff-catcher. Whatever it is, 30 minutes could turn it around!
So find something to do with your enforced time at home so that you can look back on the Great Coronacation of 2020 and say, "Oh yes, that's when I read that great book/took up yoga/organized my life/made lifelong memories."
Now I really want to know - - - what are YOU doing with your time these days?
Hugs!
Sarah
