Memories Deserve More Than A Shoebox ^TM

Making time to scrapbook

You’ve got the pictures, the supplies, the motivation, and even the ideas. What does seem to be in short supply is one of the most essential elements of scrapbooking---time!!! You are well aware of the large collection of photos that is piling up in your photo drawer. You also know that if you do not tackle it soon, that there is a good possibility that you will never get caught up and the pictures and ideas will only continue to mound up. You keep all of this in mind yet day after day, you cannot seem to make any time to sit down and take any action.

I understand that in reality, it is a bit tough to get the first bit of motivation to set everything aside and begin your scrapbooking. I am also aware that many scrapbookers are mothers, who are responsible for many things such as working, caring for children, cleaning their homes, and caring for the basic transport needs of the entire family. Who has time for scrapbooking in the midst of all of that activity? The point of this article is to help you find time so that you can take the time to preserve your family’s memories for years and years to come.

It’s all in the attitude. Admit it, attitude has a lot to do with the way and reason that we do every single thing that we do. I’m not alluding to the fact that your attitude is bad, only that you are probably not to the point mentally that scrapbooking is one of the main items on your agenda. Quite understandably, however, if that doesn’t change at one time or another, it is likely that you will never begin scrapbooking. No amount of persuasion or talking on my part or anyone else’s for that matter is going to convince you to do it until you make up your mind for yourself.

Don’t be discouraged; you can turn around this way of thinking relatively easily. First of all, do not allow yourself to become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of your collections of photos. If you feel this way often, try dividing them into smaller sections so that you do not feel the necessity to tackle them all at once. Smaller loads are much easier to sit down in front of then are larger ones. Convince yourself today that the only way to remedy the problem of overstocked photo collections is to begin placing them into scrapbooks one at a time in a very methodical way, taking care not to overwhelm yourself. This way, you are more likely to sit down and undertake the task again if you do not overdo it and cause yourself unnecessary stress and frustration.

My next suggestion to you would be to create a to do list. These lists are wonderful ways to remind yourself and even to motivate yourself to accomplish a predetermined set of activities or tasks. I would suggest that you begin with tasks that are a priority or main concern for you personally. Obviously, scrapbooking will not be at the very top of this list, but it is important that you include it somewhere on your list.

Once you have created your to do list, then notate a REASONABLE amount of time to accomplish each task. Setting unreasonable goals can cause you to become frustrated and give up on the list altogether. Rather, determine reasonable goals that you can meet easily without any major inconvenience to your daily routine. You will find that after time, your list will become shorter and shorter-eventually leading you to the portion of your list that includes scrapbooking. Do not overlook it, take the time to do little by little, and soon, you will find yourself in need of more photos!!!