In this episode, I share day three of the Summer Stitching Challenge. You can listen to the episode below or keep scrolling to read the blog post.
Listen to the episode
Day 5 – Accountability
This is something I put off for years and I used the “I’m an introvert” excuse. I loved being alone but I was so bad at keeping promises to myself. I would tell myself I am going to take an hour for my stitching tonight, but the night would roll around and I’d do maybe half an hour.
However, I was great at being there for others. I had plenty of time to meet up with friends, keep the house clean and tidy, take the kids to clubs and groups, etc.
Because I had no issue with being alone, I didn’t see how accountability would help me stitch more. Until 2020.
During the pandemic, so many people were faced with being alone for the first time and were struggling. I started hosting some online meet-ups for the first time over Zoom. And the most amazing thing happened. Not only was it lovely connecting with other stitchers, but suddenly I had a whole hour of an evening to stitch with zero interruptions. This was unheard of before. Usually the kids would come in, I would get up to fix or help or entertain.
But as soon as I claimed that hour AND knew I had to show up because others were replying on me, I managed to do it.
So if you find yourself constantly breaking those promises to yourself, accountability could be the thing you didn’t even know you needed. There are a couple of ways to get it, so let’s see what would work best for you.
Hobby partner
Find a hobby partner – a friend, co-worker, family, fellow mum, etc. Just someone you know who also has a hobby they love (it doesn’t have to be cross stitch).
You can get together to do your hobbies together (and if you both have kids this is bonus because they can play together).
Or you could find a local craft club to join and make it a weekly date to go along.
Or you and your partner could help each other out. For example, if you have kids you could take each other’s for a few hours a week so both of you get some time alone for your hobby/self-care. The way I have done this in the past is with my husband. On a Saturday morning I did all things kids and he can do what he wants and on a Sunday we swapped. He took the kids and I spent the morning stitching.
You could ask a partner to do this with you or a friend or just ask someone to help you out each week; a friend, family member, etc.
You could also find an online friend to virtually meet up with for stitching sessions just like we have been doing these past 5 days.
Join a local club
If you don’t have someone like that in your life, why not see if there are any local craft clubs near to you that you can join? Just search in Google or look at your local library – even my tiny town library has a weekly craft club.
I know it’s scary going to something like this alone for the first time, but it can be so beneficial! And let’s face it, crafters are the nicest humans!
Join an online club
There are online clubs/memberships/meet-ups for almost every kind of hobby now. And I carved out the cross stitch corner of meet-ups with The Cross Stitch Club. We meet up every week on Zoom (times vary to try and hit as many time zones as possible throughout the month) and sometimes we meet every day for 5 days on the run (like this week).
The internet is a magical thing and if nothing exists for you locally (because in person is better usually) then try looking online. Of course you’re welcome in the Cross Stitch Club, but look around for other clubs for hobbies too – online book clubs etc if you have other hobbies.
Now, none of these seem like “have to” things, in the way I experienced back in 2020 when I was the host of the meet-ups. Nothing terrible will happen if you don’t show up to an online meet-up. The worst is letting a friend down if you find a hobby partner.
But even having something in your calendar every week that involves other people helps you treat it more seriously than you would if it was just you. Would you even put a calendar reminder in for time for yourself?
I know this works because I have seen a group of people inside The Cross Stitch Club treat our online meet-ups seriously and they show up consistently. To the point where one member got up at 2 AM to join in an online retreat day I hosted. Would you do this for yourself? Probably not, but add in a bunch of other people who love stitching as much as you and you want to be a part of it.
FREE SUMMER STITCHING CHALLENGE SIGN UP
Extra episodes and posts
- How to organise your WIP projects
- How to make a cross stitch routine
- Where to store your cross stitch supplies
- How to make a Summer reading list
- Setting the mood this Summer
- Why colour is important in cross stitch
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