What are your holiday time management tricks?

[AudMod]

Hey there!

I write for Etsy's Seller Handbook, and I'm working on a piece about holiday time management tips. Have you experienced a busy holiday season in the past? What time management tricks did you use to handle it all?

Please share your seasonal time management experiences and advice here. If your tips seem like a potential fit for the article, I may reach out directly. In any case, we'll all benefit from sharing lessons learned.

Can't wait to hear what strategies you suggest using to manage the holiday rush!

[Wrapntwist]

This is my first holiday. I am not sure how to do it but I would like to offer free wrapping.

[WildRoseAndSparrow]

I buy extra packaging and extra supplies for my best selling items ahead of time to be ready for the rush.

I usually add a little note in my shop policies, shop announcement and in my listings about my prep time for each order so that my customers know what to expect and can plan accordingly (buying expedited shipping, requesting a rush order, etc...).

Also, in the summer months, I do an inventory of all of my supplies and finished creations. I group the supplies needed for specific creations together in little packages so when I have to make them quickly, I just have to grab them and get started. When I did my inventory this summer, on top of printing labels for my boxes of supplies and creations, I created a digital catalogue, so if I ever need to know which boxes hold a specific item type, all I have to do is type it in and it'll tell me the box numbers.

[chromalism]

I've already started creating my best sellers, to have them ready and leave enough time for any custom or personalized orders.
Also, I store all my finished creations inside their boxes, ready to ship.
Something else that have proved very useful during past holiday season is to keep an excel file with my finished creations (quantities available)

[ancekaramanova]

In my shop the products that are displayed are always ready to ship within 2 days, I'm very happy that I'm a part of the etsy community. I'm here also to make friendships, make/take advices and communicate with the rest of lovely etsy people.

[Former_Member]

If the past few years have taught me anything, my approach is "total burn out".

That said, hire your friends/cousins/local college students to earn little extra cash and help you out. iIm also pre ordering lunch for craft shows and writing a schedule of friend who are willing to help at in person holiday events.

[CCsSoapinaPouch]

I too am so happy to be a part of the Etsy community. I have met some wonderful friends here and learned much from more experienced Etsy sellers. Starting early is my best holiday time management regime. I ordered all of my packing supplies in the summer and stored them in a place where I have convenient access to them. My husband was shocked when he saw the amount of packing supplies I ordered - but when he takes the packages to the mail box for me - he now realizes it was a good thing.

[FishesMakeWishesHome]

Christine you are so organized :-)
Last Christmas our best seller was a set of personalized ornaments and one thing that helped us keep track of each order was printing it out with the "message to seller" text, as this is where our customers wrote their family names to be embroidered. Then we assigned a "checking and packaging" table where we would place each printed paper and on top of each one we would place the corresponding ornaments. We double checked them before packaging, making sure every order got the correct family names :-)
Planning ahead for custom items is a bit tricky but seeing how well that ornament set did last year we're thinking of having sets nearly ready, cutting the basic shape, bunting and securing the ribbon on the back, so all we'll need to do is embroider and close up each tree.

[PLYstudioCRAFT]

There is not really a plan, I just like to keep me busy with working wood to a nice article . Actually the client determines the view from my online store, meaning that less successful ideas disappear from my online store. I am intended to create some new items for the hollidays.

I am very satisfied with the possibilities that Etsy offers to show these items around the world.. ...

On to the next satisfied customer ..... Thank you Etsy ...
G.

[Former_Member]

Hi Audry,
This will be a very helpful article for well seasoned and newbie etsy folks alike I am sure!
In August I took out a calendar and highlighted important dates (Black Friday, Boxing day, etc) as well as my upcoming craft fair schedule. Then I made lists for the season detailing price points, gift set selections, inventory needed, ship by dates, and coupon codes. I then looked at each event and worked backwards in time to make goals so I can reach my targets.
So far I am pretty well staying on track :)

[hooknsaw]

Having organized inventory and a shipping area is a big time saver.
We are already cooking large meals and freezing portions for "quickie meals" during the busy season.

Knowing our creative limits and not over-booking ourselves was the hardest to tackle the past years. We now use a day planner for made to order items and allot extra time for each order.

We also stop taking custom (new design) orders at the end of October. This allows us to have more time to remake best sellers. Last year most buyers were willing to wait for a custom order until after the Holidays and we were busy through March with those orders.

[Former_Member]

I like to stock up on packaging and other supplies throughout the year so that I can spread the cost. I am also a big list writer. I like too write out what needs to be done so that I don't forget things. It's easily done when your really busy.
Once I have my main items photographed and listed on Etsy I will continue to make and list throughout the holiday period when it's quiet.

I am doing a Christmas photo shoot tommorow to add a holiday feel to my shop. I wanted to do it earlier but did have the time.
I will also be adding a holiday themed banner to my shop. I think the more you can do now the easier it is.

[NeatoKeen]

The best advice I can give new sellers is to not feel like a failure if your holiday season doesn't live up to the hype. I've been selling for many holiday seasons on Etsy and I don't see a big uptick at the end of the year.

I was all geared up for the first few years with extra inventory, packing supplies and high hopes. I've realized with time that a lot of folks aren't thinking about vintage items for their gift-giving needs. Thankfully, this notion is slowly changing, but it's still not on everyone's radar.

I offer free gift wrapping, very fast shipping and excellent customer service from start to finish. If an unexpected rush happens, I'm ready; however, if it doesn't, I won't be crushed. People seem to find me all year round and I'm grateful for that!

[Former_Member]

I've just created a work schedule for myself and am trying my best to stick to a set number of hours per week. I've been at it for about 4 weeks now. Its also been helpful to keep track of my time with an app on my phone that lets me punch in and out so I can see how long I've been at it.

[Former_Member]

I just like to hope I have to worry about it . I want to have to work 24/7 for the next few months!!!!

[FalconandFinch]

Packing up sales takes up a ton of my time during the busy holiday season. To offset that, I've started doing certain steps in advance. For instance, I pre build tons of boxes in my most used sizes and stash them in a closet, with a layer of peanuts and my freebie packet inside. As the sales roll in, I just grab and go.

It's helpful to take advantage of the slow periods I usually have in the early Fall. I've already inventoried my packaging supplies and restocked on what I was low on, and created a holiday themed flyer insert with coupon codes and the dates of future sales.

Having lots of stuff already prepped and ready to go means I can devote more time to making listings, networking and attending to my own family needs. Which reminds me. Make meals in advance and fill the freezer with them. Then you can just reheat and go. It also helps to marry someone who loves to cook, saves me a lot evenings to get work done ;)

[Chockrosa]

First of all I have everything organised neatly in boxes (ofc pink as my shop name is translated shocking pink in Swedish) that I have labeled so that I can find the things I get orders on as quick as possible.

In October I order a bunch of mailing bubble bags so I don't run out or have to worry about it later, if I don't sell as much as I thought, I can always use them next year.

I also try and fill out as much as possible beforehand, like adding my sender address and adding prioritarie stickers on the envelopes and fill out as much as I can on the CN22's, so I just have to fill out what's in the bag and sign it.

This way I can get the order out as soon as possible and it will eliminate my stress a lot!

[GoodWishesQuilts]

I'm a holiday shop, so pretty much all of my customers need their items by the same deadline ~ it gets pretty nutty in November if I'm lucky. It helps to be organized!

The most important thing for holiday sales is to 1) have a great product people need, 2) get people into your shop, and 3) look good when they get there.

1) Have a product people need ~ something they will hunt for. In my case, every child needs a stocking, and every home has a tree.

2) Have gorgeous, salivation-inducing photos ~ buying is emotional, so help your shoppers feel something when they see your product.

3) Get found ~ help your shoppers find you by making sure your listings land as high as possible in the search results.

I spend a good deal of time before the holiday season designing and improving my product. Product always comes first.

Next I look at my stats and past holiday seasons and try to estimate my sales for this season.

Then it's straight forward:

> Clean up the stockroom and studio.
> Organize the workspace for efficient production and shipping ~ have a smooth, nice work flow from cutting, to stitching, to pressing and packing.
> Order product supplies early ~ and prewash, cut, and prep them for production.
> Order shipping supplies early ~ and prep them with return address labels, air mail stickers, etc. String hang tags. Mount washi tapes on tape dispensers.
> Make one of every single item I will sell this season, in every color and personalization I will offer.
> Photograph these. I need 5 photos for every product ~ front, back, personalized, in use, and a collage of all variations available (sometimes a collage of the entire holiday collection, so they can think about adding to their collection each year). It speeds up photos to shoot all of the fronts one right after the other, then all of the backs, etc.
> Prepare my listings ~ use all 5 photos, make sure titles/tags/descriptions will get good strong search results, and plan to have as many listings as possible ~ you want to appear in lots of search results.
> Answer common questions in your listing descriptions ~ it saves time later. Things like size, care instructions, available colors, fiber content, anything your customers ask regularly.
> Use shipping profiles and shipping labels ~ they save time!
> Arrange for the postal service to pick up your shipments for you, at your door, if you ship regularly. It saves time!
> Start listing early, but stage your listings so you are continually listing ~ don't put them up all at once. You want them sprinkled through the search results, and recent listings appear higher in the results.
> Post holiday order deadlines and turnaround times ~ people always need to know this, for decorating and gift giving.
> And if you can, get in touch with media outlets and bloggers, to let them know what you'll be showing this season.
> Use social media ~ and the new Shop Updates on Etsy, awesome! ~ to invite people to your shop.
> Block time each day for emails, production, order fulfillment, and shipping ~ prioritize these continually.

And have a wonderful holiday season!

Very best wishes,

Anne

[Former_Member]

Hi, I m jewelry designer, In India in holiday of Christmas v g doing lot of fun masti & work for my new buyer , shop.in last holiday v r get not good response but in this year v r preparing much , maunfacturering new jewellery for holiday ,& hope my all new jewellary....

[Former_Member]

will be sell....thx..

[mirrymirry]

The biggest mistake i made in the past was taking on custom requests for large embroidery designs that would take 2 weeks each to make. This meant i didnt have time to reproduce the best sellers in my shop ( which went quick) & so lost sales. I've learnt not to take custom requests during the busier times.

Other than that im adding my shop tags to each item as i make it, & wrapping them so theyre ready for their final bagging. Stocking up on materials, mail boxes / bags, gift wrap, etc. I also try to get my own Christmas shopping done early so i can concentrate on my little shop instead of myself. Ho Ho Ho :))

[Former_Member]

I'm prepping all of my holiday items now, i.e. making holiday items and taking pictures with a holiday back drop/feel, so that they are ready to post in my shop once other holidays are close or over. This is my first holiday season feeling confident with my titles, tags, descriptions and pictures so hopefully it's successful. I love reading every one else's holiday time management ideas. They are really helpful.

[Former_Member]

I cannot say that I have experienced a busy holiday season yet. I know I need to get many more items in my shop and that is one of the things I am working on for this holiday season.
I especially like the ideas from Christine form Xroma and Laura from BlyssbyLaura.
These are ideas I could incorporate into my business. Thanks for sharing.
My ideas right now are to have enough stock for shipping (which I have) and to stock my shop more before the end of the month. .
Good luck to all for this holiday season, may all your hard work pay off.

[CircusOfCelebrations]

The nature of my shop is that the season is very short, and everyone wants their item shipped yesterday. During my first two years, I spent a lot of time spinning my wheels and trying to keep up. Last year, I wrote a list of the number of items of each type I would make, based on sales from the year before, and tried to complete those goals before branching off.
Here's some of my new time management tips for this year.
1. Organization- I've added pull-out ribbon organizers in my cabinet, shelves and baskets attached to the walls, and a paper sorting tray is even mounted to the wall (all in my laundry room). It's amazing how much time I was losing trying to find things and pick up when everything fell over. It's wrecks your train of thought.
2. Clean up after each step. Whether I'm painting, building, or shipping, if my space isn't clean then things get messed up, mixed up or slowed down. This is a new commitment for me.
3. I only work on packing and shipping one order at a time. When I try to fill a few orders at once, I ended up forgetting pieces that needed to go into a box, instructions, and which shipping label went where. Organized is always faster.
4. Sometimes you just have to feel if someone is sucking up all of your time, and just say no. I've gotten better at this, but I still get roped in now and then. I am much better at it in Nov. and Dec.
5. I've written a new snippet for the many convos I get with questions that are already answered in my descriptions, shipping, and policies. I always like to reply to convos right away, but they can take you off task. I will now send the convo asking them to read the description and click the shipping tab, but I also let them know that if I don't hear back I will follow up with an answer.
I have too many to share and I can't wait to hear how others manage!

[PaperJewelryDesign]

Totally agree with Lisa and Don that having organized inventory and a shipping area is a big time saver !
It is my first holiday season (first year of Etsy being my day job :-) and I'm trying to get ready by making packages ( I make them from scratch ) and all the "ingredients" of my listings that need time to dry (I make handmade paper and I fashion the wood boxes to look old and used...)
Good luck to all of you !
Thanks for the tips :-)