Scrapbooking Workflow- Part 1: Introduction

This post started out as simply an overview of how I plan page kits, but as I started going through all the steps I found that I wanted to go more in depth in a lot of areas rather than just gloss them over. Areas like photo management, organizing sketches and potential scraplifts, and organization of supplies (which I already covered here) are all essential to how I scrapbook efficiently (and without driving myself nuts).

Let me stop right there and explain that word "efficient." I don't mean to make it sound as if scrapping is a job for me (though coupled with the word "workflow" it does make it sound that way), it's just that I have limited free time for scrapbooking, and I want the process to be as easy and enjoyable as possible for me when I do get a free hour here or there to play in the scrap room. Efficiency and workflow in this sense are not about getting as much done as possible, they're just about making the most of the time I have available.

A little background on me: I'm an engineer by training, specifically a software engineer. My educational background is a Computer Science degree with a Mathematics minor. I write code for a living, and when I'm not writing code I'm either fixing problems with code or designing the next bit of code I'm going to write. I'm a very methodical person, both by training and by nature. I like things that flow in a very logical and orderly manner (which is probably why I like scrapbook sketches that come complete with cutting instructions so much). I wanted to explain these things up front so that you would have some insight as to the reasons I think the way I do (and, yeah, I may be a little OCD, too :) ).

When I first started this hobby, I didn't set out to put my workflow together, nor did I one day just wake up and decide to come up with a method. It's just something that has grown and evolved over the almost 12 years that I've been scrapbooking. New tools, new technologies, and new ideas all slowly incorporated themselves into my routine over time, and now I think it's gelled to the point that it works almost seamlessly for me.

I don't know how many posts it will take to detail everything- I'm thinking 3-4 (and I want to include lots of photos and screenshots!), and you'll see them posted here 1-2 a week until I'm finished. Feel free to comment at any time if you have questions or want me to explain something further. Hopefully you'll find something in my workflow that can help you in your own!