Success Strategies for Project Life

This is a guest post from team member Jeryn Carlisi, who uses a traditional photo-a-day approach to Project Life.

If you’re like me you started Project Life in 2012 thinking, “Yeah, this will be easy!” I didn’t have a strategy for completing Project Life, however. I just thought I would have at it and it would get completed. Total fail. This year I’m taking a whole new approach and with a different mindset: strategize and plan for completion along with organize for success.

I have several friends starting Project Life for the first time this year, who I must say, were hesitant to jump on the bandwagon. At first glance it might look daunting, but if you break it down to daily or weekly tasks then it can be much easier to accomplish.

Strategize and Plan for Completion

The first thing you want to do if you’re going to really finish Project Life this year is to sit down and think about several things. This is what I mean by strategize. You need a strategy before you dive in to complete a huge project like this.

Ask yourself these questions:

• What approach do I want to take? Minimal, embellished or overly embellished? I like to think of the last one as the bling option.
• Am I going to do paper, digital or hybrid Project Life? Don’t feel like you need to stick to one or that you can’t change your mind.
• Where am I going to get supplies? How often will I buy new supplies? You can find many free printables linked up on Pinterest.
• What content do I want to include? Consider whether this project will focus on everyday life or the more meaningful stories as well.
• How am I going to keep my daily journaling and pictures organized? More on this below.
• How much time should I set aside each week to work on this? More on this below.

Organize for Success

The second most important thing is to organize yourself and set aside time to work on Project Life each day or week. The one thing I’m doing differently is to get myself organized this year. I cannot stress how important this piece is to ensuring you can complete the project. The more organized you are, the easier this will be for you.

There are several things you can use to keep yourself organized. I purchased the Project Life Logbook from Log Your Memory and I must say that I am loving this so far. I keep this with me in my bag and jot things in it throughout the day. An alternative would be Marcy Penner’s free Project Life planner pages.

Another thing to I use to stay organized is the app, Momento. It’s good for iPhone and iPad users. The best thing about this app is that it integrates with Facebook, Twitter and even Instagram so it keeps one diary of all of your postings and pictures in one place.

Setting aside time to actually do your Project Life pages is as important as how you record your memories. I want to stay involved by doing something each day, whether that’s editing my pictures on my iPhone using the free PS Express app or finding inspiration on Pinterest. I set aside each Sunday to sit down to transfer what’s in my logbook and Momento to my Project Life binder.

The bottom line is this: find what works for you and your schedule but stick to it. Make yourself repeat a mantra each day if you have to, but make sure to stick to your schedule.

I hope that I was able to provide you with some valuable information and useful ideas. Remember: keep the end goal in mind. You can do this! And if you fall behind, don’t worry – now that you’re organized, it’ll be easy for you to catch up.

Are you doing Project Life again or perhaps trying it for the first time? What strategies are you using to plan and organize?