Atlas Insider
Atlas Insider: Yarn Mountain
Now look, don’t get me wrong: I love ten holiday days off. And when Ann and Kay are handing them out, I take them. I love having ten days to organize the basement and mulch the garden beds and trim the dog’s nails. I also love having ten days in which I do none of those things, but I’ll let you decide which scenario I prefer.
However, my position as Atlas Master (don’t tell anyone, but I promoted myself) means that ten days off makes me worry like crazy. Because while we might have ten days off, the internet does not and lemme tell you: you people like to use it. In other words, I do fret a little when orders are piling up and we’re not there for days and days to pack them.
And thanks to the monster of a year-end sale we had, pile up they did! When we rolled up the warehouse doors this past Monday, we had a mountain of orders to fill (and they’re still coming in!). As you might expect, we’re a top-flight, high-tech fulfillment center, and yes, we have a complicated formula that helps us determine how long it will take to knock out orders (I will do some corporate espionage for you. Here is the formula: x number of orders times number of probable hissy fits plus the Indian restaurant being closed minus forgetting to place a box order, then carry the one). We ran those numbers and the room-sized computer we use confirmed what we already suspected: we were in for it until, oh, roughly the next presidential election.
Complicating matters: Omicron. Sorry. I know we’re all tired of hearing about it. But we’ve returned to the COVID protocol system that’s kept us all safe and healthy: just one shipper in the warehouse at a time for a bit. And there’s some end-of-the-week weather complication to factor in as well. In Tennessee, that can mean either an ice storm or a tornado … sometimes both in 24 hours.
(See, what’s happening here is I am buttering you up, softening the landing and generally jackhammering off a giant slice of the Blarney stone, because we do have just a little bit of sad trombone news. It’s taking just a few to get that pile of orders taken care of.)
But we’re getting there, we promise! Your yarn will be in your hands as soon as we can get it in the box. And y’all, there’s a lot of yarn; you folks have all apparently exhausted your stashes completely over the holiday break and decided to restock them to maximum chiffarobe-busting levels all at once. But we love it!
A Giveaway
Cheer us on to the summit! The prize: a skein of sublimely tweedy Camellia Fiber Company White Tweed Sock. Françoise Danoy of Aroha Knits has two one-skein wonderful designs we love for this yarn—here and here.
How to enter?
Two steps:
Step 1: Sign up for our weekly newsletter, Snippets, right here. If you’re already subscribed, you’re set.
Step 2: Share your favorite self-motivating word or phrase in the comments.
Deadline for entries: Sunday, January 16, 11:59 PM Central time. We’ll draw a random winner from the entries. Winner will be notified by email.
Just Do it
Be deliberate.
“Time to make the donuts”
Is everyone smiling at this or only those of us of a certain age living in Dunkin’ country?
Thunder cats, thunder cats, thunders cats ho!
It’s all mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it don’t matter.
Get off your ass and just DO IT
But we can do hard things!
I haven’t heard that in about 32 years.
tomorrow is another day!
Cake
Get up and live life
TO paraphrase – or maybe quote- Mary Poppins, ” Once begun, Half done!”
Now.
Keep on keeping on!
Just breathe…and reboot!
Hope
I hum and sing “The Housewife’s Lament”, a zippy little waltz of a folksong until the blasted chore is finite!
Pitter patter, let’s get at’er.
Take this one step at a time
Intention
C’mon!!!
This, too, shall pass.
I have that engraved on a bangle I wear every day!!
one of my mantras.
Fortitude! Also, what does not kill me only serves to make me stronger.
You can do this!
When faced with a project l think, “Do what you can do RIGHT now (do SOMETHING) and plan out the steps for the rest.”
you can do it, you can do it, you can do it…
Just like the little engine said “I think I can, I think I can”
It is what it is.
Yeeeeeeeees!!
I’m sorry if this is wildly inappropriate but feel I can be honest with this bunch but mine is something like Oh F$@K. I even used it recently when I placed an order at MDK. With my sketchy internet I suspected I had placed order 3 times but in email Kay assured it was only once! So actually an oh f$@k was not needed.
I’ve been dropping F bombs like crazy, it makes me feel better. I need to careful I don’t do it at work, I’m a preschool teacher.
I actually bought a little custom handwoven tapestry this past holiday season that says F**K THIS for when I need a little visual camaraderie in that regard.
Alrighty, get at it
I think we have all been there…
Popcorn! If I am a good girl and do the thing I don’t want to do I can have some popcorn!
mine would be chocolate
I love your idea.
Just put one foot in front of anorher
If nothing changes, then nothing changes.
Possibilities
First one foot, then the other.
Don’t worry about finishing…just start!
No snappy phrase here – I would much rather y’all be safe and healthy rather than speedy!
Just keep swimming, just keep swimming
Oh I use that one a lot, too!!
“If not now, then when?”
That phrase emboldens me.
“I’ll just commit to do 15 minutes”. (That usually gets me started and I stick to it a lot longer. Anyway, 15 minutes at a time will eventually get me there also.)
Present – in all its iterations, definitions and anagrams
You got this
Deep breath.
I am worth it.
Take a deep breath!
Deep breath, stand up straight, take a step forward and try.
Run the mile you’re in.
This is a good one – gotta remember it! I tend to borrow worries for things that haven’t happened. Need to channel my inner… Mark Twain, was it?
“….bird by bird.”
Now I feel empowered to endeavor on – as it were – come Monday, after this blessedly needed 3 day snow weekend.
Love the story behind bird by bird
I say the same thing. I did not see yours until I put it below. Isn’t Anne Lamott a treasure?
YES SHE IS!
Peace. . .
If not now, when?
My daughter’s fave from Frozen: do the next right thing
Procrastination is self punishing. Get it over with.
Take a deep breath.
Iamicaniwillido
Love this!
I look ahead to when I can take a break or a nap and focus on getting that far. Usually I don’t even take that nap, but I know I can and that helps.
“Right after a short nap…”
You’re a rockstar! You got this!
Just start!
Just start. You’ll spend more time thinking why not. And if you just do it, you’re done with it.
Get ‘er done – then have fun!
Participate!
I promise myself some knitting time after said task. Task done with audio book or music.
I’d like to see how many folks who ordered yarn had ‘exhausted their stash’ over the holidays! lol
Oh, this is my method exactly! Promise myself a treat and then find a way to make the task less of a drag. And um, there’s still plenty of stash lurking even though I placed a new order! 🙂
No one else is going to do it.
Be strong. Strength will carry you through!
We tend to use “fly or die baby bird” at my work, not sure if it is motivating but I find you don’t get better by not doing something
Negative reinforcement
Now THiS made me smile this morning! I am motivated to knit a sock if I win!
Take the bull by the horns. It’s an old one, but a good one.
At the end of this task, there’s chocolate!
Even better, it should be Dark chocolate!
Jump in!
Stay in the moment.
I say out loud “all right then, let’s go”
Gratitude. It is my WOTY (inspired by Max Daniels recent article). While perhaps not motivating on its surface, when you think about all there is to be grateful for (about those orders), your whole attitude can shift from a negative slant to a positive one. That in itself can be motivating
Enjoy the process
Just start
“ if not now, when?”
And hope you are all ok after the tornadoes and snow storm.
Walk in beauty
Just breathe!
This is going to be beautiful!
Adopted from Clara Parkes’ The Daily Respite: Onwards!
My sainted mother would say, “the worst part is thinking about it”.
One step at a time
Self-bribery: If you do this (e.g. go to the dentist) , then you can do that (e.g. buy a book on the way home).
Rosie – you are my kind of woman!
Each day is filled with new hope, new joy, and new beginnings…
Cookies. (Works for both me AND my dogs!)
Onward!
Maybe you don’t need a spoon full of sugary words for this. Maybe you just need a good soundtrack in the background, and make a game of it. Keep personal stats amongst your colleagues (bragging rights) and push on through.
P.S. I didn’t know I left anything in my wake for others to purchase. My apologies.
Step away from the @&$
One day at a time. Sometimes, One minute at a time!
This is for…(enter goal, person, reason here). Put a purpose behind it and keep going.
To quote my sister: The sooner you get started, the sooner you get done
Chocolate
Once begun; half done
The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step
Pas encore!
Being able to check off an item on my to do list.
Get ‘er done!
Hang in …..this, too will pass.
My sister’s Irish mother-in-law explained her secret to having a tidy home: “Do it now'”. And if you’re feeling overwhelmed with any project, it helps to focus on just the one thing you are doing so, “One order at a time”. No one ever actually died from waiting for yarn, right?
“just this”
One foot in front of the other, one step at a time. (When looking at a mountain, it can be overwhelming, but breaking it into small steps, soon you have conquered that mountain!)
Happy clients.
Just do the next right thing.
One step at a time.
Try.
As soon as I finish this, I can start with the new yarn…
I say to myself “ you’ve got this” and when I just can’t picture it I use the “phone a friend” option
Delight in making by hand!
YES WE CAN!
That sleeve ain’t gonna knit itself.
That one is suitable for making a poster and framing!
Ah it did arrive slower than usual but then so was I after Christmas with 19 relatives….more time to plan..less time to overfill yarn supplies! Ha
Never met anything I couldn’t try in this life.
Onward and upward!
Point yourself in the right direction and take a step. And don’t worry, I just *might* have enough yarn to last me until my order arrives.
What’s plan B?
There’s always tomorrow!
One bite at a time.
Visualize it done 🙂
Hope!
We can handle it.
One foot in front of the other.
Change is my buzz word. Oh, I’m not gonna (change that is), but I’m going to be more open to opportunities
Bird by Bird. Anne Lamott was ostensibly writing about writing but it really applies to life. If that phrase makes no sense to you, you really do need to rush out and read the book!
No time like the present!
Just start. Then steady.
I’m not gettin’ any younger.
My current favorite is “some is better than none”.
If at first you don’t succeed try try again.
Knitting time! Knowing I will reward myself with time to knit can motivate me. Of course sometimes I skip right to the knitting.
This what I use, I get to knit after I do my daily work, chores, errands, workout.
Persevere
Love wins.
Just one more step.
I can do this!
You CAN do this!
Congratulations on the promotion, DG! Well deserved.
Personally, with our recent snowstorm I took time to unpack a couple more moving boxes. Finding the rest of my stash!
No phrase, but the lyrics to ABBA’s “Super Trouper”
Almost any ᗅᗺᗷᗅ lyric works, as any ᗅᗺᗷᗅ fan can tell you. (This post is mainly an experiment to see if I can type a backwards B).
Very impressive! How’d you do that?
Oy vey, just do it and then you can knit as long as you want.
Onward and upward!
Excelsior!
“Take it easy!” I’m 70 years old, retired, and I’m in it for a good time.
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. (never mind that I don’t want to eat an elephant, but yeah)
My favourite self motivating word is wool
Stretch!
Just DO it, then it’s off your mind.
You’ve got this.
Giddy Up!
Also, this too shall pass.
Sing loud and Paraphrasing: Ain’t no mountain high enough, ain’t no windstorm wild enough, ain’t no snowstorm deep enough, to keep our yarn from you
With apologies to the great Supremes, I love this!
Just get it Done!
Just Do It! Blatantly nicked from Nike but it does what it says on the tin and wastes no words! It works in all areas of life, and the knitty version is “Just Cast On!”
I followed this advice yesterday when I completed an FO and needed to start a new WIP…. I dived into my stash, came up with yarn that’s been there for must be about 15 years and Just Cast On!
Put your big girl pants on!
The only way out of it is through it.
Radiance
Do it for the poodle.
You’ve got this Sweetheart!
Breathe
For me the best self motivation is checking an item off a to-do list.
I’ve got this.
All shall be well
Inch by inch, row by row…gonna make this garden grow. I used that a lot when my kids were small. At work, in a laboratory that felt like a tennis ball shooter of tasks was going off constantly, we would say to Rock On!!
Go, be brave!
If not now, when?
You got this!
This, too, will pass
First step
I think I can, I think I can, I think I can
Keep your eyes on the prize!
If it bugs you, deal with it.
I can do this—I have a college degree.
Only works when the task at hand doesn’t have anything to do with the subject matter of my degree (English Literature, if you must know) or doesn’t require a college degree at all for successful completion.
Just get started, then you can knit.
Just start, it’s gotta be done so just start. I tell myself that a lot.
Let’s get ‘er done!
Keep calm, knit on.
My mother used to say “you don’t need to like it, you just need to do it”. She was often right! Almost everything I’ve put off doing looks just fine in the rear view mirror.
Haven’t exhausted my stash, just love getting new yarn!
I sing the “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” song (from the Disney movie “Song of the South”) to motivate me, whether its to get out of bed and begin my day, start a project in the house, exercise or to complete the finishing work on a knitting project. It usually works!
Wine at the end of the tunnel 🙂
I picture myself or the planned recipient wearing/using my project.
Onward!
A mountain is climbed one step at a time
One day at a time
My word this year is PROGRESS.
Life is short. Do what you can each day.
Onward!
You can do it
say to self…”you can do this”
The only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.
The longest journey starts with the smallest step.
It never gets easier, you just get faster. (Greg LeMond)
Focus!
Just do it…so I can knit!
Breathe (fulfilling yarn orders isn’t life or death, except the COVID protocol part.)
When the going gets tough, the tough get going!
(Thanks Dad!)
Focus on how satisfied you will feel when the chore is done!
Just start. Then, “eyes on the prize”.
Just breath
What is the first small task to tackle¥
“After you finish this, you can buy some yarn.”
KNITALONG
Get up lazy you “@):95.’)35!!&”@)?,)&”^*#
Small goals; big gains.
I’m a tree I can bend.
Spit Spot!
Just keep moving!
More coffee please……
Put on your big girl pants!
I’ve got this.
Deep breaths ….. oooommmmm
One at a time. Start one. Finish one.
If I really need motivation to get something done, I pop The Music Man into the DVD player while I’m working (the Robert Preston Shirley Jones version, if there is any doubt). Who can’t work like crazy while bopping around to Shapoopie!
Knit!…..and it will all work itself out.
Focus on one customer at a time. Our mantra in our busy customer service center.
Blast some Queen (song of your choice) and get moving (not a word exactly…..)
I always tell myself to “just pick a corner and begin’
Whenever my grandmother was asked how she was doing she would reply “I’m getting there” which I have adopted and found remarkably inspiring!
Don’t sweat the small stuff. It’s all small stuff.
Invest. My WOTY after reading Max Daniels! Invest resources in achieving my goals. (Today: taking down Christmas)
The packers are coming tomorrow•••••••••
Yarn sale!
Pull from the Tangle. I’ve been telling myself this a LOT lately.
Just get it done—then you can knit.
As soon as it’s done, you can check it off your to-do list
Get R Done.
I usually take in a very deep breath, hold for a second or 2, then let it rush out while saying in my mind “you got this”.
Knit on! Modified from E Zimmermans quote
There’s always a silver lining. You just have to look for it.
DG I love you writing.
From The Marvelous Mrs Maisel “tits up”.
“Focus” is my word this year.
Move in and move on
“I am not throwing away my shot!”
I set myself up with a reward for finishing, make myself some tea and then say, “Lift it and shift it!”
“One thing at a time” is what I tell myself when I fret about all I have to do.
Patience
I can do this!
If it’s worth doing, get started…even if you just do a bit today.
Get moving, Deborah! If I am really serious I also use my middle name!
Stay positive and test negative!
Sure,I’ll do it………..tomorrow.
You’ve got this.
Get it over with and get on with your day.
Eat your elephant one bite at a time!
Let’s light this popsicle. I’m really not sure where that came from – but it has a certain multi purpose application for motivation, as well as frustration at waiting for something.
Until further notice, celebrate everything!
Two come to mind: Suck it up, Buttercup (when dragging my heels) and Leg over leg, the dog went to Dover (just keep going…).
Get over yourself and start.
So glad you’re back DG. I sure did miss your posts.
I was getting worried. I missed the announcement that you would be away and wondered why you weren’t here. And no one was talking about it. Usually a sign of things going sideways.
Not away – I was there with my head buried in the pile from early December!
Let go!
Just a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down.
breathe in the good, breathe out the bad
Have you seen “coach Cal’? The Canadian kid who brought Ellen D to tears? Go to: toronto.ctvnews.ca/Canadian-boy-coach-cal-brings-Ellen-to-tears
Give yourself grace
I can do it.
(& if I run into trouble, I can watch a few YouTube tutorials and try again.)
Panic.
Breathe
“Here is the formula: x number of orders times number of probable hissy fits plus the Indian restaurant being closed minus forgetting to place a box order, then carry the one.” This is more interesting than a word of self-motivation. I was once the president of the student council of an art school of about 500 students. (I might have also been the only member) My main job in the fall was to produce a welcoming hot dog roast for all the staff and students. The formula for purchasing the right number of hot dogs was a wild guess. How many hot dogs would each person eat? How many spouses and children would be included? And would about half of the students and a quarter of the staff would show up? Or the reverse? Was it likely to rain? Would there be a boycott over prices in the art supply store? I calculated and recalculated this total every year and tallied the number of hot dogs left over. The formula that worked was: Total number of staff + total number of students x 2.5. But by then I had graduated.
“welcoming hot dog roast” is the funniest thing I’ve read all day!
One day at a time
You are enough
I’ve been borrowing from the Knitorious cozy mysteries lately… ‘Heavy shoulders, long arms’, to prevent tension when I need to get after it. Also, ‘Just pull up your big boy/girl panties/undies and get to it.’
My dad always said, “ don’t worry until you have to worry “
Love that! Your Dad is wise
Just keep swimmin’
Practice self-care in all ways, knitting included and kindness
Enjoy the process and discovery in knitting, not the size of the project.
What does not kill you, makes you stronger. I actually have a tatoo of this on may back shoulder.
Cross it off the List
Rebuild…I’m thinking mostly health and relationships after these last two years of weirdness but whatever else I stumble upon that needs rebuilding I’m up for it!
Tomorrow will be better LOL !
Hell bent to leather!
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Some days I chant it!!!!
Get going!
“Complete the circle!” I used to find myself going off in tangents, leaving a task mid-stream when my eye happened to fall on something else that needed doing. When I heard this catch-phrase, I knew it was for me! Now, when I’m folding a basket of laundry and I suddenly remember that I need to make a list of the yarn I need for a project, I tell myself to “complete the circle” and I finish the laundry first! Bonus: this often means that I think of more yarn to put on the list while I’m folding the laundry
What were you going to do instead?
Gambare! Japanese for “you can do it! keep going!”
“Make hay while the sun shines” and as a runner who sometimes struggles to get out the door-a small run is better than no run at all!
Choose!
Just remember: if the minimum wasn’t acceptable, it wouldn’t be the minimum. Then proceed accordingly.
Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, what do we do we swim.
I don’t think I have a phrase, but I do like to promise myself a treat (a cup of tea, an hour to paint) at the end of chores. And I take one thing at a time.
You can do it!
Get ‘er done!
Today’s the day!
Do the best you can with the knowledge you have and don’t go into the land of the “what ifs”.
You can’t finish what you don’t start.
head down!
The Wisconsin state motto….
“Forward”.
You go, gurl.
I am woman, hear me roar!
Keep calm, carry on.
I must comment that my sale order arrived 2 days after I received the shipped email, very impressive! Never mind it was sent to my son living on the other side of the US by MY mistake, oy vey. After a few frantic emails a solution was devised by the excellent customer service at MDK, thank you!
Take a deep breath and remember, “It’s only yarn!”
No time like the present!
i believe in you!!!
You can do it!
Imperfection is perfect!
Eat the Frog first and that will be the worst thing that happens all day (do that which you dread, and everything is easy after that)- the old Mark Twain saying is what has gotten me through a lot of challenging days
Every journey begins with one step
I have to amend my own comment based on the teeshirt I saw online this morning.
A wise woman once said “oh hell no” and lived happily ever after. I might have a new favorite!
Eat that elephant one bite at a time!
No problem
Just start
Onward!
It’s 5 o’clock somewhere!
Patience
Live damn it, LIVE! I only repeat this silently, to myself, because my grandchildren live with us…
“What will you do with your one wild and precious life?” This makes me re-set.
Productivity- my WOTY!
It’s a sentence. “If you trip on a step, pick yourself up; don’t throw yourself down the whole flight of stairs!” Useful in a wide range of contexts.
I use many of these when motivation is in short supply: just do it, get ‘er done, I can do this, put one foot in front of the other, put on your big girl pants, carry on. Chocolate also helps.
The only way out is through!
My dad said this to me as a teenager and it has proved life worthy: When you wake up, get up, when you get up, do something.
GOYAAM! (get off your @ss and move!)
Please allow me to adopt this for my word/phrase. It’s basically what I say to myself anyway, just have never seen it spelled out like this.
Maybe it will all be better if I sit with a cat and knit a bit.
Never give up, never surrender!
Okay
Do a little bit more than you wanted to!
Chiffarobe!
Bird by Bird (from Anne Lamott) and Just Do It.
And this too shall pass
This too will pass
You can do anything for a …( fill in the blank with a time frame). It has gotten me thru many a difficult time.
You are a possibility!
Get it done, then you can knit
Do your job.
Just take the next step.
“Acceptance….and yet also, Expectation”
Just keep swimming
You can do anything for fifteen minutes
I think I can, I think I can….
Onward!
Words from my mom: If it’s tidy, it doesn’t have to be clean. People will THINK it’s clean.
One foot in front of the other. One day at a time!
Put on music and DANCE. Pull power from the movement, feeding your shining spirit. If you sing along – all the better
You’ve got this!
Relax, all in good time.
Let it go!
Joy is my word for 2022. Seeking joy.
It’s not cancer. Works every time.
So glad you all are staying safe, yarn mail is always welcome, in a day or in a week or two. My word for 2022 is intentional/mindful … oops that’s 2 words lol.
You can do it!
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
As many have already said — just do it. Getting started is the hardest part for me. Once I get going, I’m fine.
Do it already!
“Make it work” – Tim Gunn
Think only of now.
Prioritize and get started!
do. it. now. And to change the subject, I and maybe other locals would be thrilled to swing by and pick up our orders, if you wanted to just set them out on the patio. Save some packaging time? I live, literally, two minutes away.
Start small. Feel good. Do more.
Move It
Don’t let the Perfect be the enemy of the Good!
Walk
You’ve done it before….. you can do it again!
Start
Pull yourself together, [maiden name].
Think how good you’ll feel when you’re done.
When all else fails, lower your expectations.
That yarn’s not gonna knit itself …
Yippee ki yay I got this!
Following Max Daniels I came up with a phrase for the new year rather than resolutions. It is: put on your own mask first. Not getting yarn immediately after ordering is not even a first world problem. Y’all stay safe. It isn’t like we don’t all have mega-stashes to get us through.
We forget how many other people are affected when we place a shopping order, and how much we depend on other people to help fulfill our needs and wants
I remind myself that I’ve done hard things before and can do it again. 🙂
Just finish it!
2, 4, 6, 8, who do we appreciate? YOU!!!
Have another project beginning before finishing one
Git ‘er done!
Just do it!
Everything you’ve ever wanted is just outside your comfort zone.
You rock…just do it.
My order arrived—thank you!
You can do the thing 🙂
Long shaggy dog story to get to my word for 2022 (actually words). We added a puppy to our family in July. His name is Toby and he is a Tibetan Terrier. An excellent word we have learned in training and put to go use with Toby is FOCUS. It does keep him focused on us and on the task at hand. So I am making an effort to use it on myself. Time will tell how focused I can remain.
My next word is really a couple of phrases/sentences:.
Mask up!
Get vaccinated!
Loving that neighbor as thyself (to paraphrase the New Testament) can be found in every single major religion in the world. It is in the Old Testament, New Testament and Koran/Quran to name just a few. Getting vaccinated and wearing a mask seem to be examples of demonstrating care for oneself and those around you. There are people for whom a vaccine and/or a mask is not feasible. Those of us who can do one or both help those who cannot. Together we can do this. Please show love for yourself and those around you.
Okay I am off my soap box. Hope I have not offended anyone. These are my thoughts and feelings not necessarily those of our host.
Hurry up and finish the task… you’ll still have time to knit!
My dad gave me a t-shirt with a green door pictured, and it said, “Go to your studio and make stuff.”
One bite at a time. Breaking big tasks up into more manageable mini steps helps me.
And thank you for maintaining Covid protocol.
Breathe
Ohm!
We call it T-COB ( say, T Cobb )
Takin’ Care of Business
So, T-COB it!!
Imaging how good it will feel when this is done!
Go, Bob, go! (Which makes no sense because my name’s not Bob, nor do any Bobs exist in my inner circle.)
Just GO!
Don’t start vast projects with half vast ideas! I have a little cross stitch sampler with that phrase on it in my studio
Let’s get ‘er done
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Just do it.
One day at a time.
This, too, shall pass.
You can do this!
Hmm no phrase but I love a good ditty by Macklemore. “Downtown.” It’ll get you hoppin’ to it!
Finish what you begin (WIP); only 2 projects at a time.
Just keep going. Over and over.
One small step at a time
What would you do if you knew you could not fail?
A phrase I come to over and over again, when frustrated, flummoxed, angry, tired, disappointed, or WHATEVER, is, “What would love do?”. It helps me make smarter decisions time and again.
“You can do it!”
You Can Do It!
I’d gladly wait for my order if it means a hilarious post like this one!
One stitch at a time.
Perseverance
I think i can, I think I can, Choo Choo!
Kindness. We need mountains full of it.
“Well crap! No one else is gonna do it.” Usually once I get started on a big task, I get a little hyper-focused and keep going til it’s done (especially tasks like snow shoveling, leaf raking, reorganizing a closet or bookcase…) so I have to preset a limit like a fixed time (with 2 alarms!) or ‘only 3 big bags of leaves’ so I don’t completely lose track of time or wake up feeling like my truck rolled over me the next day.
Buck up!
Just do it now!
Reflect, re-energize, renew!
Life is good! Happy new year!
Work on one thing at a time, focus on the one until it’s done.
It ain’t nothing but a thing!
“Ain’t no mountain high enough …”
Get to it. Reading will wait.
It’s trite but “just do it” works for me, along with rewards of reading, knitting, chocolate or wine as I hit certain milestones if it’s a large project!
This too shall pass
As an avid walker-keep going, one step at a time. But more importantly stay safe MDK team.❣️
It is what it is
One down!
Git on it!!
When I think I can’t do something, (sometimes I’m not even aware that the little voice in my head is whispering it oh so quietly), I try to stop myself, and say “Why NOT?!”
Something is better than nothing.
Thank you, LOTD, for another day!!
A typo of the worst kind—should be “LORD”!!!
Usually I say oh well it can wait till tomorrow, which is my perennial problem. If I’m up against it, I look at the dog and say “let’s make a list.” The list is vital.
Deep breathe, you can do this
It’s an irritating earworm. My grandmother would recite a poem. Ere a task is set to you, don’t sit idly by and view it nor be content to wish it down but, set out at once and do it.
She had many poems memorized and would surprise us with a new one.
1. Clear the decks first! (Dishes in the dishwasher or at least the sink, out of sight.). 2. Give yourself the best hour of the day. (KNIT…..don’t read the paper. Do that later, when you are tired or bored. Now: do your knitting!)
One row at a time!
Happy New Years everyone!!
I have a few one of my favourites is:
Stay calm and carry
Every day is a gift which is why it’s called a present
Focus on today because that’s the direction you are going
Favorite motivating phrase: “I CAN DO THAT!”
Remember in the movie Mrs Doubtfire when Robin Williams danced with the vacuum cleaner? I will try to approach more tasks in that manner. Congratulations on your promotion DG. Have you informed Ann and Kay about it yet?
Twins separated at birth? Are we the only two people left on the planet who use the word “chiffarobe”? And, yes, mine is busting.
Life is not a dress rehearsal. Go for it!
Thrive
work smarter not harder
Motivation: I need to finish this so I can buy more yarn (without embarrassment).
Time is of the essence (used to use when I was rushing); now it is used as a joke: I know longer rush.
First is first. Do the first and the rest will come.
You can do this. Then: You did it!
Just think of all of us, patiently waiting for your wonderful packages, to supplement (not replace or add to) our stash – gotta have the new goodies before we finish climbing our own stash mountains! Thank you! And I’m glad you are staying safe and healthy!
Handle it Once.
In other words- be sure you have time to complete said task- then completely commit to doing ALL of it.
Chocolate, anything is possible with a good piece of Sees chocolate, or Lindl, of course, there is the backups: Godiva, Ghiradeli……….Just have ONE piece at the beginning. When you’re done, give this a try: Fudge brownies with a ton of walnuts.
I do this too!
And suddenly you know it is time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings
I think I can-I know I can
“For we are glorious” from the song “ This Is Me” in The Greatest Showman”
Why not?
Serenity now!
It’ll be alright, mate.
“put on your big-girl pants” or “you can do this” are my self-reminders
Very sophomoric of me, but I seem to be muttering “Buck the f#*& up” at myself these Omicron days.
Take a deep breath, tomorrow is another day!
As my trainer says, “Pull your ribs together!” Cause apparently we’re tired of “Pelvic tilt!”
I can do hard things.
Yarn is cheaper than truffles chichis why knitting is better than cooking. You can’t burn yarn. (at least not intentionally).
Let it go.
My favourite phrase is “if nothing changes, then nothing changes”.
Then decide what to do with your time.
(Thanks Pennie)
First, a huge THANK YOU! My package arrived much more quickly than I thought it would. And one of the boxes was exactly the right size for the tea Thermous my daughter is sending to her aunt…because we are a bit behind on Christmas shipping.
In terms of motivation, I always think, “At least it is warm and dry.” Those words are from someone I worked with who had been in a sales job in the former Soviet Union. He told me exactly how cold it was working in the winter and that he was grateful for an indoor job because it was warm and dry.
My pick-me-up that I credit my sister for;
Happiness is an attitude, not an activity
I’m almost ready to tattoo that on my arm.
Just keep going…it will be alright!
My favourite motivational phrase is attributed to Wayne Gretzky – “ you miss 100 % of the shots you don’t take”.
One step at a time
My delf motivating word for 2022 is Persistence.
Self motivating
Keep calm and knit on!
Power through!
Let’s get crackin’ !
You got this!
Soli Deo Gloria!
Doing something is always more/better than doing nothing
When???!!!!
It’s not perfect, but it’s better.
Yarn for days
“CHARGE !!!”
From “Arsenic and Old Lace” movie.
It’s not going to get done unless I do it.
I used to bike commute and had a very steep hill that took me 15 minutes to climb. I would tell myself -“You can do anything for 15 minutes”. That sentiment has served me well in other situations including knitting!
You’ve got this!
And…go
Any progress is good progress – a reminder to do a little even if I feel self-judgy about not doing enough work on something!
“Just keep swimming!”
Rome wasn’t built in a day.
I tend to loudly announce “What the f&^k Aunt Karen” to get myself motivated. The funny part is my nieces rarely call me Aunt Karen. They usually call me Gully.
If it wasn’t for the Last Minute a lot of things wouldn’t get done.
Carry on.
Usually if I can just get started, the rest comes along OK
Uh, I can’t type my favorite motivational phrase where sensitive eyes might see it… so I’ll just say it’s “f___ it” and let you fill in the blanks.
I tell myself I only need to do [unpleasant task] for five minutes, then I can stop. Once I start, though, I’m usually fine to finish.
Resurgam! (I shall rise again)
Follow your dreams!
The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll finish; and then you can knit. Maybe there’s pie too.
If you believe ~ you can!
If it’s housework .. put on a Monkees CD, pick a corner to start with and then work around the room clockwise. Anything else .. time to put the big girl panties on and just do it.
relax!
“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”
—Theodore Roosevelt
Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910
Thank you for being in the arena with mountains of yarn and yarny goodness and an excellent spirit of get-er-done, stick-to-it-iveness!
if X can do it… you can too ~
Always attend!
Breathe!
Let us dream of evanescence and linger in the beautiful foolishness of things.
It’s from the Book of Tea by Kakuzo Okakura.
Just try. You can do it.
My phrase, “Just do the f**king thing already!”
I promise to reward myself with a glass of wine,
ohm…….
Shovel. Shit happens.
You got this!
Life is uncertain — eat dessert first!
Nothing to it but to do it.
Small bites, just take it one bite at a time.
If at first you don’t succeed, try try again.
Breathe
I can do anything for half an hour.
Get ‘er done.
Yes, mine is “this, too, shall pass,” embedded within me by my mom!
Begin as you plan to go on
My motto is “Progress, not Perfection”
Good luck on yarn mountain – bring your crampons!
My word of the year: Listen. Which can also mean paying attention when reading a knitting pattern!
I don’t have a particular word or phrase, I just make everything into a game.
And I ALWAYS win.
Because I made up the game.
And I’m the only contestant.
Get it done today so you don’t have to worry about it tomorrow
Focus, Grasshopper
Keep on pushing. Credit to the marvelous Impressions.
Dream, dare ,do
I say it often enough that my coworkers actually made me a print to hang in my office: “let’s drink some coffee and then get shit done.”
Speaking of which, the fresh pot is brewed, so it’s time to take a deep drink, then dive back in.
Just take a deep breath…now go!
Keep breathing
Mañana.
Breathe…
alrighty then…
Look to the future, because that’s where you’ll be spending the rest of your life!
Choosing a New Years word this year instead of a resolution-CONNECT! With people, and with my own Inner creative knitting !
Finish (whatever task I’m procrastinating over), and THEN I can knit!
Baby steps
Live, love and knit to the fullest!
My former co-workers will remember this one and laugh… “You can’t go to the beach if you’re in jail”
You eat the elephant one bite at a time!
Just keep moving
I CAN do this; this is easy!
“Slow down.” It saves so much time.
Start with one step.
I can make that !!!!
My go to when I need to be careful about using the F bomb…” What the French”!!!
My two self-motivating words for this year are Tenacity and Spontaneity. I love these two words.
One step at a time, now another.
My candle burns at both ends,
It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends–
It gives a lovely light!
– Edna St. Vincent Millay, “First Fig”
Keep throwing mud at the wall!
Slowly slowly catchy monkey
Just keep swimming.
It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you don’t stop.
My word for this year is “transform.” (Maybe I’ll actually knit a sock!)
A lot of gems already in this list, but I’ll add a few of my favorites:
-Discipline is remembering what you want most.
-If you’re going through hell, keep going.
-(from Dune) Fear is the mind-killer. It is the little death that brings total annihilation. I will face my fear and allow it to pass through me. Where the fear has passed, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
You can do it!
Imagine how good you will feel when this is done…..
Crocheting is heart healthy!
That isn’t going to knit itself!
‘Just dive in”…often I waste time thinking too much about a project when I just need to grab those needles, sit myself down and begin!
Time to make the donuts!
It’s a good day to have a good day!
Baby steps
Make it work (courtesy to Tim Gunn)
Possibility
The joy I’ll feel finishing this sweater is so much better than I’ll feel winning that video game!!!
I will bake a loaf of sourdough
Not I alone, but WE can do this. The Lord gives me trials and all necessary to withstand them.
Get ‘er done!
I believe in you!
Sometime courage is not a loud roar but a small voice saying we will try again tomorrow.
Kindness
Do the least favorite tasks first. 🙂
You feel better after!
My parents would say now listen we’ve been telling you and your brother and sisters your full of hot air for years so you can certainly. Ride above anything and this is one of those situations that calls for you to rise above it. Just don’t get too high and mighty cause like a balloon you’ll burst. Kgknitter on Ig.
deadline
A good start is half the job done!
(Old Irish proverb – Tús maith leath na h-oibre)
oh for Pete’s sake, self, just do it…
Be thankful for something everyday
No worries . . .
Just do it!
Ganbatte!! It’s Japanese and means ‘good luck’ and you can say it to motivate someone with a task (like knitting my first pair of socks)
Breathe!
Enough. Need. My friend Mary made these two, her words for the year. I made them mine, too.
Take risks and speak up.
I often have to say to myself, “Patience!”
I can do this
Just do the next right thing
Don’t boil the ocean.
Well begun is half done!
I’ve got a Smile in my Heart Today!
Chin up!
Forward momentum
Do the next thing.
My precioussss
My body is my safety.
You can’t stop the clock
Find the joy I the doing
From one of my favorite children’s books
“I think I can “
What’s the harm in trying? Give it a go!
I don’t have a mantra – just do what needs doing when it needs to get done. Happy Knitting Everyone and stay well and safe 🙂
“Be the best ______(insert own name) you can be.” Competing for the best version of yourself is a gift to the world!
What are you waiting for?
One step at a time.
Favorite self motivating word or phrase? It depends, but “Knit on, with confidence and hope, through all crises.” fits many situations.
Never give up hope and persevere
One step at a time!
Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don’t plan it, don’t wait for it, just let it happen.
You can have a cookie and knit when it’s done.
Knitting time is the reward.
From my Up with People dance coach, Jimmy, “I am precious and I love myself, because self-love is the best love.”
He who has begun has the work half done.
Days and months fly by! What am I doing right now.
Jump in with both feet!
Finish
Pull up your big girl panties and do it!!
Yard by yard, life is hard. Inch by inch, life’s a cinch!
We can do it
Has worked for me for a long time!
We can do this
THIS is becoming a most loved treasure!!!!!!
chop chop (along with a hand clap)
You got this!
Motivating myself to get out of bed and off to work. “ If you show up everyday, you are above average”. 😉
“Sooner or later…..”
(It’s so much more satisfying to attack anything SOONER than later)
Just keep moving!
Even though this is hard, finishing it will bring me joy!
You’ve got this.
One thing at a time, concentrate on getting this thing done then move onto the next.
Life is short.
focus!
Let go and let God!
Oh my gosh, the knitting group is coming tomorrow!!! Must clean the entire house AND buy out Trader Joe’s entire stock of wine, cheese and crackers
You can do it!
Get up and DO IT!
Time waits for no (wo)man
After the 2016 election, I made myself a mantra that I use to this day. “Find the joy. Bring the joy. Do the work.” I’m not always good at following my own instructions, but when I remember the mantra, I can keep saying it to myself until I am there with the joy.
Breathe, Smile, ____________ Enter the phrase of what needs to be done: clean kitchen, fold laundry, whatever task I can’t stare down any other way.
“Time to make the donuts.” My husband is the only one in my family who understands the reference.
Pitterpatter
You’ve got this, Sweetie!
My dear mother used to tell me “This too shall pass” to help we get through difficulties … although with COVID I’m beginning to wonder if that’s always so!! Still, I believe.
Crack on!
A little bit of soul is worth more than gold.
“If you don’t do this now, you will be mad at yourself later.”
One step before the next step
Roaring resilience is the key!
first step is the hardest, easy peasy after that
“Ten Thousand Hours”. (Thank you, Malcolm Gladwell…I’ll keep putting in the time.)
Cowgirl up!
You are such a bad ass
JOY
Zen
Take the next right step.
Challenge Accepted . . .
Your deadline is XX/YY/ZZZZ! (It says something about my work/life balance, but if you’re waiting for your W-2 you’ll be happy I’m working.) Congrats on your promotion DG, you deserve it! Stay safe & well.
Let it go
So grateful.
Fearless
From my mother-in-law……..”Just get on with it.”
Keep moving!
My favorite is “Keep Knitting!” I tell this to my knitting friends wh might like to give up.
Wait, wait, wait. This is what we’re REALLY gonna do!
Act as if…
Onward!
I’ve got this.
What is possible today? Do that.
Allright, just get ONE thing done.
Something is always better than nothing.
FOCUS
It is temporary
Done is done. (In other words, move on.)
Well, I have two. The first is for starting; I hum the song “Hi ho, hi, ho, it’s off to work I go”, the song the dwarves sang during Snow White. (I have no idea why I do this but I have for years; maybe because it’s the only song I can hum?! :P) The second is for when, inevitably, I experience some sort of anxiety from the task. This one, too, is a song, but it’s more grown-up: “Let It Be” by the Beatles.
Soonest begun, soonest done.
Future You will thank Present You for doing this, so let’s get it done
You can do it!
One tiny step…
Pull up your socks and keep moving!
(Why? ’cause it’s hard to walk on bunched up socks…)
Flexibility is an important life skill.
Due tomorrow
Happiness is a choice, choose to be happy!
“One step at a time.” I tend to put off doing something because it is overwhelming, but if I just do something, anything, it at least is a start!
I hear my dad’s voice saying, “It’s a gay life if you don’t weaken.”
After I complete this (insert unsavory/objectionable/boring task here) I will then be able to KNIT!!!!
Just do two rows.
Chocolate
Stand with your feet apart, fists on hips and chest proud. Take a deep breath and say, Let’s Do This Thing! Then, conquer the world!
Steadfast
done is better then perfect
Just do the next step
Enjoy life!
Mine is “do one thing”, most useful when I have or feel like I have a lot of things I need or want to do and feel overwhelmed and stuck. Telling myself to do just one thing gets me started, and something gets done, and then it’s easy to tell myself to do just one (more) thing until the to do list is done or at least significantly smaller.
“Once more into the breach” for situations such as this that take days and not just one push.
Persist.
“Master the art of showing up” James Clear. My inspiration for 2022!
Naps! Seriously, the reward of a nap will get me to do a lot.
Win ugly! –from Andre Agassi’s memoir
“Do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”
No idea where I heard that but it rattles around in my head whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed.
I can do this!
Every journey starts with one step…or one stitch in this case…
I’ll be rewarded with woolly hugs. 😀
Focus
“Be here now,” which is so retro, but I say it as a reminder of my meditation practice to get out of my head, stop dwelling on the past or future, and be in each moment. (Headspace offered free memberships to people who found themselves unemployed in 2020, and starting and sticking to the practice made a huge difference for me. YMMV, but they do free trials.)
Morning Glory
UGH, JEEZ, FINE ALREADY!!! *stomps feet*
“It’s not as bad as it seems.” (Which is often not true at all.)
Why not just do it?
Do something even if it’s wrong!
Procrastiknit!
Plot twist!
Just do it – usually snaps me out of my procrastination funk.
One at a time and we’ll get there.
Discipline
It’s all mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it don’t matter.
Just take a few deep yoga breaths and do t!
Sometimes in life you gotta do things you don’t want to do, and you do it anyways. One of the most practical life lessons from my dad that he never let us forget haha.
Steadfast
Well! Nobody else is going to get this done so….
Make it happen!
Onward!
It doesn’t have to be perfect.
Find delight!
you are stronger than you think you are
Persistence, just keep it moving!
“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.” This helps me remember to enjoy and look for the fun parts of not so fun things. Thanks!
Just Do It
This too shall pass.
Onward….it’s become my battle cry in COVID times. Plus “The only way out is through.”
Don’t need motivation, life is its own motivation.
Never do today what you can put off till tomorrow….um…maybe that’s meant to be the other way around? 🙂
Make haste slowly.
– Benjamin Franklin
Breathe (as a former elementary school principal, I sometimes hosted sobbing children. I would put my hand on their back and tell them to breathe-then we could talk.) One of my teachers had a painting made with ‘breathe’ on it when I left the site. It hangs on my wall to remind me to follow my advise.
I think I’m a different species than most of you. The best I can come up with is ‘the road to hell is paved with good intentions’ in the sense that I meant to do it, truly I did (not in the ‘my good deeds went very wrong’ sense, which is a benefit to not doing the good deeds in the first place as then they can’t go wrong.) At any rate, thanks thanks thanks for getting my order to me so quickly despite your overload.
Trial and/error? It’s still time spent knitting. Say it with a smile!
Accentuate the positive!
My toddler tells me “Mama, all by yourself!” when I do well at something.
Every Day’s a New Day!
Power of positive thinking!
…and this, too, shall pass.