Trying to squeeze in everything that I must do into my schedule has really been a struggle for me this year. While perusing the “Etsy Forum” one evening, I was drawn to a discussion on, the hardest part of starting your business. I was not surprised to find that I was not the only one seeking balance and organization in the management of their time. When overwhelmed with the demands of life, whether it be children, husband, household, and/or business, how does one strike balance? Do you ever feel so overwhelmed that all you are fit to do is to sit on your sofa and stare at the ceiling? According to David Allen, founder of the David Allen Company, which is focused on productivity and executive coaching, "time management is a mislabled problem." He believes that time can’t be managed, it just is. He further states that "what we really manage is activity during time, and that defining outcomes and physical actions required is the core process required to managing what you do."
After my introduction to Mr. Allen's ideas (Wikipedia), I began to reflect on some of the things I have observed successful friends and family doing with regard to managing time. Whether they are concious of it or not, they actually do manage their activity and not their time. I've noticed that they tend to avoid time wasters such as gabby telephone time and watching television; they multitask and use creative organization techniques. One example of this was sitting right under my nose. In our June 5, 2008, post, Cinnamon shared one of her creative organizing tips. She uses legal-sized manila envelopes to sort her kids' school papers, party invitations and important dates to remember. She assignes the task of labeling and decorating to her 5-yr. old. Now if that’s not creative activity management, what is?
Light bulb moment! MANAGE YOUR ACTIVTY AND NOT YOUR TIME! Be encouraged, and know that striking a balance is possible, it's all about redirecting your focus. Feel free to comment and share with us any ideas you have found useful in "managing activity".....
At last, the orders for our mini scrapbooks are starting to roll in! In one of our earliest posts, I talked about my passion for mini's. Some people call them brag books because they are purse-size so you can carry your favorite pics of loved ones wherever you go! In Vera Rapso's e-zine article on brag books, she talks about them being "the scrapbooking enthusiasts answer." She says "Brag books aren’t just for showing of babies either. They can be used to tell a story about trip, event or even a special accomplishment." She makes a great suggestion for involving your kids in scrapbooking too! She suggests giving them a supply of disposeable cameras when they go to summer camp and telling them to keep an eye out for keepsakes like ribbons and things they've created.
The first two I ever did were pre-made for Valentine's Day 2007 and I sold them on Ebay. I took another one to a Women's Expo a couple of month's ago and got our first order for a custom book. This client helped me improve the product when she asked for a case to protect it from the contents of her purse. I had fun experimenting with sewn-together transparencies and other materials before I created an envelope to coordinate with the book. We've had a few more orders that we're working on. Coming to Etsy soon!
