We’re all busy. And I don’t know about you, but for me time just keeps seeming to speed by faster and faster as the years go on. While we can’t slow down time, we can certainly find ways to slow it down for some moments and carve out space for what we really want to be doing. And if you really stop to think about it – time isn’t really going by faster. One minute is still 60 seconds. One hour is still 60 minutes. One day is still 24 hours. It is up to us what we do with each minute and each hour and each day that is ahead of us.

Crochet is something that I do every single day and I get close to three hours of crochet in each day too. Some days will be more and some days will be less. But it happens because I choose to make the time. So if you’re wanting to find more time to crochet then the first thing I will tell you is that it is up to you to choose to make that time.

But I hear you – you do want to make the time but you can’t figure out how. You likely have work and kids and a partner and a home and other family and commitments to work your time around. But I will still say that it is up to you how you choose to spend your time when you’re not at work. Outside of work you do have other things to think about and tend to, but you get to choose how you get to fill a good proportion of that time. I work full-time, I run a business, my kids are now adults with one of three left at home, but I can assure you that I was still making time for crochet on a daily basis when they were at home. And there was a time when I was studying for my MBA (while working full time) and we were fostering two young boys and I was crocheting daily then too – so I know it can be done.

So first thing I would have you ask yourself. What do you find as activities that you’re currently doing that feel like they are a waste of time to you? Or are energy zappers? Do you spend a lot of time on your phone scrolling social media or playing games? Do you find yourself sitting and waiting for parts of the day? If it is a yes, then that is time that you can make into crochet time.

What every day / routine tasks do you do that seem to take forever or a lot of your time? Laundry, grocery shopping, cooking dinner, cleaning up after others. List them out if you need to. Which of them can you delegate out or make simpler and quicker to do? An easy one for me is grocery shopping. I have not done a full grocery shop physically in a store for over a decade, with the exception of 2 shops during covid when they shut down online shopping for a few weeks. I find it much less of a time waster to shop online and have them bring the groceries to me. It means that I can shop from my phone anywhere at any time of day and I’m not travelling and battling other customers for my place in the queue. What other tasks that you do all the time can you simplify?

What time do you get up in the morning and how do you spend that time? I have a morning routine and one part of it that I have is crochet. I’ll admit that I did stop crocheting in the morning for a while, but I have recently brought it back in and I’m so much happier with that time spent in the morning. Could you get up a bit earlier and make time for you? Or are there things that you could do in the morning that free up your time a bit more at night? Or are there things that you do in the morning that you could move to the evening instead so that you have more space in the morning.

We all have different schedules and different committments, but I can bet that if we really want something every once in a while, then we’re all pretty good at finding the time for it then. So why not create the time everyday? Book it into your calendar if you need to.

Something else that I can promise too, is that once you get more hooked on crochet you’ll start to create the time you need. You’ll start to want to pick your hook up more and you’ll ‘magically’ find ways to get more crochet time then, but you don’t have to wait for that feeling to come.

If you’re really struggling with a place to start, then just choose a time each week or each day that you will promise to make crochet time. Even if it is just 5 minutes. The more often you do that the easier it will be to make the time on a regular basis.

You might also be able to ‘habit stack’. What is something that you’re already doing that you can add crochet time too? If you’re responsible for school pickup each day can you plan to get there 10 minutes earlier and crochet in the car while you wait? Can you make time for it on your lunch break at work? If you stop for a coffee break in the morning can you make that time for crocheting too?

It’s up to you where and when you fit it in, but if you really want more crochet time, then you owe it to yourself to create that time. If you need some other motivation then the type of project you’re making should be considered. If you only have small blocks of time, then make sure the project is one that is easy to pick up and put down again. Granny squares or washcloths are perfect for this. Especially if they are simple. Save the complicated and big projects for times when you can block out an hour or more at a time.

If you need some simple project ideas then check out my Square a Day Challenge or my washcloth patterns. They’re all perfect for working on in short bursts.

Maybe you’ve got some clever ways that you’ve found time to crochet that you want to share with others? Comment and let us know! I have many creative ways for saving time too if you need some ideas for cutting down on time.

Seona x