Time Management - Manage Your Time, Don't Let Your Time Manage You

Happy December 1st! I've Just finished up my 4th November on Etsy and we are smack dab in the middle of holiday shopping season! I hope that you are all doing well, making sales, and getting your own holiday shopping done if you need to do any!

I can actually say that this November has been the least stressful November of all of the November's I've had on Etsy. I credit most of that to managing my time, being prepared, and setting realistic deadlines. I also made the conscious decision not to do a lot of extra craft shows and markets this year too, which has made a world of difference!

Last year and the year before, I vowed that I would start putting our Christmas tree up on November 1st, but thankfully I managed to get all of the decorations up on Thanksgiving weekend and we enjoyed a couple days off for friends and family.

So, what is my secret? I've been managing my time, and not letting time manage me. You may ask exactly what that means ... Basically, I know how much I can get done in a day and when I am pushing my expectations of myself. So, I have been scheduling projects each day and allowing lots of extra time to communicate with customers. Customer questions and requests seem to be a lot higher this time of year, so I have learned that I need at least double the amount of time each day to communicate.

I've also been careful not to over promise. So, when I tell customers how long custom orders are taking, I am sure to account for a bit of cushion to ensure that packages go out on time. Purchasing tracking on packages also seems to be more important than ever right now, so that customers can see exactly where their items are in transit.

By managing my time well, I have been able to have my most successful month on Etsy, and still fill the house with the smells and activities that come along with the season and my family.

So go forth, and manage your time!