Congratulations to Theresa, who was chosen at random as the contest winner! Keep in touch and let me know how those guitar lessons are going!
0 Comments
As part of my continuing efforts at self improvement and improving my business, I read a lot of blogs by other jewelry designers, business coaches, and the like. One of the things I hear over and over from these women is that their business success has provided them the freedom to live the lifestyle they want to live - and it seems like this lifestyle always includes the ability to travel. One coach/blogger was recently talking about how her and her husband spent the summer in France. (Yes, I am supremely jealous). I don't know for certain, but I get the impression that these bloggers don't have children. I mean, my lifestyle aspirations include wearing clothing free of mysterious stains put there by small fingers- not exactly vacationing in Europe, I know. Running a creative business from home can be a real challenge. I have a nearly-4 year old and an 8 year old, so I have both the commitments of elementary school activities and of a preschooler who is at daycare 3x a week (it doesn't provide me as much "kid-free" time as you might think). I manage my household, my business, and my sanity around two concepts: PLANNING and FLOW. PLANNING comes easily to me. I'm a Type A personality, and am never without a to-do list (or 10), and I have multiple calendars. Also, because I only have about 24 kid-free hours per week, I use planning to maximize that time, so I don't spend my family time stressing about business "should have's." I realize that my system might be considered overkill by some, but it works for me. Here's how I keep it all together (mostly): 1. On my "business" calendar, which lives in my studio, I keep track of social media deadlines, events, and order due dates. I also have monthly reminders to myself based on goals I identified at the beginning of the year. January 31: Did I book a trunk show this month? What are my social media stats? 2. On my "family" calendar, located in my kitchen, I keep track of my husband's travel schedule, my kids' extracurricular activities, my own business-related events, my personal and PTA-related activities, and assorted "others". I highly recommend a calendar like Mom's Family Calendar for keeping multiple people's schedules straight. 3. My monthly planner, which lives in my purse, is a hybrid of the two calendars. Anything and everything goes into this planner. I'm often asked to do things while I'm at the school or visiting friends, so this keeps me organized when I'm on the go. I also put shopping lists, notes, etc in here. PLANNING allows me the freedom to choose what I am spending my time on, releases me from commitments I'd rather not make, and also provides me a concrete way to carve out time for me. It also helps me feel prepared, especially when it comes to things like writing blog posts and scheduling social media content - I know what to write and post, and I know when I'm going to write and post. Also, it allows me to feel like I am always on the front foot, so even if I have to change my schedule suddenly, I'm not frantically racing around to do what's on my schedule. Which leads me to the other key concept - FLOW. FLOW, for me, encompasses two ideas - the first is to maintain calm when events arise that disrupt your plans. Especially with kids, this is a given. School gets cancelled due to inclement weather, kids get sick - these things affect the day-to-day of how I run my business. When these curveballs happen, I have to be fluid, and adjust my day appropriately. Sometimes, this means an unfinished necklace remains unfinished in favor of watching Spirited Away while snuggled under the covers with the kids. On these days, I try to get done what I can, but try not to stress about what I 'should' be doing. FLOW is also related to how you get things done when you're working. There are days when I sit at my workbench and play with color combinations and shapes and am utterly uninspired by everything I come up with. On those days, I'm not in my creative flow. My time is much better served updating social media, taking product photography or balancing the books. Other times, new ideas and inspiration seem to pour out of me and I can barely sketch new designs and idea fast enough. I'm in my creative zone and take advantage of that flow and momentum to get new ideas out. I always carry a small book with me to take advantage of these moments. I believe PLANNING and FLOW need to be present to balance work and life when you're a creative business owner. PLANNING without FLOW is overly rigid and kills creativity, while FLOW without PLANNING diminishes progress in favor of unfinished projects. Do you have PLANNING and FLOW in your life? If not, why not? What steps can you take to move toward a balance? If you do, how do you manage it?
Happy 2015 everyone! I hope January has been treating you well so far! Here in Maryland, it's been snowy, snowy, snowy and bitterly cold! Comment below with one of your goals for 2015 and what you're doing to make it happen for a chance to win these earrings. The winner will be selected at random on January 28th. Good luck! |
AdriVintage lover, designer/owner of Moon Star Adri, Steampunk enthusiast, Anglophile Archives
August 2015
Categories
All
|