We tell ourselves, “Once I’ve got through this, I’ll have more time for myself." Whether it’s a work deadline, a busy family week, or the next medical appointment, we keep telling ourselves that. If we’re not careful, it’s so easy to keep saying that, and when you finally look up, weeks, months or even years have passed.

What about all those things you tell yourself you’d love to do one day? Those things you daydream about when you have a moment to yourself. The very things that end up at the bottom of your to-do list. Those are the things you tell yourself you’ll do when you’ve ticked everything else off.

For years now I’ve said to myself when January comes around, “I’d love to read more books this year." I’d love to grow more in the garden." This is besides all the crafting goals, of course. How many more books have I read? Very few. How much more have I grown in the garden? Barely anything. It’s a good job my raspberries are self-sufficient! Why do I think this is? It’s quite simple really. I haven’t done anything more about achieving these goals besides saying it to myself in January. Would I still like to do these? Absolutely. How likely are they to happen if I keep on going as I am? Very unlikely.

Nothing changes if nothing changes.

That to-do list you’re working on is never-ending. If you put what you want to do at the bottom of it, you’re never going to get there.

Bringing this back to crafting. If you have dreams of one day making yourself a garment to wear, learning a new technique, or finally making a dent in your stash of projects, that is only going to happen if you make a change.

The biggest single recommendation I can give to anyone looking to spend more time crafting is to be more intentional with your time.

What does that actually mean?

To put that into practice, there are some key stages I support people to work through:
Getting clear on what you want to achieve
Breaking it down into smaller pieces
Putting it on the calendar

This looks different for different people and also for the same person at different times.

Sometimes life is so full the only creative outlet you have is searching for ideas for your next project.

Sometimes you have half an hour at the end of a busy day where you’re almost out of energy and need an easy-to-pick-up project
Sometimes you’ve got everything together, ready to do some crafting, but then life happens and the time disappears.

Don’t be hard on yourself if plan A doesn’t work out. Life happens. The important thing is to move your crafting time to the next available point in your calendar; otherwise, it’s in danger of disappearing.

You will find those moments where you can sit down and work on your project. What often surprises people is the momentum that builds once you get started. By showing up and doing what you can, you will make progress. However small it may feel to you at the time. Keep showing up and you will get there. You’ll be able to learn that new technique, finish that project or make a dent in your overflowing stash. Perhaps even all three!

If you would like some help making this change to spend more time crafting, feel free to send me an email at sophie@westplumstudio.co.uk



Sophie is passionate about helping people prioritise their wellbeing. Realising they deserve time and space to explore their creativity.

She offers face-to-face and online workshops, events and courses. Looking beyond the individual workshop to the whole person.

Her aim is to help people spend more time crafting.

Sophie runs West Plum Studio, based in York. Her services are available online and face-to-face across Great Britain.

Find out more about West Plum Studio on the website www.westplumstudio.co.uk and on Instagram @westplumstudio