Multi-tasking Madness

As I head down the road to Quilt Market, I find myself caught up once again in the crazy world of multi-tasking. With only 11 weeks to go, I always start to panic. I look around at the piles of projects, the lists of tasks, and I tell myself next time I'll be more organized, I'll get things done sooner, blah, blah, blah...and of course it never happens. But this time someone has come to save me and she doesn't even know it!

Beth Ferrier, is an author, designer and a teacher who also writes articles for "American Quilt Retailer" a magazine written for quilt shops and retailers. She also has a blog http://applewd.com/blog/ that I think you'll enjoy. If you've been lucky enough to take one of her classes, or hear one of her lectures you are lucky. This is one smart lady and all of us can take something from her words of wisdom. In the latest issue of "American Quilt Retailer" she's talking about how to become a recovering multi-tasker, something I really want to be!

"Science is telling us that multi-tasking isn't all it's cracked up to be. As many of us have discovered, multi-tasking often just leaves us with more stuff half done. " "Contrary to what we've thought, multi-tasking doesn't get more done, it just makes us look busier. Giving our full attention to the task at hand instead of worrying about the chores to come means not only will we finish sooner, and with fewer mistakes, but we'll remember the pleasure that comes with savoring the fabric of all that we do." Thanks Beth for the wonderful words of advice!

She tells us to enjoy every step of the process of making a quilt. Working on one project at a time doesn't mean you are inefficient, it's a joy! So my advice to all of you is to look around your sewing room and figure out where you should start. Pick one project and finish it! Think of how you will feel when it's done! Enjoy the process. Don't make a list of things you have to finish. Instead just pick one at a time and enjoy completing it.

After reading her article, I stopped all the thousand things I was doing, and paid attention to just one quilt. Finish this one first, I told myself, and then move on. Enjoy the process of design, the wonderful feeling of seeing a quilt design come together, the way the fabric works together to bring harmony to the quilt. This is what it's all about. How easy this is to forget!


It's amazing how efficient and simple this process can be!