Breaking the Insanity Cycle

I was wide awake at 1:00 am on Saturday morning.  The house was all asleep and I could not be productive without waking someone.  So I jumped on Facebook and was perusing quilting posts.  I came across the Just Get It Done post about reviewing 2020. Karen Brown started it by asking should she just burn her 2020 bullet journal. That got me thinking.

I turned and looked at my studio and thought something has to change. I haven't used my long arm in almost 2 years.  I didn't have a quilt to go on it and things got piled on it, the studio is a mess and I can't find things, etc.  I have been clearing my sewing desk and stitching from time to time but that has only created more UFO's. I have not been putting fabric up as I buy it.  Lots of things contributing to the mess.

I've been saying for more than a year that I was going to inventory my stash and organize my studio. But I have failed to follow through.  I lacked motivation, I lacked energy and I lacked inspiration. I lacked planning.  There is an old saying the says "Failure to Plan is Planning to Fail"  Is that what I am doing? Am I planning to fail? 

Karen Brown did a video about Bullet Journaling for Quilters & Crafters. After watching the video, I thought "Not for Me".  I am not a journaling person.  I've started to journal several times and just never kept it up.  Plus I don't really plan quilts I sort of let them evolve. So bullet journaling wasn't for me. 

Or is it? If the definition of Insanity is continuing to do the same things and expecting different results, than I am in a cycle of insanity.  Time to break this Cycle.  While I am not a journaling type of person, I like having journals around.  I picked up this one on clearance just last Wednesday.

So in the wee sleepless hours of the morning I started a Bullet Journal.  I didn't really know where to start other than what I would like to accomplish. So I started with 2021 Ideal Achievments. It was just a quick off the top of my head list of what I'd like to achieve this year.  Sort of a jumping off point.  It's at the very front of the journal so I can keep it in the forefront of my mind.  I can always edit or amend it but it is the start of my Quilting Journey this year.

I believe all epic journeys are done in stages.  And My quilting Journey is going to be epic if I can manage to keep it up. So I decided to set monthly goals.  Then break those goals down into weekly segments.  I doubt I will do daily segments but maybe I'll include daily to do lists later on.  Right now I am not sure how much time or energy I will have each day.  I still work full time for a living and my work schedule is kind of all over the place with the pandemic and all that brings.

So the title of my January page is "January's Lofty Plans"  I am still not convinced if this is going to work or if I am going to keep it up.  I'm also not sure how much I will be able to do each evening.  I am going to shoot for 30 minutes on the house, 30 minutes on the studio, and 30 minutes on a project.  So hopefully I will have the energy to commit to an hour and a half each evening. 

I then wrote a page for this week.  What I would like to get accomplished this week. The plans for this week are a little more detailed and I hope to get most of them done.  I do think I have over planned but that is okay.  What doesn't get done gets moved to next week.  

My bullet journal isn't terribly creative.  It's just lists. Plus I am not sure how long I will keep this up.  I am hoping to develop it as a new habit.  Because I really want to break this cycle of insanity.  The clutter, the wasted energy, the wasted time, it all adds to depression and hopelessness. I need to break that cycle.  I need to stop planning to fail.

On a positive note, I got up Saturday morning and started cleaning in my studio.  I continued to clean on Sunday as well.  I still have a long way to go but right now I feel like I can do it. So Maybe there is something to this journaling.

How about you? 

What destructive cycle do you need to break?

Do you have a bullet journal?