Have you ever been shopping at the store, saw a beautiful, 1000 piece puzzle and thought:
"I love that puzzle, but I'll never complete it. I'm just not good at puzzles," ?
I've been there. I used to believe that I was just "bad" at puzzles. As a child, I remembered working on puzzles with no clear strategy, which usually led to frustration, tears, and - surprise - an incomplete puzzle.
Now as an adult puzzler, my mindset is different. I've learned that puzzling is a skill, and a skill can be learned through practice, patience, and strategy. I'm able to enjoy assembling even difficult puzzles, even if I get stuck at times and they take a ton of time to complete. It took some practice and through the act of puzzling, I discovered ways that made the whole process less tedious and more enjoyable. For me, assembling puzzles has become a 'productive' hobby - not because of the outcome (you get a cute puzzle at the end!), but the character and skills I develop through the puzzling process itself.
As you're putting together the pieces of a puzzle, your brain is working to visualize images, recognize patterns, and organize information. On an emotional level, puzzles can help us to practice patience, stay mindful, and overcome challenges. If we let them, puzzles are a great way to slow down and enjoy the moment - all while strengthening your visual and problem solving skills.
I'm here to share with you a few handy tips I've learned not only to help you assemble your puzzle, but how to relax and have fun throughout the process!
Picking the Right Puzzle to Assemble: Develop Your Skills While Staying Sane
It sounds basic, but the first place to start is selecting a puzzle to work on. Picking a puzzle with a design you like really makes a difference in how you feel about the process. You'll feel more motivated if you actually enjoy what you're looking at instead of trying to work through a puzzle out of convenience or obligation. At least that's my experience! Been there and done that - I've tried to complete many puzzles that just did not interest me, and I haven't completed a single one of those.
Decide for yourself what level of difficulty you're looking for, too. If you're looking for a challenge, puzzles with more pieces will be more difficult than those with fewer pieces. Another thing to consider is color: puzzles in which the design contains just one or a few colors is a lot more difficult than puzzles with a variation of colors.
Personally, if I haven't done a puzzle in a while, I'll start with one with fewer pieces until I feel comfortable tackling something more challenging. When my skills are rusty, a 1000-piece puzzle feels daunting, but a 500 piece is more do-able. It's also important to consider the price point of the puzzle when shopping. There are plenty of inexpensive puzzles at retail stores - I've snagged adorable ones for under $15. If you're looking for something from a specific brand or niche, the price will most likely be a bit more.
Choose and Prepare Your Work Area
Choose the Right Space - Where You Can Sit, See, and Puzzle With Ease
Ever tried assembling a puzzle in a crowded area? It can quickly turn to chaos. Before you get ready to puzzle, choose your area. It can be a dining room table, the floor, or a desk. What's most important is that your workspace has enough space for you to stay comfortable while you're working and has good lighting. Good lighting is fundamental to preventing eye strain and being able to actually see your puzzle! Sitting at a coffee table or desk in a chair where you can work at eye level and maintain proper posture not only helps prevent back pain - it supports you actually completing the puzzle.
If you don't have a dedicated space to leave your puzzle laying around for days as you complete it, there are tools like puzzle boards and mats that can help you move the puzzle when you need to. You could even work on your puzzle on a piece of cardboard. Trust me - the worst feeling is making progress on the puzzle and having to un-do your work because you need to use the space for something else.
For example, I use a single desk for puzzling, painting and product photography. I use a puzzle table I ordered off of Amazon, which I move when I want to use the desk for another activity. A puzzle table not only works as a moveable work surface, but as a storage unit to help you organize your pieces and reduce clutter along the way. However, it can be a bit bulky, so puzzle mats are another great, compact option. Puzzle mats are amazing because when it's time to move your puzzle, you simply roll the mat with the puzzle on top and move it. However, it doesn't come built with a storage system for pieces, so bear that in mind.
A simple puzzle board with 4 drawers that I ordered off of Amazon. It even rotates!
Get Your Space Ready for Puzzling
Clear what you can off the table before you start working. I highly recommend having water or your favorite warm beverage nearby, but out of the way of your direct working area. I'm speaking from experience - you don't want your puzzle covered in coffee. That includes curious felines too, because trust me - they'll want to be involved in the puzzle process. I like to set up a cat bed or blanket nearby so they can join me for the puzzling session, without being snuggled up with the pieces! They usually still prefer my lap, though.
Most puzzles usually come with a printed piece of paper showing the full artwork of the puzzle. Have that readily available to use as a guide. You can use the puzzle box, but sometimes the full artwork is not printed on the box and it can cause you to make mistakes. I recommend using the print-out when possible. I tape it to the wall in front of me or place it on a small easel so it's in clear view when I'm working.
Find The Border Puzzle Pieces: The First Step to Complete Your Jigsaw Puzzle
The first task I focus on is locating the edge pieces that make up the border of the puzzle. Anything with a flat or straight edge is a border piece, that belongs on the periphery of the puzzle. I also separate the pieces that have two flat edges - those are the four corner pieces (top left, top right, bottom left, and bottom right). Once you've sorted those pieces out, you can use them to build the outer edges of the puzzle.
Getting Started: Sort Sections of the Puzzle
Along the way as I look for the border pieces, I'll loosely organize and sort all of the remaining pieces. What I do is:
- Flip each piece over so that the design shows on top
- Sort by a specific section, if it's obvious
- Sort by category or feature, if the section it belongs to is not obvious
- Have a miscellaneous pile for random pieces
When I say "sort by a specific section", I mean sort pieces that you can clearly identify as matching a specific part of the puzzle design. For example, while working on a Winter Bookstore puzzle, I recognized some pieces as being the body of the squirrel and immediately put those aside.
However, sometimes it's not so easy to recognize what part of the whole puzzle a piece belongs to. In this case, you can sort by common features of the puzzles, like shade, color or pattern. For example, you can create a pile of all the blue pieces.
When working on this same puzzle, I noticed many pieces that contained trees or greenery - but I wasn't sure if it was the garland, the wreath, or one of the pine trees. I piled those pieces into one category to start. This really helped me because as I worked on those areas specifically, I was able to more clearly recognize which pieces resembled the wreath and which resembled the garland. If I didn't do the initial sort to separate all of the greenery pieces, it would have been much more difficult to find the ones that fit together.
So You've Sorted the Pieces, But Where To Store Them?
If you own a puzzle table, they usually contain drawers or sorting trays, which are perfect to store both sorted and miscellaneous pieces. You can also use paper plates that let you lay out pieces and visualize them, while keeping them separate. Without sorting, it can be really challenging to keep your pieces organized and in sight when you're trying to identify where the pieces go. It's the only way I stay sane, especially with 1000 or 3000 piece puzzles!
Tackle the Puzzle by Section
After you've sorted the pieces and fit together the border of the puzzle, it's time to start working on a specific area. Pick one area that calls to you to begin. It could be one that interests you, or just a position you'd like to start at, like the right side. I like to make it easy and start with a section with clearly recognizable objects, which I've identified what pieces belong to it. For example, for this puzzle I started with the chalkboard sign because I was confident I found pieces that belong to that section. After that, I moved on to other objects I could clearly recognize by the color, shading, lines and details of the puzzle pieces: the bike, the door, the animals, and the bookshop sign.
Tips and Tricks to Finding the Right Pieces by Color, Shape, Shade and Details
As you work within that area, you can sort your pieces even further based on distinguishing features of the pieces that match the puzzle guide. For example, I took my pile of pieces that resembled the chalkboard sign and identified the ones that were the border of the sign because they contained grey on the edges - which was either from the side walk or the shelf above.
Paying attention to small details of the artwork can help you find the right piece. For example, when I was working on the storefront sign of this puzzle, I compared the location of the white flecks of snow in relation to the letters to identify the pieces. I also paid attention to the angles of the letters to identify which pieces were part of letters with straight edges, like "H" and "A", and which contained curves that could belong to letters like "O" or "G". When working on the sidewalk, I noticed small variations in shading that let me recognize and sort pieces. At a glance, they all looked the same - so take your time in areas like this, as it can be more frustrating than clearly distinguishable sections. When putting together pieces, pay attention to small variations in shape, color, and shading to help you find the right one.
For the top section with the black, metal ornate design - I found myself paying attention to subtle details, such as the thickness and direction of the lines. These types of areas are the most tricky for me.
Repeat this process with each new section. If you get stuck in an area, place the rest of the pieces aside and either take a break or work on a different section. You can always return to that section later. It's totally okay to feel impatient and frustrated at times, so do what feels right to you.
How to Know When to Keep Working and When to Take a Break - Don't Let the Puzzle Frustrate You Away
When working on a puzzle, there will be moments you're having so much fun that you're in almost a flow state. Then there will be times when you're so stuck, you feel like you're swimming through pieces of random colors and squiggles. Know that it's totally normal to take breaks. If a cat shows up for cuddles, it may be a sign to step away for a few minutes!
If you find yourself feeling very frustrated, put the puzzle down for a bit. You know yourself best - this could be anywhere from minutes to days, or whatever time you need. It could even range from taking a break from a specific part of the puzzle or the puzzle as a whole. For myself, when I'm feeling frustrated on a specific section, I'll try to find a simpler section to work on until I feel better and am ready to tackle the difficult area again. If I'm not in the mood for a challenge, I might even save the puzzle for another day. No puzzle is worth your mental health!
If Something Isn't Right, Consider You Made a Mistake
There will be times where you accidentally put a puzzle piece in the wrong place. It happens to the best of us. Be mindful that it's possible and open to challenge the decisions 'past you' made. I've had moments where I find a piece that I immediately know belongs to a specific section of the puzzle, only to find that when I go to place it, I already placed a different piece in that same location. That probably means one of two things: I made a mistake when I placed that first piece, or this new one actually does not belong there.
In those moments:
1. Remove the initial puzzle piece you placed.
2. Carefully place the new piece and make note of if the resulting image matches the guide, and if the piece inserts easily or if it is met with resistance.
3. Repeat this with the initial piece you had placed to compare.
The correct piece should match the image and fit together without resistance. If this happens to you, don't beat yourself up. Depending on the puzzle manufacturing, it can be more or less obvious when a piece is an actual fit. Additionally, even the best puzzlers make mistakes.
After You're Done: Displaying, Storing, Demolishing, or Donating Your Puzzle
Think about what you'd like to do with your puzzle once you've completed it! If you want to hold onto your puzzle, craft stores sell puzzle glue to keep the pieces together. You can then frame your puzzle or preserve it in a puzzle book. You can also choose to take it apart, store the pieces, and put it together again in the future. You can also donate or gift them to friends! Personally, I take a photo of the completed work for memories, and let it go.
Summary
- Choose the right puzzle for you - it's more fun when you like the design!
- Your set-up is important - choose a space with good lighting, enough space to work, and comforting aesthetics to keep you motivated
- Find the corner pieces first, then work on sections outside that
- Sorting pieces by areas and key features (multiple times as you work on the puzzle) is the way
- It's okay to take breaks - even 5 minutes may help
- The more puzzles you build, the more you strengthen your skills. Remember every pro was once a beginner!
- Now grab your pieces and start puzzling!
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