How to Organize Your Time

 

I can't even tell you how much I LOVE organizing and finding new ways to keep my files and supplies in shape. Today I am going to share with you a few of my secrets for how I organize my business. It is so important not only for helping to keep your store/blog organized but also for keeping you sane. I find that if I have clutter on my desk, I tend to be scattered and not able focus on the work I have in front of me. I don't know about you but I need a clean workspace for a clear mind. 

The top thing that I do is write out lists of everything that I need to accomplish. This can seem a bit overwhelming but it's very helpful to see everything that you need to get done over the next couple of months. I tend to schedule 2 months in advance. After you have your main list THEN you can go ahead and break it down into your day by day lists - What is the major project that you are going to focus on during your day. Here is where you get a small peak into my plans for July. In the next couple of weeks I have 4 sets that I plan on releasing, PLUS my Exclusive Membership Club - August Set for those of you that are members, & are you ready for it? My brand new blog design. Yes!! I am working on moving my blog over to Blogger. Weebly just doesn't cut it when you are trying to build your brand. As much as I love Weebly for the classroom, it just doesn't have the capabilities to 100% fit with my brand. Now I'm sure you're saying to yourself "Laura, you're crazy -- you do not have enough time in the day - how are you going to make this work? Well let me tell you.

How to make the most of your time:

1.   Sit down at the beginning of the month and work out what your monthly goals are. What projects are important for you to get out right away and what projects can you wait on a little bit. For me (and I am sure a lot of you) it is very important to get my Back to School sets out before August gets here. I need to make sure that most teachers have a chance to buy & use my products for their back to school needs. So, I know that this will be my focus for all of July.
2. Turn off your phone, find the spot where you work best - maybe it's a coffee shop - for me it's my office which is hidden away on the third floor or out on my deck on a nice day. 
3. Set a time limit for yourself on how long you are going to work during the day. For me this is THE hardest of all of my guide lines to follow. When I am in the zone and working a project out there is very little that can pull me away. I tend to work LONG hours. #workaholic. My goal for myself is to work 2-3hrs a day and then spend the remainder of my day with my family. Let's see if I can handle it!
4. Just like when you sit down to plan out your schedule, you should really be sitting down to plan out and write blog posts as well. I know I am horrible at this BUT I am trying to write 3-4 blog posts at a time. You can schedule your posts to go live at prime times, so you don't have to worry about being available to post them.

Seriously, can you see all of the blog post ideas that I have started!? This is SO helpful for staying on top of things.

         5.   Are you ready for this one!? Plan in a day of RELAXATION. A day that you don't do 
         anything work related. Don't check your email, TpT or ANY social media. I know it's hard for
         many of  us to do but we deserve a little ME time. Go ahead and plan it in!

Hopefully,  I've given you some ideas on how you can start to get more organized in your store/blog as well. I would love to hear what you do to stay organized. Do you have any tips to share with us?