Plans for 2016?

I'm hitting end of the year PL burnout. It probably wouldn't be that bad, but I have an idea of how I want to change things up for next year and I'm having a hard time not starting it now. I know that technically I could start now, but we're so close to the end of the year that I just have focus and stay on track. Plus, it'll make make 2016 a fresher start if I wait.

This plan may not sound so special to a lot of you, but for someone who has done nothing but pocket pages for several years now, it's a big deal My weeks have gotten completely out of control. I have way too many weeks that are pushing 10 pages... it's nuts and I feel like I'm losing the essence of PL and just pocket scrapping our lives in chronological order. So, I'm going back to one two page spread per week, same basic set up each week and same template set all year.

But, since having the out of control 10 page weeks, I have really realized that I don't want to give up scrapping all of my photos, so what to do with those. Those I want to start scrapping outside of PL... maybe they'll be pocket pages, maybe they'll be a more traditional page and maybe they'll just be a really big photo that fills a whole page. What I'm not sure about is what to do with those pages. In my head right now, I would like to include them in my printed PL books (possibly renamed to be a family yearbook) behind the PL week spread that they go with. I print photo books, so my worry is that I'll get behind with these additional spreads and not have books ready to print on a regular schedule (and I do want to stick with photo books).

So, my question is, do you think this would look strange as a single book... a uniform PL page with regular pages behind for each week? I thought about separating them into two books, but my husband said that he really likes looking at everything in one book, chronologically.

Is anyone else making changes for 2016? What do you have planned?

 

Thanks everyone for the feedback and the kind words! Anne... I like the idea of my PL spread being a table of contents for the photos to follow Keeping things even will be something I will have to keep in mind, but it's already an issue - I just put week 47 photos onto templates last night and ended up with three pages. I think if I wasn't doing just pocket pages, I could have stretched those last photos onto a two page spread, but with pockets, they ended up on one.

Doing project life has been a fantastic, ever evolving journey back into scrapping for me. I had been an avid digi scrapper for years back around 2007, but eventually quit with nothing printed because I bounced around too much and never had a book complete enough to print (I really do love photo books). I quit completely for several years. Then I found project life and I thought "I can do this". I loved it and had a very successful first year. Throughout that year, I took more photos and wanted to tell more stories, so the next year, I went beyond the two pages per week sometimes (but still kept things in check). This year I've taken more photos and have wanted to tell more stories, I don't want to leave anything out. Hence the new plan. I'm excited that this journey is taking me back to the more traditional pages that I started with, but still keeping the simple format of PL to go along with them (plus it still gives me a place to put those random single photos). I'm excited about this plan for 2016 and thankful for all of you here at TLP!!!

 

Thanks for the input Karen! I think I'm going to need to start a list like you have. I really like that idea. And I like that you don't necessarily have to scrap chronologically. Sometimes I just really want to play with a certain set of photos, but my PL mindset has always been to work in order. I'm excited to be free to play with things out of order a bit, but a list will make sure I don't miss things before printing. I printed three times this year, but with my new plan, I may print four times just to keep myself from skipping certain events/pages for too long. It's always fun to reward myself with a printed book, so hopefully that will keep me motivated!

I waffled a bit about putting this plan out there, but I'm so glad that I did! You all of have been so helpful with little hints/suggestions that have turned my loose plan into something a little more fleshed out... something I can see having a better chance of being successful with. I can't wait to start 2016!!! Now just someone motivate me to finish up 2015!

 

Too funny Kristina! Tough love... that's what I need! That is what I need to keep reminding myself though... I can't move on to my fun new plan if I'm not done with 2015 yet.

 

Hijack away! I love hearing everyone else's plans as it helps me thing about my own as well. I like your idea of focusing on the word CHERISH. I'm finding myself guilty of snapping photos of any old thing to fill up my PL pages, some of it is actually significant and some is really just filler, which is creating part of my too many pages problem. Hmmm... things to think about!