5 Ways to Make Time to Work on Your Kids Crafting Club

Posted on Jan 17, 2023

 

Are you feeling overwhelmed and like you have no spare time to work on your kids crafting club?

Many of our members have full-time jobs to run, kids to manage and still want time to hang out with friends and catch up on the latest season of Parenthood. This leaves very little time to work on your creative club.

Lack of time is an issue and makes it tricky to make progress. 

Today I’m going to share with you my 5 tips to make time to work on your kids crafting club.

Watch the video or read the written version below.

When it comes to working smarter and not harder, you know the conventional wisdom: make lists, manage your time, take breaks, get enough sleep, tackle the big projects when you feel the most focused, and the list goes on...

You know all this stuff, but why is it so hard to act on it

And the worst part, we end up feeling guilty about it. And feeling guilty is not a productive emotion to have and it won't get you anywhere. 

What I discovered as a parent of a toddler is that there is a certain twenty-four-hours-a-day intensity to caring for a young kid that makes it hard for me to sometimes think straight. 

I thought I would be a natural when it comes to juggling the needs of my family and managing a kids crafting club, and what I realised is there is no such thing as easy and perfect. 

Sometimes SIMPLE just works.

My son reminded me of this. Henry loves to play in his sandbox. Playing in his sandbox is simple and actually it is pretty perfect when I think about it. It is a box of vibrant imagination, experimentation and child-directed uninterrupted play. 

When I was looking at him through the window as I prepared for this episode, digging and carting sand around to make a huge mountain, placing his dinosaurs on top, I realised that this is the same mindset that we apply to all of our decisions as we grow our crafting club. Just keep it simple!

Now, the great thing about a kids crafting club is that you can manage it around your family’s schedule. You can host classes when your kids are at school and for after-school clubs your kids can join in on the fun!

A study done by Stanford shows that working from home increases productivity by about 13%.

Hearing this you’re probably thinking - yeah right!?

But let me tell you, after working from home for the past couple of years (initially with a baby who’s subsequently turned into a very busy toddler), I’ve learned a few tricks of how to make time.

And then when I have time, how to avoid the endless temptations to make another cup of coffee, do the washing, or get sucked into an endless stream of cute dog videos on Instagram. 

Close your eyes... Imagine your crafting club.

Inhale, smell the paint and crayons, imagine all the excited kids that attend your classes every week. Imagine what kind of impact you want to create.

Does this make you feel excited (perhaps a bit nervous) but mostly excited?

If your answer is yes, then let's do this! Let’s prioritise making time for your kids crafting club and turning your dream into a reality.

Here are some of my working from home tips to keep making progress even when there’s chaos going on around me: 

 1. Time Blocking 

Get a calendar or planner!

Once you start using a calendar to block time out you will start protecting your work time.

Start by blocking out a few hours a week — as much time as you feel comfortable with — to work on something life-changing, YOUR kids crafting club. It really is going to make a difference in finding those little gaps of time when you can work on your business.

Take this seriously, i.e. make sure your family is aware of your time-blocks and respects them.

 2. Set up a designated workspace 

This means you ONLY do work in that space and nothing else. Workspace = work. Everywhere else away from your workspace = play.

This will help you set boundaries for yourself and with your family as well. My 2-year-old knows his boundaries. If I am drinking coffee he will go “shu shu, coffee” and he won't touch my cup. The same goes for my workspace; he will say “mom’s space” or in our first language Afrikaans “mamma s'n” and off he goes. Communicate boundaries with your family. 

 3. Switch off the distractions! 

When you really want to get things done, you have to switch off the distractions.

Let me give you some stats:

The average mobile phone user checks their phone about 150 times per day. So that’s 150 distractions right there.

Did you know it takes nearly 20 to 30 minutes to refocus after you get distracted

So, every time you check your phone (which is about 150 times - yikes!) or feel that urge to just quickly jump onto Facebook, it not only hurts your productivity, but research shows that attention distraction can lead to higher stress, a bad mood, and lower productivity.

So, switching off distractions can be a simple way to get more stuff done. Simple.

 4. Plan one week at a time 

Daily to-do lists can be overwhelming.

Make a weekly list instead of a daily list. This gives you grace and space to make things happen.

For each item, ask yourself 3 questions: 

  • Does it NEED to be done?
  • Does it need to be done by ME?
  • Does it need to be done NOW?

Pick a few important things you want to accomplish this week and focus on those things only. This will make you feel in control and ensure you don’t set unrealistic goals.

This also means that, once you’ve wrapped up your work, you can be fully present with your family to support them and have some fun together.

 5. Get the kids involved 

That is the beauty of running a kids crafting club - you get to practise hosting classes and create with your kids at home. Some of our members are even including their kids in their classes. This is what I love the most about this job; what other career will allow kids to be included in such a fun and creative way?! 

 Let’s do a quick recap of the 5 tips to making time to work on your kids crafting business: 

  1. Block out "work time" in your calendar
  2. Set up a designated workspace
  3. Switch off the distractions! 
  4. Plan one week at a time
  5. Get the kids involved!  

So there you have it! 

Are you ready to put these tips to the test and get started with your club?

Join the waiting list to be the first to know when enrolment to the CCC Academy opens.