As I've been talking to people about different promoting techniques for their shop, the one thing I hear over and over again in one form or another is, "how on earth am I supposed to balance all this promoting to get my name out there and still find time to create?" I think that's great question and one that should be addressed before I spend any more time talking about how to promote your shop! We all have busy schedules, for one reason or another, and learning to manage our time well will do a lot to lower our stress loads and increase our productivity!
I have so many things I want to talk about that this is going to be a little series in and of it's own. Look at is a foundation piece for the series on promotion that I've been starting. Also, as I get farther into that series I'll end up revisiting this topic a time or two to let you know how my ideas are developing!
A few things that I think are really important to say right off the bat are these:
1. Every person is different. I'm going to try to include a lot of different ideas and quotes in here because what works fantastic for one person might not work so well for another because of personalities, life situations, or even the craft it's related too!
2. Prioritize. No matter what system you end up using to manage your time, it's really important to make sure you know what's most important and what you can let slide.
3. Forgive yourself and be flexible. You know, sometimes things happen and you just can't stick to your original plan. That's ok! If your prioritizing well then hopefully you won't find your self in to much of a bind. Be ready to adjust your day's schedule, and your week's, for those unexpected events that come up in your life.
4. Don't forget time for fun. This is important in any well-adjusted persons life, but I think in some ways it's even more so in an artists life! Why? Because your work will often be directly affected by your emotional state and your stress level. Treat yourself right, give yourself some time for fun and relaxation, and your creativity will flourish as a result.
Coming up tomorrow: Time Management - One Approach
Have YOU commented on my forum thread yet? I would love your input! I'm gathering feedback about time management techniques. Who knows? You might even end up in one of these blog posts! Check it out at:
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5879690
