Time Management

[LittleAcornToronto]

How do you all find the time to get everything done?!? I have SO much to do, and I keep putting this shop on the back burner.

I have to run the household: all the cooking, cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, child rearing, etc falls on me.

Additionally I run this little wee business. I always get my orders out, and I get them out on time. But I want to EXPAND.

I have so many supplies that have sat un-used for so long because there just don't appear to be enough hours in the day to find (a) the creativity to create something new (b) the time to photograph, photoshop, and list new items.

I still have supplies that are sitting in the shopping bags I brought them home in, or the padded envelopes/boxes that they were mailed to me in.

Does this happen to any of you? If so, how do you deal with it? How to progress from it?

do any of you have time management tips and tricks that you can share? Certainly, I can't be the *only* person with this conundrum...can I?

[Former_Member]

I have decided not to buy any more supplies for anything until I run out 100% and since buying supplies is always fun (because I am, let's face it, a dork) this is good motivation

Asides from running my Etsy shop I usually submit my artwork to exhibits in art galleries and museums, and working with a deadline also helps

Deadlines in general are something that make me go forward, I already have set myself one: to finish all of my Christmas collection by the Summer

Also, I try to make lists:
Of what I am going to do each day
And also a more general to-do list with goals/deadlines for my Etsy shop

I recommend starting with the biggest, most demanding tasks FIRST, and then the smaller ones will be a nice retribution and will go by in a flash

And stepping away from the computer, on a schedule, always helps. I usually do not use the computer after 2 pm unless I am listing some new item

[Former_Member]

For me, its all a matter of setting priorities.

I run a full time business during the day, as well as run a household. During 'business' hours, I'm at the shop looking after business related things. If I need to do errands, I'll have lists made out in advance so that everything gets done on one trip.

Meals are planned a week at a time so the pantry is always stocked with the correct items. If I need to change things at the last minute, there is usually a casarole in the freezer in a pinch.

Supplies arrive in large boxes here via Fedex once a week. They MUST be sorted through the day they arrive or I would be totally overwhelmed! They are sorted and stocked within 24 hours and anything thats needed for a package to ship is handled within that 24 hours as well.

Its all a matter of having a defined routine and sticking to it.

[heartofautumn]

I so hear you about lack of time. My shop is floundering because I haven't had the time and energy to put into it. It's driving me nuts.

Between the stressful day job, housework, spending time with hubby, horse, trying to finish my novel, and fitting in quilting time, I know I need to find a better way to balance. Before my sanity leaves me.

For me, taking advantage of the quiet mornings is best. I work on my creativity then and feel like I get something accomplished before the day starts moving forward. Other than that I fit in what I can, when I can, and try not to get too frustrated when I can't work on my creative side.

[Former_Member]

I'm terrible with managing my time. If I could buy time management skills on Etsy, I totally would. But they'd probably be out of my price range.

[Former_Member]

Its definitely tricky and I have trouble with sometimes being all over the place. Right now I am trying really hard to focus on one thing at a time. So today my business goal is to prep fabric. Rather than prepping fabric, then sewing some, then taking some pictures, etc., I will focus on one activity and try to do it more completely than I would have in the past. This also has the added benefit of meaning that when I am done I can clean up and my family can actually eat dinner in my "studio", i.e. the dining room table!

[JewelMeShop]

I have a big problem managing my time. I have a full time job, my etsy shop, a lot of friends, a big garden and lot of housework.
But when I feel so much pressure , I stop everything for 2 days. After charging my batteries I can put priorities and put myself on a schedule.
I believe that we should never let ourselves to feel exchastued for a long period of time. Stress control and a clear mind is the key point.

[Former_Member]

Aman, I'm right there with you!

[Former_Member]

YES!!! I'm in the exact same boat! I have supplies that have been shipped to me that I opened to make sure everything is there and then it sits there for a month!

I'm also a stay at home mom with all the same responsibilities that you listed and barely any free time!

I'm in the process of trying to REALLY organize things and time. I just recently set up a corner of our house to be my "office" for my etsy business.

Now i'm trying to figure out a schedule for running the business. Like certain days and times will be designated for specific tasks like, making products, marketing, assessing and ordering more supplies, taking pics and listing items etc.

I'm sure this schedule that I set up will change a million times and i'll need to tweak it certain days, but that's ok! It's somewhere to start at least.

[Former_Member]

I so hear you. I run my husbands office. One side of the office is my sewing area and the other is a whole other business. I opened a twitter to get some promotion there, but haven't quite figured out a schedule for internet, sewing, office manager, pictures and a busy mom of two teen daughters. Not to mention soccer just started. We are women, here us roar, lol. Good Luck!!

[TreasuresOfGrace]

I can relate. I especially love what Aman said.

I have a full time day job. A sick dog that has to have insulin shots 2 times a day. That means he has to eat, and he is so picky now the only thing he will eat is boiled chicken...time consuming. I have a 90 year old father who's medicines I have to make sure are right and get taken.

So many things have been pushed aside and I have gotten so unorganized that I can't find a ring I wanted to list....sigh.

The only advice I can give is baby steps. Do one thing at a time and often.

[LittleBitsOFaith]

I loved reading all the comments on this thread!! We are busy as women, aren't we?? Because of work outside the home, and within the home, I really have to block out time for etsy just like any other job....It is usually in the morn, when things are running smooth (as smooth as they get) and know that I always feel great starting my day with my art fix!! Good luck to all of you!!

[amuandpri]

I see.. there is someone like me here :) I am struggling with time management or sometimes creativity, many times minus stamina & all. besides etsy household chores are taking up my energy. Recently i subscribed to List producer, even though I have started making list everyday & planning ahead the tasks, it is sometimes difficult to stick to the schedule !
I have been the same for years & will be the same...still sometimes when I look at someone very unorganized, I feel that .. i am doing far better & this drives me to create something new & get a kick start again for a couple of days at least !

[Former_Member]

I have definitely been there. Not to say that I don't ever have issues with time management anymore, but making plans ahead of time and sticking to them rather than just trying to fit my business in where it can has improved it dramatically. Two things in particular that have helped dramatically:

1) "Clocking in" and "out" at a certain time. Separating my work and home responsibilities as much as possible has been essential to my time management. Sometimes I will do household chores like starting the laundry or dishes during my worktime if needed, but I find it much more effective if I don't mix home and work too much because I get SO much more done if I can focus on one thing at a time. Having a time to "be at work" also forces me to be responsible for expanding my business rather than thinking, "I don't have time for that today" ... I have an imaginary boss in my head who will yell at me if I am late for work.

2) This sounds silly, but I got a graph composition notebook to keep ALL of my responsibilities in order. Since it is just basic graph paper it is really easy to keep organized and customized for my needs. Every day, I create a checklist of everything that I need to get done. I break everything into smaller, manageable tasks. It is gratifying and motivating to check things off! I used to have a different notebook for each to-do list, but this way I can separate the different aspects of my life while still keeping them together and avoiding confusion. It also helps to look back and see what things are being put on the back burner, and deciding if that needs to be moved to the top of the list, or abandoned all together.

I hope this helps at least a bit. Creating and photographing items aren't things that can be rushed but, for me at least, as long as I keep my day planned and my head clear I can find time to do most everything to satisfaction. (My house is certainly not spotless, but it's passable!)

[RoyGBivandCO]

Thanks for all the great comments here! I definetly have time management issues, and I do not have many of the other things in my life...like young kids or aging parent to look after. I seem to keep up with my selling outside of etsy, but my etsy shop gets left out. I have gotten some inspiration here. thanks!

[Former_Member]

I hear ya. I have a lot of time management issues. I'm in college plus taking classes at another college. Besides this business, I am starting a fashion business and my fiance and I are starting an antique business. I do a lot of volunteer work and I'm on some boards. I also have some health concerns. Sometimes I don't know when I sleep!
One of my resolutions this year is to come up with a schedule for my store. Like Andi said, make products on certain days, take photos on certain days, etc. I feel like I'm all over the place.

[Former_Member]

Great topic! I can certainly relate to the issues brought up here, and I love the recommendations, too. It is hard work! But it is fun, otherwise we wouldn't do it.

I have gotten a lot better, even though the busy-ness of my life has picked up. Here are things that have worked for me:

1) Create deadlines and boundaries around when I do and do not work on Etsy stuff. It needs to be specifically planned or I will go off on a creative tangent and get lost in the ethers (fun, but not totally productive).
2) Keeping a log/journal of the time I spent on projects related to Etsy, so I have a realistic view of how long it takes me to do things. I thought I could take pics, upload, edit them and create a new listing in 20 mins, but in reality, it can take me hours if something goes wrong. Now I can anticipate those problems and allow the appropriate amount of time needed.
3) Organizing at the speed at which I work. Every week I organize my supplies and my products for sale, do book work, tweak my listings, prep for my next project, edit photos, ect... but just for a few mins (5 - 10) at a time.
4) When I have a lot of pressing, big projects going on, I start with the ones that are the most critical and could make the most money. Mostly, that means making products and listings rather than trying new recipes, networking, working on brochures, ect...
5) Make my self-care a priority. I work much more effectively when I am well-rested, well-fed, exercised, stretched out. I refuse to let my projects chip away at my vitlity, they should instead stoke my creative drive and energy!
6) Most Important for me: let go without guilt! Etsy is not my number one priority. It can go on the back burner, and indeed it should sometimes. Yes, that will not make it the best selling shop out there, but that is not my goal. I also find that when I let it chill for a bit and stop trying so hard, my prior hard work pays off and orders come in.

[JeannieGrayKnits]

Gosh - I thought I was busy until I started reading all these responses. :) Besides the Etsy shop, I do the bookkeeping & secretarial work for my husband's business, officially, I'm a SAHM which means part of my "job" is the housework & feeding the family which includes grocery shopping plus I homeschool my kids. The only way I can survive is to stay loosely scheduled & I depend heavily on my slow cookers. Yes, I have 3 and use them constantly!

Also, I would be totally lost without my "note book" - a calendar, to-do list & address book in a 3 ring binder so I can move pages in & out. I keep separate master to-do lists for each area of my life (house, homeschool, Etsy...) On Sundays, I write down the week's meal plan. I mark my calendar a day or 2 in advance if I need to defrost something large like a turkey or a roast. I also make a grocery list. Next, I review the master to-do lists and create a smaller list for what needs to be done during the coming week & I schedule the out-of-the-house items on my calendar so that I can do them while I'm already out doing something else. (We live in the middle of no where so running an errand is a big deal.) Then each morning while I'm waking up with the 1st cup of coffee, I look over the week's list & write out a To Do Today list. Next, I deal with my husband's billing & out going correspondence so he can take it to the post office when he goes out. If it's cloudy, I go take photos on the front porch. If it's sunny, I have about a 20 minute window around noon when the sun is not blindingly bright so I take photos then. Next, I check my email, Etsy stats, update Facebook, my blog & tweet something. Meanwhile, while that's happening, each time I pause to get a fresh cup of coffee, I accomplish something small - put dinner in the crock pot, put a load into the washing machine, take a load out of the dryer, load the dishwasher, clean a sink, sweep a floor, scrub a toilet.... By now, the kids should be up & working on their school work. I used to use their school time as my craft time, but the housework was really slipping. As in, even the dogs were starting to complain about the messy house. :) So, as of 1/1, my new "rule" is that I have to spend 1 hour cleaning something before I can craft.

Normally, by 3 or 4 p.m. the majority of my to-do list has been taken care of. It's now afternoon coffee & crafting time. That generally lasts until hubby calls to say he's on his way home which is my cue to do last minute dinner prep tasks. After dinner is over, it's "Me" time which generally means crafting. Luckily, I love the crafting so much it never feels like work.

On days we have to go somewhere, we make an event of it. Besides what ever appointment or class we have, we'll do the grocery shopping, stop by the library, & do any other errands we have.

Another thing that has really helped me is making a 101 Goals in 1001 Days list (You can Google it.) Since so many of the things on the list are wants vs. shoulds, I'm motivated to do them. Having the list & reviewing it weekly helps me not only stay focused but also helps me to realize that sometimes what I think is "goofing off" is really time spent working towards my goals. I am SO glad I discovered the 101 list idea. It has been a HUGE motivator.

As for the gazillion trillion piles of craft supplies sitting around.... not long after I opened my Etsy shop, I decided I should make an inventory list for tax purposes. Well, that idea was pretty laughable. It would take 10 men 8 years to inventory all my stuff. Instead, I organized it so that I at least have an idea of where things are. Not spending 3 hours searching for something I know I had last week saves an unbelievable amount of time! Organizing it all was also a huge eye opener as to exactly how much stuff I really have. Can you say craft hoarder? I have 2 drawers full of paper punches & I don't even do paper punching! Sheesh. But maybe one day I will... Meanwhile, I'm working very hard to use what I have on hand. It's helped that sales have been slow to come. No income means no money to buy new yarn and since I'm now focused on knitting for my shop, I'm not wasting time or money buying paper punches. :)

Ok, sorry this has gotten so long and rambly. If you take nothing else out of this, at least go Google 101 Goals in 1001 Days. The idea really is quite helpful. And buy a crock pot. If you already have one but don't know what to do with it, find a copy of Make It Fast, Cook It Slow: The Big Book of Everyday Slow Cooking. That book changed my life!

Good luck!

[IstriaDesign]

@Katie, you made me laugh. I work at the dinning table as well... have all of my supplies on it, as well as my laptop and my work in progress. My husband has been eating at his work desk lately lol.
It definitely gets hard to manage time. I'm a stay at home mom, and I love being around my one-year-old all the time, but my work suffers because of it. I also started school again, so that ads to it as well.

But as others already mentioned, planning is crucial. Give yourself time frames and establish goals. What I've learned in school today - goals need to me S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and timely) lol. I'll give it a try, even though I never do everything I actually put on the paper, but it sure does help.

[JeannieGrayKnits]

More rambling.... I just had to comment on Celia's item #4. She is dead on right with that one. I once worked in an extremely fast paced environment & it was critical to focus on what was the most important task. So many things seemed urgent that really weren't. My boss taught me to prioritize by 1st doing the task that would prevent the world from ending. (His term for the company being sued, loosing it's biggest/best customer....) 2nd, save the country. Do what the boss's boss wanted done, make the big customers happy, make some money, do what ever was necessary to not loose huge chunks of money. 3rd - save the state. Pay the bills, respond to employee's requests for vacation, sign paychecks.... 4th - do the things listed on your job description, 5th - do the filing so you can find what you need the next time the world is about to end, order supplies..... 6th - do the pretty stuff. Water the plants, eat lunch away from your desk, order a birthday cake for a co-worker.... The other rule was, even though we worked many, many 80+ hour weeks, we took a day off. We might have literally worked 36+ hours straight in order to meet a deadline, but we HAD to take a full day off once a week. The theory was, work hard, play harder.

[HullStreetStudio]

lists and multitasking like clean the kitchen/do dishes/etc while cooking. it helps that there are two of us though. We try to make daily lists but a big list helps either way, especially if you create deadlines for yourself. like 'I have to get 50 photos edited by friday' or 'two new items in the shop by wednesday' then you force yourself to make time in your day. but then again, you have to be the kind of person who won't say 'oh, it's not a real deadline.. I can just move it a day or two or seven.'

if you make lists for your promotion/social media that can make the process faster, you just have to follow your list instead of trying to remember everything you have to/should do.

maybe, if you have the money or can trade with a friend, you can find someone to watch the kids for a couple hours a week. like one afternoon and you can focus solely on the business for just a couple hours. when you only have a certain amount of time you can just chug on through rather than try to sit down for five minutes here and there!

definitely set goals, a big goal and small goals for the big one. whether it's for a week, a month or the whole year. maybe you want to get into wholesale so your big goal is 'five wholesale orders this year' and then the small goals could be 'research wholesale' 'research local stores' 'reach out to local stores' etc. then you'll know where you are and what you have left to do instead of floundering around hoping you'll get somewhere :D

[ForgedMettleJewelry]

I just make a list of all the things I can reasonably do in a day and then don't let myself go to sleep until everything on the list is done...

[Former_Member]

i hear ya forsure! Im a mom to 2 girls, I hand make all my jewelry and crochet for my Etsy shop, I also sell on another online market place, my Mom and I own a store in California (I do all the bookeeping and payroll for the company), I volunteer twice a week at my daughter's school. We have drama club, soccer, homework, and yearbook committee. And the cooking, shopping, cleaning, is on me too. That my dear, is the modern day woman! This is why I named my shop night owl creates. I stay up late most nights working on new designs that I will picture, photoshop and list the next day. It's CRAZY, but I wouldn't change a single thing. I also have a book to write down my ideas and sketch out new crochet designs so I don't forget them. Or I WILL FORGET! We can do this...LOL!!

[LittleAcornToronto]

You ladies are all amazing. It was great to read all of your posts and it gave me a lot of ideas for time management...and honestly it felt good to realize I wasn't the exception, but kind of the norm - wouldn't you say?

Thank you for the notebook/making lists suggestions! I guess I will buy a notebook. I'm thinking writing down what needs to be done the next day, every night, is a good start. Then plumb through it over the course of the day...and make a new list (and carry over what didn't get done) to the next day's tasks.

I, too, have discovered that everything in the house will fall to shambles if I focus too much on my etsy shop. I try to get the cleaning done before I sit down in front of the computer or at my crafting station in my office.

Again, thank you all for your replies! This has been a HUGELY helpful thread!!!

[LittleShopofElleSee]

I try to keep a list of everything that I need to do. I also owe a lot of credit to a very supportive husband :)