It's in the media. Everywhere you look, they're talking about it. Self-care. (insert dooming sound here). The media tell us that it's about getting a massage, a manicure, getting your hair done, going to the spa or sipping a mai tai on a Hawaiian beach. In short, anything that involves pampering and costs money. But in reality, self-care is much simpler than that.
It's about doing little things that make your life better, more fun, or more exciting. It can be as simple as making your morning coffee in your favorite pot, having chocolate for dessert, or knitting with that prized yarn that cost you a fortune but has been in your stash for ages.
It feels like in the last decades, we let go of self-care to pursue financial wealth, achievement, success. Climbing the corporate ladder, making more money, working harder, longer, forever. And for what?
In the past months, some events happened in my personal life that made me realize how short and precarious life is. I am physically healthy. I'm still (relatively) young and possess all my capabilities. But what is a life if the only things you do are a bunch of endless, joyless chores? What's the purpose of working harder longer, forever, of being more productive when you're putting your health and well-being on the line for organizations that wouldn't hesitate to fire you on the spot? Is it worth it?
We only have this one, crazy life. What are YOU gonna do with YOUR one life? We shouldn't have to wait until retirement to have free time to self-care. It should be an ongoing part of every day. How can we bring back joy in our life, right now?
Let's focus on what we can do to enjoy this one life. What are your interests or likes? What do you wish to achieve? How can you incorporate self-care every day into your life? And not just for 5 minutes.
If you're reading this, I assume you're a crafter, possibly a knitter or crocheter. So, let's focus on our crafting, shall we?
What is it in your crafting life that you want to accomplish? What is important to you, and what brings you joy?
I recently finished my green sweater, that had been in my WIPs for YEARS (pre-pandemic. Yes, I know it's been a while). It turned out much better than I anticipated. I'm ready to cast on a new project, but before I jump into something new, I want to be more intentional with my knitting.
Which project will bring me the most joy? Which yarns do I yearn to work with?
In the business world, we talk about maximizing and optimizing ROAS (Return on Ad Spent) and ROI (Return on Investment). How can I maximize my JOTS (Joy on Time Spent)?
What I've found out, is that contrary to the business world, maximizing my JOTS has nothing to do with being the most productive, most efficient, fastest knitter, or using the cheapest or even most expensive yarn.
It all boils down to being intentional with the projects I'm working on. That's something I want to practice moving forward. I want to be more intentional with each of the projects I'm working on. And I want to bring this with me in every type of craft I'm doing, whether knitting, crocheting, quilting, baking, or sewing.
In the knitting world, it can translate as taking the time to go through my stash and let the yarn speak to me as to what it wants to become. Reorganizing my stash so I don't feel overwhelmed by its size and expansiveness. Maybe even destashing the yarns that don't bring me joy anymore (hello, Marie Kondo).
It's browsing Ravelry and other pattern sites just for fun, to let inspiration flow. It's not casting on straight away, but letting the idea of a project simmer for a couple of hours or days before jumping in. It's as simple as asking myself: is this project what I want to work on RIGHT now?
It's also about being intentional with the tools I'm working on. It's selecting my favorite stitch marker as the beginning of row/round marker (hint: these days I'm all about my new austrian crystal stitch markers 😍). Using a sparkling progress keeper I long to stare at, or one that will make me smile. Storing projects in pretty, hand-sewn project bags instead of old, crumpled plastic storage bags.
And all of this has nothing to do with being efficient and a fast-paced overachiever, on the contrary. It's about taking it slow, and taking it slow is what lets me maximize my JOTS, because true joy is in the process, in being intentional in the process of our crafting.
How about you? How can you maximize your JOTS?
Keep on crafting, my friends.