My 2026 Create Daily Tracker has a different, but familiar, look. I’m using the format I used in 2022 and 2023 for this year’s tracker. It was designed by Sarah Reebs, @smrt783. She uses it for her embroidery practice and I’m using it again for a Create Daily Tracker.
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| Create Daily Tracker for 2026. |
The key to being successful with a tracker
I’ve been using a daily tracker since 2020. It reminds me to do—and document—something creative with my hands every day of the year. Now, you might think that making something “daily” is too overwhelming or impossible. The key is to be gentle with yourself. Set yourself up for success. For example, if I only have time for 2 rows of knitting on a dish cloth, or a line of boro / running stitches to mend a pant leg, or making a few stitches in a stitch book, it qualifies!
Of course, there are days when I can lean into a process and devote hours to it… making patchwork for a kitty quilt, free-motion quilting, spending an evening crocheting while watching TV… so the longer making sessions balance out the short sprints. Just do what you can with the time (or amount of energy) you have on any given day.
A year-end reflection
Below is my Create Daily tracker at the end of 2025.
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| Finished Create Daily Tracker for 2025. |
My tracker has seven categories/disciplines that I’ve formulated to cover my creative activities—including an annual 100 Day Project. The time spent on each activity over the last year is as follows:
2% sewing/garment making5% free-motion quilting14% patchwork15% slow stitching/mending16% art making23% yarn25% 100 Day Project
At the end of the year, it’s interesting to see that my time was almost equally divided into 5 categories. The 100 Day Project (25%) and my crochet shawl yarn project (23%) were nearly equal at the top. Art making (16%), slow stitching (15%), and patchwork (14%) were next with almost identical percentages.
In keeping a daily tracker, I’ve also learned that small individual tasks—a few minutes here and there—add up to big results. There were 23 finishes over the course of a year:
- 13 entries were of completed Make Nine items
- 10 entries were of other finishes
I’m happy with these accomplishments!
Looking to the future
Each year brings something different. I never know what I’ll be presented with over the next 12 months but will be enjoying the journey… one day at a time.
