December Daily 2010 | Finding Time, Making Time, Trading Time

This being my first year I appreciate all the comments and Ali's words- one story a day. I will focus on that. Thanks everyone!

2 years ago I started the album. Never completed the album itself (so no journaling/pics, etc). Last year I made two albums, one for me and one for my sister. About half the album has journaling. Just need to print and put photos in it. This year, my album is complete and I made it SUPER simple! (Minimized the embellishments to begin with helped a TON!). With my 3 children being a little older, I'm thinking that I will have one of them write a little about they day in THEIR perspective. I think it might add another element to the album so it's not all in my point of view. I think I will even ask my husband to write a few notes down during a weekend day.

I also purchased a HP Photosmart printer (I think it's the same as Ali's actually) and I LOVE the quality of prints it prints out (and I'm a photographer!) So it will be a little easier to print at home. Also I'll being using my Fuji Instax cameras (I have both sizes) and think that will be a fun element in our December Daily album too.

My motto this year is: simple & stress-free.

My favorite way to 'steal' scrapping time is to use the timer, like an above poster said. I usually spend 50 minutes doing chores and when the timer goes off - I spend 10 minutes scrapping. When the timer goes off after ten, I go back to my chores. It is during this time that I steal. I am still thinking and creating in my head while I tackle the mundane. After my chore time is done, I am ready to scrap and know what I want to do. No lost time waffling or 'should I do this or that' - I did that while I was cleaning. After a few hours, the house is caught up and scrapping is accomplished. I can even adapt this during meal prep - once food enters the oven, I might even have 30-40 minutes!

First things first - I'm not going to read all the comments and waist all that time sitting at my computer! Some great ideas though and all have a common theme - make it a priority. DVR the tv shows, catch up after Christmas, use the slow cooker, have help with the house work, let some of the housework go once and awhile, play catch up on the weekends, and block out a set time each night. These are all great ways to make this album fun and make sure it gets done.

I plan on doing most of those things, and I also agree that it's imporant to NOT check out on your workouts. I am in my 12 months now of weight lose and it's so much a part of my life, so don't let that go. Workout at home instead of driving to the gym one night or do a morning workout instead of an evening - whatever is going to give you some extra minutes. I also write all my jounraling in the evening before bed and blocked out the events I knew were going to be occuring ahead of time. Now I'm using post-its to schedule in more events, so that I don't forget to take pictures and write notes.

I also really like the idea of getting a premade album to get you started! Good luck!

There are some great ideas here. Mine was not as much completed daily. I did commit to daily blog entries so the journaling was there and uploaded the associated pictures. I did not do all the assembly each day as I can't really print at home. Instead, I would batch print one day a week (weekend usually) and then do the assembly I had time for that day. If I didn't get to it, it was OK as I had everything on my blog ready to roll when I had the time. I, admittedly, didn't finish my 2009 version until the end of January in a marathon session with my mom, but you know what? It worked fine for me. If you don't blog then maybe committing to the journaling somewhere each day and to figuring out which story you're assigning to that day. If you have two more minutes. Tag the photos you want to use so you're ready to print. You can make it work for you and make it work for the way you work. I am, as you can tell, a believer in this project. Hugs!

I make a schedule and do my best to stick to it. I always pencil in some "me time". I can spend that doing a number of things, but it usually involves being in my craft/scrap room. I figure if I already have my album prepped, which I am almost there, just need to add a few more transparent pages, it would only take me about 30 minutes or so to print off my pictures and write my journaling for a particular day. I can always go back later to add any "extras" to my pages, like embellishments and such. This is my first time actually doing the December Daily, so we will see how it goes once the 1st gets here!

This is the third year I am participating in the DD project. There are 3 things that I do to keep it manageable. First, I do not watch TV. I find that TV sucks up a lot of time in the evening if you let it, and I would rather be creating! Secondly, I did not get down on myself if I could not scrap each day on the day. For example, if we were out for a Christmas party and I did not get to work on my album that evening, I would not let myself stress over it, but continue on with the current day and catch up on the 'missed day' when I had a chance. There were always moments later in the week when I could catch up. Having said that, my third tip is to keep a balance (this one is hard for me) between scrapping and living the moments! I love scrapping so much that I tend to hide away in my craft room instead of spending that precious time with my family playing games or baking or skating! Don't get me wrong, I do participate in these events, but I have also recognized that if I don't make the effort to do something memorable, I will just hide out in my craft room! This year I am going to be intentional and happy with what does get accomplished.

I am a SAHM and I would think I have all the time in the world but I get trapped in the "Well I do that tomorrow" frame of mind. With my DD I take the pictures and have a lined post-it note on the day in my album. I jot doen as I go and print pictures when I can. I am like alot of the commenters that I don't stress to be finished by the first of the year. I still have pictures to add to last years DD because I just go them from my mom at Thanksgiving. I also find it enjoyable to scrap Christmas anytime of the year. It just makes me smile to look at my DD.

I let go of scrapbooking anything else. As a young woman without children my scrapbooking time stays the same but other scrapbooking projects take the back burner. I tend to develop my photos in a bunch and then sit down on a Friday or Saturyay evening and put together a number of days all at once. If I need to I journal during the day in my notebook I keep in my purse.

I'm retired so you think I'd have all the time in the world, which I really do, but blog reading and project dreaming have to get cut back. TV is not part of my life though Netflix is! This year is going to be quite simple with the colored pages cut and the overlays being printed after I use them as a base for a digital photo and story. One photo, one story. Ok maybe some days a couple of small photos and printed at home. I often find I have to make the decision to do rather than think about a project like this. Just do it. Simply and easily.

Oh boy, good question.

I attempted this project a couple years ago and it is still incomplete - something I am not happy about - thinking I will try to finish it at some point but wondering how challenging that will be. We'll see.

This year I was dazzled by Ali's December Daily once again and decided to give it another try. Slowly I gathered supplies and got motivated. Then my twins came down with the flu and strep throat - things were looking grim for my project. However, I decided to just do it - to find the time to get the foundation done - determined to do it before December started. I think that was the downfall of my prior attempt - the season is so busy that I need the foundation done or I won't stand a chance. Happily, this morning, I completed the foundation - it's done and ready to go!! This is HUGE for me.

Here are some of the things I gave up in the process...

1. Sleep - yes, I stayed up late, on more than one occasion, happily cutting, stapling, stitching and compiling.

2. the expectation of perfection... that's a tough one for me - so often I don't ever start something because I get overwhelmed with the details and the quest for perfection. I found myself trying to channel my inner 'Ali' this time around - thinking about how important the story and photos are and how happy I'll be to have a momento of the season. Perfection is over-rated. My pages aren't 'perfect' but I actually like them - a lot!! That's new for me :)

3. Originality... this was another tough one to give up - in the past I have wanted to think outside the box, do something different and amazing - this time I decided to cut myself some slack and follow Ali's cool example. I used the same size, the daily print-outs and transparencies all in a similar fashion. The base is the same but the products are different and kinda cool in their own way. It's my take on Ali's project and it's done - done is big for me right now.

4. TV watching and magazine reading... I actually have a little tv in my studio so instead of kicking my feet up in front of the tv after the kids went to bed I went into the studio and had the tv on in the background. It's amazing that you can work and just listen to the tv and still not really miss the show - just a glance here or there and I still felt connected to a couple of my favourite shows.

5. Fancy meals... this was kind of a no-brainer since we were under-the-weather - I made a few big pots of yummy chicken and wild rice soup, and had lots of simple egg based dinners. Also got my husband involved in some of the prep.

6. Scheduled housework etc... just decided to let go here and get things done as they needed to be done and catch up when I can on the stuff that is pending.

I think that the things I've given up or shifted around priority-wise will likely be the same throughout December. I'm just really wanted to get the stories down this time - really want something that we can cherish and enjoy looking back on. I've missed documenting so many things - I'm gonna change that this year :)

The most important thing to remember is it's suppose to be fun! Does it really matter if it's not finished until April? That's when I managed mine. The most important thing is make notes - you won't remember which picture you wanted where or what you did each day. I use post-it notes all over my album and put more detailed notes in my diary - that way you will remember in February all the details you wanted to include. Find somewhere you can leave everything out so you can grab 10 mins and not spend that time digging everything out. The album is for you and your family - it doesn't need to be perfect - it's more important to finish it than it be a work of art. I really hope you find the time and enjoy the process rather than worrying about it.

I think what we have to trade is the idea of perfection, which has been Ali's mantra from the beginning. It is not an easy thing to do but is absolutely essential. It takes a lot of time and effort to create some of the examples of DDs that we may have seen. We may not have the time or resources to do the activities that others have captured on their pages. With so many beautifully photoshopped visions on blogs and websites of what others do at Holiday time,it is easy to become overwhelmed. We may second guess our efforts and wonder if what we are doing is good or enough. So what I find most helpful is to try to get rid of preconceived ideas and find my own balance. My DDs are not "design team" quality but they do tell my story...as imperfect and simple as it may be. And I'm OK with that.

my kids are 3, 2 and 4 months. they nap at the same time (i've worked hard to make that happen) so sometimes i scrap during nap time. or after bedtime (though i'm usually too tired then). my craft space is in their play room (separated by a picket fence attached to the wall and floor) so i can also work while my kids play and i can still watch over them and participate in some of their games. i'll admit - when i'm in a creative spurt, my house suffers. it's not as clean (though it's almost always tidy) as it could be. and the laundry often goes unfolded for days on end. but getting that time for me goes a LONG way! additionally, i try to limit errands to one day each week or two and i limit trips to the grocery store. if i menu plan, i can prep food stuffs and have a good meal on the table even when i'm really creative and spend lots of time in my space! finally, FREEZER MEALS... try a book like Fix Freeze Feast - you make one meal for today and 2 more for in your freezer. you do all the prep work once (which takes more time) but then you have multiple meals ready to go (so it takes LESS time later). LOVE that book!

I love this project so much I rearrange a lot of our life for December!

1. I don't have a TV in the house, so we automatically save time.
2. I make a dinner menu for the month. Knowing what we are eating frees up time for us.
3. This year I finished my shopping/minimized my shopping in November. Now I just need to wrap.
4. I am not going to sweat finishing by 12.31. I'll work as I can, document what I can. TAKE A LOT of photos. SOmetimes my photos are enough to jog my memory if I find myself needing to finish pages in July or August ;)
5. Ok...this is extreme. I've cut back my work schedule as much as we could. With a 5 year old in the house I want this month to be about the memories we make with him. I feel so fortunate to be able to do this. (choosing #4 makes it easier).
6. Be okay if I skip a day or two. The last two years I've had days I simply leave out of the book and the Daily December Police never showed up at my door to arrest me ;)

I think the biggest thing I'll be trading, time wise, is TV time. Being Digi, this album won't take that long to put together.

But, I also think there's another trade-off- one of expectations. I'm not going to worry about perfection. I'm going to concentrate on getting things documented- imperfectly or not. I.e. I'm not going to stress over the way a particular page comes together or making sure the words are just right. But, it might also be expectations in how much you do the DD or perhaps expectations for what you'll do for housekeeping or holidays or anywhere else you might be able to adjust.

Each night when the kids are in bed (they always are in bed around seven o'clock) I get into my scrap-room and make time to scrap (usualy about two hours before i get into bed myself).
I hardly watch tv. So this coming december i will do the same as always but now i will be making the spreads for my december daily.

I completed last year's book in the month of January. I find the holiday hangover is much more manageable with a good project. I kept a short diary of the day's activities, which I wrote down every night before bed. I kept all my papers and trinkets in a box so all the items would be easy to find after the hurricane of the holiday season. The foundation of the book was cut out early, and I have all the papers cut and ready in the box for this year too. In January, I organized all the photos and had them printed and delivered to my house. I set a date to be done the last day of the month and then went to town on the book. I had a blast and found it much more relaxing since the holiday was over. Plus, it was nice to relive the season as I leafed through the box of goodies I had collected and put it all together to create my book.

Honestly, I give up a little here and there on my household chores to squeak in a layout for the day. My thought is that down the road I won't remember the load of laundry that waited to be folded as much as I'll appreciate the layout that took its place in my schedule. Sleep is also next on the list. But, I keep the pages simple, print my photos at home, and journal by hand. This keeps my creative metabolism going. If the day allows, I work on a layout throughout the day. Print my photos while I'm waiting for something in the microwave for example, journal (long or short) during any moment that pops up, and enjoy the process. Having a preschooler in the house really teaches you to stop and enjoy the experience of things - I am so thankful for this. This is my most important goal with this album. And he anticipates the completion of each page capturing the story or our magical holiday.

I tend to do a page a day because getting behind tends to lead to procrastination for me. And, it's easier for me to find a small piece of free-time in my day than a larger time slot to finish many layouts.

This year, I'm going to see if my husband will do some of the journaling. It would be nice to have another voice in the album and the help wouldn't hurt either. :)

December is almost here. One more check that I have all that I need for this special little album. Then, start your engines. :)

Okay - I haven't read ALL of the comments, but I'm going to go out on a limb & be honest here.... Dinner might be late. I might "forget" to make my bed one day. A laundry load might sit a little longer than necessary. Do you get the idea? Those things will all still be there when my December Daily project is done. A wise person once said to me, "You'll always find time to do the things you REALLY WANT to do!" I think what she meant was that if you really WANT to do something, you'll do it, and the rest of life will fall into place around it. GO FOR the December Daily idea -- and don't have guilt if some of the routine things don't get done on the same time schedule. Just ALLOW yourself to have fun with it! {Oh my - did that sound like PREACHING?" It wasn't meant to be. I "said" it with a light heart, and a smile on my face =) } Have fun everyone! I'm looking forward to seeing some finished pages!