Organization- Or how to have your cake and eat it, too

Every time I visit the Etsy forums, or any small business forum for that matter, I see the same question being rephrased over and over again- How does everyone do it? There needs to be more hours in the day!

I don't claim to have all the answers, but I do know what does and doesn't work for me. I have been managing my home and my husbands graphic design for several years now, and I am using the tricks I learned to now add more to my plate, my own craft business.

1)You are not going to get everything done this week, this month, or even this year.

Realize this as soon as possible. A business is an ever evolving entity. For as long as you own your business you are never 'done'. A better tactic is to decide what you will get done, and don't think about all those things you are not getting done. A little bit of zen here- live in this moment. Only this moment exists. If you spend too much time worrying about the next moment, you will lose this one forever.

2)That brings us to our second point- goals. Goals are fluid as well, and never carved in stone.

Set aside some time this weekend to write down your goals. Plan your goals for this month, this year, the next five years, the next ten years. Review your goals often, and make notes of what you are doing to achieve them.

3) Do the right thing, at the right moment.

This is one that many people miss. It comes down to what your priorities are, and what they should be. Would you spend thousands of dollars on a TV commercial for your restaurant if you didn't have a name yet? Of course not! If you have no products in your store, get out of the forums, don't worry about advertising- go create or post items! If your photo's look like crap, don't make business cards, start researching photography tricks and retake the photo's !
I will admit, this is the one I break the most. When everything is going wrong, it is easy to push aside what you should be doing and do what you want to do or what is easy to do. To fight that urge, read on...

4)This is now your job, act like it.

It is a wonderful thing to work for yourself. You may think you no longer have a boss. I hate to burst your bubble, but that just isn't true. You now work for every existing and potential customer you may have. Don't offer more than you can give. Don't say you can ship daily if you can't. Instead say you ship within two business days. Then you only have to worry about shipping twice a week. Beware the TV, the social calls from friends, and your own family. If you need to work, then work. Set yourself up to succeed by letting everyone, including yourself, know that this is a job and you are working.

5)Punching the clock.

There are only so many hours in a day, and no amount of wishful thinking is going to change that. Make the most of your hours. Sure it's pretty awesome that you never have to miss little Timmy's piano recital or a night out with the girls again, but you still have work to do. Working out a schedule is different for everyone, so I'll share mine as an example.

On Sunday evening, after the kids are in bed, I sit down and write out all my Morning Coffee entries for the next five days. When I wake up Monday morning, after I get some caffeine but before I get ready for the day , I review that days morning coffee and hit publish post. Then I mosey on over to my email and handle anything I need to do there. After that, I open up a folder under my bookmarks titled "ongoing marketing". This is where all the links for any social networking sites or ads I have to keep updated reside. I update each as needed then spend a few minutes in the Etsy forums (I consider this more play time than work time, maybe because I enjoy it). The rest of the day is dedicated to getting my goals done. There is no time limit, so if I want to do something other than work I can, but I still have to get the goal done before bedtime. Some days it may take 12 hours, other days 5. If I find myself failing to get things done for several days, I revise my Morning Coffee plan and take a day or two to catch up instead of adding old goals onto new ones. To avoid procrastination, catching up can take no longer than two days.

6)Take time off!

This is the final and most important one in my mind. No one can last long working 24/7. Unless I have a show, I don't work weekends, bank holidays, or vacations. Sure, I check my email, pop into the forums, or post an item or two. I do not goal for it though, so if I don't do it I won't sweat it. It is vital to schedule time off to avoid burnout. Having time to devote to yourself or others also puts to rest any fears your friends or family may have that your business is going to make you avoid them.

Good luck to all of you, and may your business be exactly want you want it to be!