How to Simplify Scrapbooking in 2024

To simplify scrapbooking is to find what works best for you. We recently asked on our social media channels and inside our scrapbooking membership community: “What worked well in your hobby this year?”

While a few respondents felt discouraged, the vast majority attributed their success (of any scale) to a simpler approach. In this post we’re breaking down how to simplify scrapbooking in 2024 so you hobby feels like it truly works well.

Cultivate a “Simple Scrapper” Mindset

If you tell yourself “I don’t have time to scrapbook,” you will believe it. So often the stories we are telling ourselves about our lives and creative hobbies aren’t completely true. That’s why your mindset should not be overlooked.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably attracted to our more thoughtful approach to scrapbooking. We love pretty things, but what’s under the hood drives fulfillment (and finishing projects). It’s worth the pause to observe what’s real and use that data to move forward.

All that said, try not to stay completely in your head. With photos, stories, and products, scrapbooking has a lot to juggle. That’s why we recommend using a paper or digital “creative hub” to make sure you don’t have to carry around your plans and ideas.

When your hobby is working well, it is also flexible and resilient. There will always be more memories to document, more classes to take, and more Heidi Swapp stamps to play with. Before you consider the more tangible aspects of simplified scrapbooking, see if your mindset could use some TLC.

Choose What Works for You to Simplify Scrapbooking

If you’re a listener of our Scrapbook Your Way podcast, you already know how much we value a personalized approach to scrapbooking. The more you can lean on what works, the easier you’ll be able to identify what doesn’t. In practice, this looks like operating in your comfort zone most of the time to find ease and flow.

“What works” can be specifics of your hobby as well as lifestyle decisions that support doing it. Consider which project formats feel easy to finish, how your aesthetic preferences have changed, and even the type of creative camaraderie that is most motivating. Think about when you most want to create and when you actually have the time available.

Finding your own way to simplify scrapbooking is a bit of an experiment and a puzzle. It takes time and iteration to hone in on the sweet spots that make your hobby feel both fun and functional.

Be Realistic with Your Project Goals

You might be thinking: “That’s all well in good, but I have so much to do!” We get it, but do you really?

Scrapbooking is not a race. It’s a unique hobby that combines a creative outlet with the stories of your life. Anything you create is a win. As Stacy Julian has taught for years, one of the very best ways to simplify your scrapbooking is to let go of any strict definitions of “caught up.”

We love goals, but we also recognize that the season of life you’re in will dictate how much scrapbooking is possible. Like so many other things we’d love to achieve, there are tradeoffs. We can’t do it all.

What you can do is be realistic about the time you have in a week and the major obligations already set for the year ahead. Knowing what you’re working with is core to setting an achievable goal and creating a plan you can actually follow.

Include Accountability in Your Plan to Simplify Scrapbooking

In the responses to our question, we consistently heard that having a time, place, and process for photo management was foundational to feeling good. After all, it’s pretty hard to scrapbook without pictures.

Mindset and accountability are the salt and pepper of simplified scrapbooking. You’ve got to think and act differently to experience a different result. Even the most comprehensive plan is nothing without follow through.

In teaching and supporting thousands of scrapbookers since 2008, we’ve learned that your internal and external accountability systems are what truly make the difference between a hobby that works well and one that feels frustrating.

Consider what is needed for you to have the time, energy, and motivation to scrapbook. What systems, habits, or routines do you need to put in place? How does your personality impact the structure and support you uniquely need to get to the finish line?

You get to ask for what you need. And when you’re looking back on 2024, we’re confident that the support you leaned on will be something that worked well.