What is your low hanging fruit?
I my previous job, we always used this weird phrase: “tackle the low hanging fruit”. What this means is to start with the most possible, realistic goals and tasks first. This virtually guarantees success and gives you momentum to keep reaching higher.
This can certainly be applied to scrapbooking as we often struggle with the recurring question: what should I scrap next?
Instead of agonizing over which memory is more important or what needs to get done, this approach helps you get something done now. You can select the page or project you’re ready to do, the one where you have the supplies and the photos and it just needs some time. Then, you can use this energy and enthusiasm to carry over into your next memory keeping endeavor!
Let’s discuss how YOU decide what to scrap! Do you keep a list? Do you have works-in-progress? Do you scrap in a certain order? Give it to me straight!
Since I have so many things I want to eventually scrap a lot of times I begin with whatever products or papers I have in my stash that inspire me. Then I’ll look for pictures that coordinate with it. That might sound backwards to many but it works for me!
I keep a list of current projects – pages that need done in certain albums and photos that need to be reviewed. Sometimes I bounce back and forth between a couple of different projects on the list – but hopefully that means they will all finish up about the same time!
I keep an “inspirations folders” under each persons name that I scrap for. When I’m browsing the web and I find a layout I love something about, I copy and paste it into one of the family members folders. Sometimes I love the entire layout, sometimes just the alpha, word art, or just a piece. I’ve included a list of layout’s I’d eventually like to scrap like for birthdays or special events. I also collect quickpages. So when I go to create a page I head into the inspiration folder, pull all the pieces out that I think work together. Assemble them and add final touches. The pages usually just finish themselves.
I dont have a method. I cant wait to see what everyone else says!
I have a picture box with pictures grouped by activity/time/event/etc. that I will want to scrap them. I’ve also recently put a lot of my pictures that tell the same story into divided page protectors and put them in my albums next to layouts that are related to the same story/activity/event/etc. I’ve left a few spots blank so I can decorate or journal on them. I scrap whatever I feel like but everything goes into the appropriate book(college, us, family) chronologically. So, I’ve also taken pictures that I know I want for a specific layout, put them in a page protector and even thrown in a sketch here and there. When I want to scrap I can start fresh from my picture box or I can open up a book and work on pictures/divided page protectors from there. I keep print outs of current sketches so I have a starting point as well. Sheesh that was long! Sorry!
I have a folder on my desktop called “scrap me.” It’s where I download pix from my daughters’ Facebook albums or their Flickr albums. I browse this folder when I don’t want to work on one of my more formal projects. The thing that’s interesting about it is that sometimes I see patterns or common threads between unrelated photos and I can do a comparison layout (which I sometimes think is more interesting than a lot of one-page cute photo layouts)
Not that I would exactly label this method “organization,” mind you 😉
GREAT idea!
My digital pics are organized chronologically in folders so it’s easy to find them when I’m motivated to scrap a certain holiday, trip or even just a day when I took a lot of pics. I’m doing P365 this year so that has been my focus but I do tend to do whatever strikes me at the time. I have a couple of vacations I want to scrap but I haven’t quite had the desire to do it yet.
Sometimes I’ll see a kit or QP and KNOW right then exactly how I could use it so that will get me scrapping.
I have made folders for specific groupings of pics for the day that I decide to scrap them.
I will browse my fav galleries, I use the “favorites” options and collect ideas that inspire me. Sometimes just seeing another person’s LO will get me to scrap b/c I want to lift it.
So I guess you could say I have no ONE method but lots of little things I do to help me get scrapping.
Mostly I’m like you, a lot of different sources of inspiration. Also I have a “strange” habit: there’s photos that I love so much, that I scrap them again and again in different styles and settings. I guess I’m still searching their “perfect” page to settle down. LOL
What an excellent topic! I typically scrap where the latest batch of photos takes me — but I am finding that a lot of my stories are going untold. So this week I’ve been discussing storytelling over on my blog. Lots of ways to think about our stories — love talking about this! Thanks!
I mostly scrap recent photos, so I will just scan through the last month or so and pick which ones inspire me. I also keep a folder of photos that I have specifically marked for scrapping.
Sometimes I will work on a layout and it just doesn’t come together. Often I will just delete it, but sometimes I will leave it for a while. I recently went back to a few of these in-progess layout and finished them up.
Lately I feel as if I haven’t accomplished anything. The truth is I am keeping up with my 365 project and recently moved my blog and am trying to find a comfort level with it. I am at a loss and somewhat overwhelmed by WHAT to scrap as there is so much. The stories are being kept on a list and it is growing longer while the pages aren’t being done.
Great subject – one of main decision is to set up theme projects. I am scrapping 11 grandchildren albums and usually start from most current photos – put them in a file and find something else fun to do. I really don’t like to scrap in order because I lose the “fun” of it all! I have decided that instead of feeling pushed about this, I will enjoy it and the albums will get done when they get done (either I go to be with the Lord) or one gets finished. No problem…I already told them all that this is my life’s end project and honestly it relieves me of pressure.