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Staying on top of MOC

littlekiwi

littlekiwi

I charge by the hour for anything before noon
Joined
Jan 21, 2012
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How do you all stay on top of the challenges? - one week in and I've only completed two challenges. Going into it I knew the first week or ten days I'd have more time because of no job search stuff to do but honestly thought I'd be further along than I am but I am a fairly slow scrapper who mainly scraps at night due my current energy levels.
 
I schedule it in.
Right now, I schedule it in at night. So, at 9pm it's my time to scrap.
However, I start earlier! I read the challenge when it's posted, and think about it. I'll think about the photo I want to use, and the kit I want to use. If I have a chance earlier in the day, I'll grab the photo and get it ready. So, today, after reading about the dispersion technique, I figured I'd want an action photo. Then I thought about doing a rainy day photo. In the end, as I was grabbing a photo a different one came to mind and I used it.

For me, the photo and kit are the part that take the most work! So I try to get going on those quickly even if it's just in my mind.
 
I guess my biggest issue is my layouts take 2-3 hours at the moment so doing one a night is about all I can manage unless I scrap til 2-3 am. Hopefully there are some simple ones where I can bang out a few in a row to catch up
 
I look early in the morning or late at night before I go to bed, and then think about it a while. I think of a picture/s and then a kit.

Today’s? It killed me. I worked on it all day long - at least 4 hours in the chair and I did not get it. I figured out how to liquify and use the brushes, but I never did figure out the stipple effect. Hopefully mine will pass the test.

I just plan for it like my
Housework or homeschooling my kiddo.
 
yeah i’m not looking forward to day 6, for starters I need to take a photo for it to work I think
 
I am glad the dispersion one was on a Saturday and doubly glad that so far all challenges were posted in the morning (my morning, that is). So I had time to think about it during the day and made the page after dinner.
Saturday I spent the morning doing the page and today I did the same.
I told my family what is coming in January so they don't expect elaborate dinners etc. I usually scrap every evening for at least an hour, so I just fit MOC in then and put everything else on hold.
 
Last year what worked for me was not having any vacations. Just kidding. But that is what has made me behind this week. I’m away from home for 8 days. I scrap on an iMac with PS CC so I’m 3000 miles away from my usual setup. My husband has his laptop with him, with PS CS2 on it, so I brought along a 124Gb flash drive with lots of photos and TLP stash on it. Unfortunately, I found it more trouble to figure out than I want to deal with on vacation. So I’ll be scrapping at least 2 pages per day when I’m home next week.

Aside from scheduling yourself time as others have suggested (which I don’t do; I just scrap as early in the day as I can and try not to get more than a day behind) have you considered simplifying your scrapping and lowering your standard a little bit? It’s not a waste of time if you dislike a page because you can always come back to it and revise it. Do what needs to be done for the requirements and call it “done for now.”

Most of all, keep trying! :cheer
 
Definitely checking on the challenges as they are posted and thinking about what I might do. I do try to find a template, photo, or develop and idea for each day's challenge even if I can't get to that day. It is definitely a challenge. I'm typically a slow scrapper myself, but I look for easy, simple templates for some challenges. I also really love using the pre-made borders from Just Jaimee and Little Butterfly Wings, they can add a touch of embellishment very quickly.
 
I agree that checking the challenge and thinking about it while doing other things is giving me a head start. I had my first week of January off so that helped. I’m a little scared about the deadline being in the middle of a very busy workweek though. Normally I use the weekends to catch up but that’s not gonna be a possibility then.
Anyway, I find that MOC motivates me a lot so I actually feel like scrapping every day. Also not having to care about kids or other family members as I’m single probably helps. :)
And, yes, sometimes you have to accept a page you created as done even though you don’t love it. Not every challenge will be “yours” so just finishing it is enough.
 
I'm an early riser so I generally scrap my layout in the early morning hours before the rest of the house wakes up.
 
I agree with the ones above. I never thought I'd be able to scrap more than one page a day but last year I didn't start my actual scrapping until mid-way through the month (though I had thought about the challenges and made a few notes) and I managed to finish by the deadline. What I found helped me scrap faster is to simplify what I can - I use templates and actions for my shadows. That speeds things up so much! Also, keeping to one kit is quicker, though I rarely do that :). The perfectionist part of me has learned to let it go and don't fuss too much. I don't schedule scrap time, either, but that's probably a great plan!
 
michelepixels said:
Aside from scheduling yourself time as others have suggested (which I don’t do; I just scrap as early in the day as I can and try not to get more than a day behind) have you considered simplifying your scrapping and lowering your standard a little bit? It’s not a waste of time if you dislike a page because you can always come back to it and revise it. Do what needs to be done for the requirements and call it “done for now.”
Click to expand...

Other than scrapping early in the day, this is so me. I learned after year one to just do what needed to be done and post it. Overthinking it just wasted time and perfection was not my goal, finishing was/is. I can perfect later :) But, I do have to say, I don't think I have ever changed one. I can look back on each one as a learning experience even if it wasn't my particular "thing". There are even a few that have given me a good laugh! Nothing wrong with playing around and just having a little fun!

As for scheduling... I work full time (other than the last couple of days that we had off for cold weather), which was one of the reasons I didn't attempt MOC the first year. But, I usually read the challenge in the morning, think about it throughout the day, and then scrap as soon as I walk through the door. I'm a pretty quick scrapper, so that helps. I do not like to get behind, but there was one last year that I put off until the last minute because I couldn't get it to come together. I'm currently procrastinating on doing today's because I am not good with lots of photos LOL But I'm going to whip one up real quick and call it a day :)
 
For me, I find I have to scrap it daily or I'll procrastinate and let it pile up (ie: not finish). So every night before I go to bed, I make sure the challenge is complete and I can start fresh the next day. If I miss a day (oh I hope not), I'll try my best to make it up on the weekend when I have help around the house from the kiddos and my husband.

Good luck. You can do this! I know you can! <3
 
I almost always miss a day or two during the week because I'm busy until bedtime, so I usually use the weekend to catch up. Thankfully we don't have a lot going on in January, so I'm home most of the time on the weekends. :) We did go skiing this weekend though and I was kinda torn between being excited to go skiing and thinking about not getting caught up. Lol!
 
littlekiwi said:
How do you all stay on top of the challenges? - one week in and I've only completed two challenges. Going into it I knew the first week or ten days I'd have more time because of no job search stuff to do but honestly thought I'd be further along than I am but I am a fairly slow scrapper who mainly scraps at night due my current energy levels.
Click to expand...
Scrap while you are having morning coffee upon getting up if you have an hour. That is what I do.. I start with my PC and look at my mail then TLP for the challenge then make the page. I get up early so even when I worked and did the MOC challenges I did that too! Good luck!
 
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Im trying to do a little every night and catch up at the weekend. Its funny the vision board one I was super excited about and it has me stumped! I just cant seem to scrap it, other than that one I got all caught up this weekend, I just told DH he had to look after our son whilst I scrapped :) (and yes I totally ended up running backwards and forwards from my computer for my son but meh it was worth it)
 
I'm not on top of things, but what I'm trying to do is to keep my scrapping time below 1.5 hours. I'd simplify the process, like use a few elements, use only 1 kit, use a template or sketch, or scrapbook an entry from my diary. This helps to speed up the process somewhat for me, because I'd need to think less while scrapping. Plus, it feels more fun when I spend a shorter time on a page.
 
I’m already doing scraplifts or sketches when I can, I spent several hours tonight on a challenge and none of my layout options were coming together so instead of getting 2 or 3 more challenges after finishing the dispersion challenge I ended up just wasting time. I don’t often get complete evenings to myself apart from Sunday’s so was trying to take full advantage of the fact I have 2 extra evenings this week.
 
I'm perpetually behind this year. In the past, I have always been a page a day scrapper for MOC and not gotten behind. I'm a few days behind right now and I'm actually quite okay with it. With being behind on PL all last year, I learned to jot down notes, so when I do get the chance to sit down to scrap, I have a plan already. That's what I've been doing with MOC this year... I read the challenge and then walk away from it (this was mainly due to travel and my kids being home last week). As inspiration hits me, I jot down a note or two... like a photo a want to use or need to take, a kit that I want to use, title, journaling, whatever. That way, when I do get the chance to sit down, I'm ready to work and the overall process takes less time! Now that we're home and the kids are in school, I have adopted Cathy Zeilske's approach of no computer until I've gotten 1,000 steps in. It has been giving me a few more minutes of thinking while I walk, so I'm ready to scrap.
 
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