Time Management

Welcome to day 2 of our Shop Talk series!

Part of having your own shop and selling wares means you need to do things, have a plan, and stay focused. Being busy doesn't necessarily mean you are productive. You might even be more tired than you need to be.

Write down how your schedule looks right now then next to it write how you would like it to look - add things you want to be doing and should be doing. Are you focused or meandering throughout the day? Having goals and setting appointments will keep you focused and productive.

Also having a place for everything and everything in it's place is extremely time saving!

Several planner companies have a system you can learn from their website to stay focused and efficient while reaching your goals each day.

some great planners/calendars are

Much ado about you... ( my favorite )

i have also used franklin covey and day timer in the past...

franklin covey

day-timer

The key is to use it! Write everything you need to do in it, all of your appointments, and engagements. Then look at it everyday. If you don't write everything in it it is useless. If you don't look at it everyday it is useless. The whole point of keeping a planner (this took me several years to realize) is to write in it and refer to it everyday. We can't hold everything in our heads and it's exhausting when we try to. Give yourself a break, write it down and focus on life and work :)

I highly recommend reading franklin covey's how to set goals and write a mission statement. This teaches you how to work toward something you want everyday, while doing it with your best character and values.

I also have used iCal - I love the alarm feature. I also love the fact that I can customize the colors on iCal.

Here's a quick tutorial:
control click the calendar you want to change the color of I chose my blog schedule
click "get info"

click the color to the right

 choose the "other" option

select any color your heart desires :)

you can change all of your colors into a pretty theme

happy planning :)

See Balance and Productivity & Incentives next week for more tips on this topic.
 See you tomorrow for tips on photographing your wares.

xoxo,

krystina

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