How do you find TIME for memory-keeping?

I ran a poll here on the blog for about six weeks, asking what the biggest obstacle is to preserving photos and the memories that go with them.

61% of you said TIME
38% of you said MONEY
And, wouldn't you know, 0% said INTEREST.

A hashtag I often use is #icanhelp.  It's one of the things I love most about what I do!  So let's see how I can help you today!  

You have the interest in preserving your photos & their memories, so let's get you the time.  (We'll talk about money next time.)

First off, it's important to remember that nobody ever "finds" time for anything.  We don't often have 6 extra hours or 2 extra days with nothing to do.  We MAKE time for everything we do.  

I attended a women's conference back a thousand years ago when I was in college.  One of the things that was said was:

"If we didn't have too much to do, we wouldn't know 

what was important."  -Jeanne Innoyue

Don't read on too fast here.  Think about that statement.  We are meant to prioritize.  And it's hard, I know.  I am SO there.  But when we have to prioritize, we learn more about what is really important.  

So let your photos and their memories be important, because you already know they are.

Remember this graphic I posted a few months ago?

One of the things that stuck out to me the most when I did the research for this graphic is that we would have 5 more hours a week if we just stayed away from Facebook.  (approximately)  Or how many more hours if we didn't watch so much TV?  Now, I'm not saying that you should give up Facebook or TV, but what if you just cut your time in half?  Or what if you just took 2 days off from Facebook or TV or sports?   

And how about that 90 Minutes For Life idea?  What if you just spent 15 minutes a day with your photos and their memories?  I must say, too, that once you get in the habit, it's easy to keep doing.  

Enlist help if you need to!  Find a memory-keeping buddy who needs time to scrapbook (or storybook) just like you do and report to each other.  Find a family member who can work with you.  

I know a gal who is a business coach, and one of her fabulous tips that she repeats a lot is:

"If it takes more than 15 minutes, it should be on your calendar."  

I can't even tell you how quickly my calendar fills up.  I'm (mostly) a SAHM (a complete misnomer because I'm not home that much!), and usually when someone asks me if I can do something next week, it's already full.  So I can tell you that this tip is absolutely true.  

I LOVE memory-keeping, and it is SO EASY because I have a method that works so well for me, and I could happily spend hours and hours doing it.  But when my calendar gets full and I have a memory-keeping project I really need to get done, I put it on my calendar.  Thursday afternoon I am spending two hours on this book, period.  Then I just don't schedule things over it!  It's how I prioritize.  

I have too much to do, just like you, so this is how I make sure the important things get done:  calendar it!

How many of the ideas I've gone over so far sound good to you?  Which ones would especially work for you?

I have a lot more tips for simple steps to memory-keeping right here, too.  See which of them help you the most.  

One of the best things I do to make sure my memory-keeping gets done is I work with other people.  You can work with me and our little memory-keeping community if you like (it's so fun!)--just check that link to see what's coming up.

Whatever you do, when you work with someone else, it's easier to get things done because you've committed to another person that you'll be working at the time you've reserved on your calendar. 

Which of these ideas and tips will YOU use to MAKE time for memory-keeping?  

Be a Heritage MAKER, not a Photo Keeper.

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