5/30/11: Project Organization Plan -- Casey's Spreadsheet

Last week I brought up my struggle with organizing the many, many crafting projects I am doing, want to pick up again and finally finish, and want to start. A lot of talk has been happening around the blogosphere about this topic and has truly motivated me to set out and find a plan I can keep with. So here's go for the first plan of attack: a spreadsheet.

This idea came courtesy of Casey Brown who did a guest post on Tilly's blog. As she says, this spreadsheet approach can be labeled as basic and bare-boned but to me, that is what's so appealing about it. I am not one for spending a good amount of time on the computer trying to update this and that. It feels too much like doing paper work or paying bills. (I haven't had to do much of either in my lifetime but I've grown to loathe it already!) 

Because my productivity is meager when speaking of the topic of sewing, I thought it would be the first craft I shall keep organized. The other crafts I do seem to be without real deadlines currently so I'm not considering them as top priorities. There's no doubt, however, that they will be following suit!

So this spreadsheet idea. . . I've taken some of Casey's categories and added a few extra. Here's a couple screen shots of my Sewing Project Spreadsheet using the same program she uses: Open Office:

{ First Five Categories }

{ Last Five Categories }

The categories are:

• Project Description
• Made for Who
• Pattern
• Fabric
• Notions
• Construction Notes
• Techniques to Use
• Pieces to Make
• Deadline

"Pieces to Make" is not a typical category a home seamstress would include, but I do sell what I sew, so I thought it was important to include.

Notice the yellow and red highlights? Color coding some of the entries will help keep me focused on what is paramount. The yellow is used to tell me that that project's deadline is approaching; red is for approaching fast! I will also be using a blue highlight later on for those projects I can check off my list. I will be Maria on top of the Austrian mountains when that happens!

The projects I have listed thus far are only a drop in the bucket. There are so many other ideas I have! But let's get real, shall we? Let me keep this condensed list for awhile and see what happens. I'm feeling like this will work and believe me, it better. For it is never fun being a chicken with your head cut off. :)

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So what do you think of this spreadsheet idea of Casey's? Do you think it is something you could use with your own crafting? How would you change it? What do you do to help stay focused and organized?