Indeed...where did it go? I realize that my time management skills have not been very good. I have never been able to accomplish as much as I would like to. It is something I have realized in working with FlyLady. I believe it has something to do with my attitude towards tasks that need to be done. Some I am enthusiastic about, and some, I am not. I could spend hours spinning or knitting, but accomplish little else. Some might call this a balance issue. Some time spent on cleaning, some time spent on exercising, some spent on socializing, not too much on any one thing. I think this is probably a very common problem nowadays. It seems that the more convenience and gadgets we add to our lives, the more we try to squeeze into it. It can become very difficult to slow down. It is for me, anyway.
I have learned, however, that a few minutes here and there do not only add up, but add a great deal of quality and, dare I say, Peace to my life. I can tackle a cluttered area of my house for 15 minutes at a time and whip it into shape with no problem. Some areas may require several 15 minute blocks, but they get done eventually.
In her book 'Respect The Spindle,' Abby Franquemont discusses production spinning with a drop spindle and the mechanics of getting more done. In order to improve your time spinning,. it is helpful to break the act of spinning down into four parts, and time yourself while performing each one: set the spindle in motion, spin a length of yarn, wind onto spindle, and secure the yarn. She points out that eliminating a few seconds of time from each step can yield a significant increase in yardage. She writes:
"Saving seconds here and there may not seem like much, but they can really add up. Using the example of our four basic steps and an average time of 103 seconds, a spinner could complete those steps about 35 times in an hour. If that sequence produces 1 yard of yarn, that's 35 yards in an hour."
She goes on to demonstrate that shaving of a total of 17 seconds, divided over these 4 steps yields an increase to 42 yards per hour. That's nothing to sneeze at. So by implication, shaving off a few minutes or, yes, even seconds, of time from tasks and chores during our day, we can greatly increase what we accomplish.
And the thing is, I keep getting the same message from different places. I recently noticed one of my Ravelry friends has something like 400 + projects. When I asked how she knits that fast, she simply said, "A few minutes here and there all add up."
So it comes down to efficiency, wouldn't you say? Efficiency means skillfulness in avoiding wasted time and effort.
So thanks, Abby and thanks Bruinmom99. I expect to have all this spun up by next week;->
I have learned, however, that a few minutes here and there do not only add up, but add a great deal of quality and, dare I say, Peace to my life. I can tackle a cluttered area of my house for 15 minutes at a time and whip it into shape with no problem. Some areas may require several 15 minute blocks, but they get done eventually.
In her book 'Respect The Spindle,' Abby Franquemont discusses production spinning with a drop spindle and the mechanics of getting more done. In order to improve your time spinning,. it is helpful to break the act of spinning down into four parts, and time yourself while performing each one: set the spindle in motion, spin a length of yarn, wind onto spindle, and secure the yarn. She points out that eliminating a few seconds of time from each step can yield a significant increase in yardage. She writes:
"Saving seconds here and there may not seem like much, but they can really add up. Using the example of our four basic steps and an average time of 103 seconds, a spinner could complete those steps about 35 times in an hour. If that sequence produces 1 yard of yarn, that's 35 yards in an hour."
She goes on to demonstrate that shaving of a total of 17 seconds, divided over these 4 steps yields an increase to 42 yards per hour. That's nothing to sneeze at. So by implication, shaving off a few minutes or, yes, even seconds, of time from tasks and chores during our day, we can greatly increase what we accomplish.
And the thing is, I keep getting the same message from different places. I recently noticed one of my Ravelry friends has something like 400 + projects. When I asked how she knits that fast, she simply said, "A few minutes here and there all add up."
So it comes down to efficiency, wouldn't you say? Efficiency means skillfulness in avoiding wasted time and effort.
So thanks, Abby and thanks Bruinmom99. I expect to have all this spun up by next week;->
