5 Easy Actions Help Craft Businesses Manage Time Better

Whether you own your own craft business, earn a living creating crafts, or simply enjoy crafting as a hobby, you are well aware that it’s easy to get so involved in what you are doing (ordering and organizing inventory, finding festivals and facilities to sell your wares, or designing new dog collars for your best friends) that an hour, an afternoon, and even a whole day can fly by before you've even gotten out of your pajamas. Since time is our most important commodity and one that we can never recapture or redo, how we choose to manage it makes all the difference between accomplishing our goals or living an anxiety-filled, stressful, disorganized life.

Studies have found that there are some time-management actions common to highly successful and inspirational people before they officially start their workday (and during the day) that lead to continued success throughout all facets of their professional and personal lives.

Eat breakfast.

Eating a healthy breakfast is really the action. Crème-filled chocolate doughnuts and 3 cups of caffeine won’t cut it as a breakfast of champions. Highly-motivated and successful people who are able to accomplish a lot in twenty-four hours eat a healthy breakfast. From fresh fruits, oats, and grains to eggs and protein drinks, starting the day with healthy food to fuel your body and brain will help you focus on your projects and make sound decisions.

Map Your Day’s Path.

Make a list of what needs to be accomplished during the day and then check off what you have done, as you do it. From meeting a new vendor for lunch, starting a new craft project, organizing your craft materials to scheduling time to return phone calls and emails and be home in time for dinner, the more your plan, the more you’ll accomplish. While it’s great to be flexible and spontaneous, poorly-managed days can often lead to weeks where nothing gets accomplished.

Get Physical.

Exercise in the morning. Get your blood flowing and your heart pumping strong. By exercising in the morning (vs. at night), you are awakening your body and mind and revving your metabolism. In addition, the more the endorphins are flowing, the happier and calmer you will be throughout the day.

Do the Hardest Thing First.

Whatever the biggest project is to complete, the most stressful phone call you have to make, or the most time-consuming craft you have to create – do it first. Do the hardest, most challenging, and least desirable task at the beginning of the day. By doing this, you will stop the guilt-inducing voices in your head reminding you that you are procrastinating (again), you can go to bed at the end of the day with a sense of accomplishment, and you open more room on your evening’s and next day’s agenda by having (already) accomplished the hardest task first.

Bonus Tip: Feed the eagles; starve the turkeys!

Look up, look around. Step outside the proverbial box and get some fresh air. Give your energy and attention to feeding the big, beautiful things in your life that matter the most – the eagles. All of the big goals, big dreams, and big ideas need more attention and focus than the whirling dervishes, the constant chattering, and background clutter – the turkeys. Don’t waste time texting nonsense, watching the same movie, or playing the game just one more time to (try) to get to the next level.

Embracing these 5 actions can help to inspire and motivate you to live the creative, craft-filled life you always imagined.