Supplies: Kraft paper, Stephanie2; alpha, frame, paper, Rachel Young; font JP’s Hand Slanted

One of the freedoms that digital scrapping gave me was to scrap what I want, when I want and not constantly feel “behind”.  Even with that revelation though, I still wish I could get more scrapped than I do.  I’m sure you can relate…maybe just a little? I have a few tips I have learned over the years that have helped me to make the best use of my scrapping time.  I would like to share a few of those with you today. Then, I will ask you to email anything you have discovered that helps you “get it done” for a future post!

Remember that your scrapbooks are a journey not a destination!! Take time to enjoy the process of preserving these memories!  One of the things that I love most about scrapbooking is that we can enjoy the moments and memories the first time they happen, again while we are scrapping them, and then each time we look through our albums.  If we are enjoying our lives, we will most likely never be “caught up” because for each memory we scrap, there is another memory being made…and that is a GOOD THING!!

When you have some time to scrap, shut your email, close your internet browser, and then keep them CLOSED!! Resist the temptation to hurry and check email, or buy that one kit.   When I started doing this, I was shocked at how much more productive I was during my scrapping time!  Remember that scrapping time is precious and needs to be used for SCRAPPING (haha)!

Schedule time to scrap. I have done this many different ways.  When I first started digital, I had an online friend (that soon became a IRL friend) and we would IM and scrap every Saturday night.  It was fun to show each other layouts as we were working on them.

I have also scheduled scrap weekends away from home that proved to be very productive!  I have a childhood friend that has gone digital and she schedules one Friday a month with her girlfriends (that are all digital too) and go to her mom’s house to scrap.  This way, there are no kids and they can stay and scrap as late as they want.

If it is impossible for you to get big chunks of time to scrap, then give yourself a reward at the end of the day or during nap time and scrap for 30 minutes or an hour.  One of the beautiful things about digital is that you can start a layout and keep it open on your desktop, stealing a few minutes here or there to work on it.

Start a “Ready to Scrap” folder. There are times when I might have time to scrap, but I’m not really feeling like it…my mojo is gone for one reason or another.  Instead of forcing it, it will work on my “ready to scrap” folder.  I create a 12×12 canvas and then pull the photos, papers, and embellies that I want to use for a layout onto the canvas.  I usually make note in a text box, what supplies are there, and then save it as a PSD file inside of my “ready to scrap” folder.  Then, when I have big chunks of time (like my weekend retreats) I can just go to that folder and not waste time figuring out what photos and supplies I want to use.  This is one of the best time saving techniques I have used.

Don’t use every photo you take. Give yourself permission to scrap a one or two-page layout of an event and that’s all…nothing more.  It really is okay!  I am one that hates scrapping events (birthdays and holidays especially), but I know those will be important to my kids someday.  Some of my very favorite layouts have been ones where I put as many pictures as I tastefully can from one event and then journal about what happened.

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Some of these tips might be ones that you already use, but I’m sure you might have others that have helped you GET IT DONE!!  If you do have some tips, then  email me at steph@thedailydigi.com and I will share your tips with our readers in future post!

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