Do you get hung up by trying to decide what to do next? Does your to-do list overwhelm you?
I used to waste a lot of time making decisions on what to work on next on my to-do list. Running your own business means lots of tasks and lots of goals. Figuring out how to prioritize those goals and to-dos will make your life easier.
In this week’s video, I’m sharing four tips for prioritizing your many goals and to-do lists.
Sometimes, you just have to put on your big girl panties and do the work.
I’ve been wanting a day off so badly, because my husband and I worked all weekend to get our new home move-in ready {it’s still not ready–we’ve got another long weekend ahead of us}. I want a day to relax, watch movies and take naps, but I’m my own boss and I have to hold myself accountable. That’s what working from home and having your own business is all about–working even when you don’t feel like working because you know you’ve got stuff that needs to get done.
Now, it’s your turn. Put on your big girl panties and prioritize your to-do list and goals.
This week’s background is three paintings that I made to decorate our new guest room. Aren’t they fun?!? And, don’t you love the personalized stationery from Mayi Carles?
Thanks. Great advice and put very simply ~ you make it sound so easy. Thank you ~ Thank you ~ Thank you.
Cheers
You’re welcome Debbie!
Hi April,
Your tips really came in handy for me at this time!
Love your advice!
So glad June!
Great tips! My TO DO list is always longer than my days. Thank you.
Try shortening that to-do list LeAnn…you might be surprised what that does for your productivity. I get much more done when I have a manageable to-do list.
Great advice! Love to get the chores done so I can go out and play! 😉 Another lovely background! I use Mayi’s planners too and I love ’em! Those personalized lists are cute — must add to my wishlist!
Thanks Alicia! Isn’t great to get the not-so-fun stuff out of the way?
Sir Charles Bowles Olin made his first TV debut OMG OMG I’m so so so SOOOO excited!
I might have to do another little boy cuz his getting all the girls attention. It’s about time he gets some competition. A friendly competition 🙂
Thanks for the shout out my friend. Love the vid’. Of to share!
Hahahahahaha…Sir Charles Bowles Olin!!!! Love it!!!
That little boy is one super cutie!
Thank you! I need all the help I can get to deal with Overwhelming To Do lists. I struggle with that pretty well all the time.
Love your background paintings. and I think the personalized stationery is adorable.
Overwhelming to-do lists are the worst. No matter how much you get done–you always feel like you should have done more. Setting manageable goals and to-do lists has actually helped me accomplish much more than I did when I had unreasonable goals.
You painted those?? OMG it’s incredible how you find the time.You totally amaze me with your organizational skills. Seriously. And the paintings are so pretty+tranquil. You have to post pics of your new house when you get done. I’m sure it looks ahh-mazing.
As much fun as the low priority tasks are (don’t know why), I force myself to tackle the high leverage jobs first. And I mean “force”. There is such an aversion in my body to certain tasks that I have to do although not that enjoyable that it feels like I’m confronted w/ a bowl of creamed lima beans.
But, you’ve taught me to “reward” myself for getting those tasks done and to “punish” myself for not getting them done. And It works like a charm 🙂
Lovin’ the out-takes 🙂
Yes, I did 🙂 Believe me–it’s not easy to find time but I know that it’s important to make time for my creativity. I’ve found that my business suffers when I don’t make time for it.
I will share pictures of the new home when it’s all done!
Yay for rewarding and punishing yourself!!!
Oh! To-do list fanatic here!
And your boobs did not look lopsided. 😀
Hahahahahahahaha…you never know 😉
Great video! I’ve struggled with my to-do list for ages. I’m the queen of procrastination, my to-do list is crazy long & each item on it felt like a life or death matter. I recently discovered the 4 quadrant method & it’s helped me SO much. I broke my list down into 4 lists – Important & Urgent, Important but not Urgent, Urgent but not Important & Not Urgent or Important. At first, just about everything went on the Important & Urgent list, but each day, I realized that a few of the items didn’t qualify & they got moved to other lists. I’ve been following this method for about a month now & I’m getting so much more accomplished. I still occasionally do something from the 4th list before I complete my 1st 3 lists, but only after the true life & death items have been dealt with. Knowing that the truly important things are being taken care of makes me feel so much more in control which makes me feel a lot calmer & happier.
Love your to-do lists, btw. So cute!
Thanks Jeannie! I’m so glad you’ve found a system that works for you–that’s the most important thing. I know some people who can’t stand daily to-do lists and work from weekly to-do lists instead. I know some people who have to set timers to work for specific increments of time. Finding what works for you is so important!
you know what i like the most about your videos. they are reminders for me how to run my bussiness professionally, so i play your videos while i keep on working and it works great for me!
thank you so much for your awesome work!
So glad to hear it Justine! And thank you for stopping by to comment!
Beautiful paintings!!! Love them and noticed them right away!
THANKS for the tips!!! ..now to go find all my lists and consolidate them! ;P
Thanks Carrie! Good luck consolidating!
Having a To-Do list is the first thing — it is so much better to have them than not — otherwise everything is “in my head”.
Right on Deadline projects — for me, since I do Custom Orders, I have them prioritized by when the Customer wants them and getting them done by that time determines where they are prioritzed. Getting them done on time to be shipped on time is very important for Customer Service. Also — not pushing the Customer to pay the balance ahead of time is also important, so I keep that in mind when I prioritize my To-Do lists — because ….
…. I do Seasonal — learned very early on in my Handmade Hobby business that doing Seasonal within a certain time frame results in more exposure from others and more sales. So. new projects on Seasonal themes is another way I prioritize. To keep up my reputation, no matter how many items I already have available for sale on a Seasonal theme — I need to make and list newly made items!!
Though, depending on what I need to get done by a certain date for either shipping or listing — I also agree with sometimes you have to do the things that are right for you — sometimes I cannot just work on one project for hours and hours and hours — so I also SCHEDULE things by a certain amount of time on certain projects — always doing the high priority ones most, but also doing some other creative outlet things, too.
The one other thing is that I break down some projects in sections — I find that if I have decided I need to figure out how to do something in a certain style, colors etc. — I need to schedule in some time for that in-between the high priority deadline cycles and the normal seasonal projects — that is sort of design research — and if I don’t list that separately on the To-Do list in the right order, it gets dropped out and forgotten until the last minute, which is sometimes too late.
Obviously — I’ve realized a long time ago that To-Do lists are important — so I got the free program Wunderlist from wunderlist.com, which is great — you can just list items, optionally put a date on them and optionally put notes on them — and they send you reminder emails.
So much to do — so many ideas for what to make (I have “designs in my head”) — I am finding wunderlist.com to be really helpful!! Just put something in it when it comes to mind — and date it when it comes down to really getting it done!!
Just wanted to share all this. Been selling my Handmade for 9 1/2 years now and have learned the hard way what works.
Wow Ruth Sandra! Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and what helps you. I know it’s helpful for other people to read about what works for other people and to try it out. And, thanks for including the recommendation for wunderlist.com.
I soooooo agree that it’s better to write it down than to keep it all in your head–that makes it even more overwhelming. And, planning in advance is also incredibly important when running a business. If you don’t plan to make seasonal stuff, it usually doesn’t get made in time.
My favorite suggestion is about doing the task that will move your business forward the quickest – like taking good photos. That is a simple suggestion, but easily overlooked.
Do you have any older posts about how to take photos for your website? That’s something I have trouble with. Like choosing the right background, etc.
Hey Denise! Glad that suggestion is helpful. You might want to check out this post where I’ve put together 10 resources that’ll help you with your product photography: https://www.blacksburgbelle.com/2010/08/10-resources-for-taking-better-product-photos/
Perfect! Thanks for the great resources 🙂
ooh photographs..such an important thing to do .. guess what ? I have been re-taking my photos coz I wanted to improve the look in my shop . I was inspired to do so coz of a lil guide I bought a while ago 😉 Marketing for creatives – heard of it ??
nice tips, april . LOVE the paintings.. 🙂
Yay Lakshmi! I might have heard of it…. 😉
I’m so loving your blog! These videos are great (I love the outtakes) and your tips are awesome!
I definitely need to work on prioritizing things as my business is growing fast and it can get overwhelming having so much to do. I try to start out with just 3 things on my daily to do list (that does not include client work) and feel really great when I accomplish those.
Thanks Angie!!!
Having a smaller to-do list is soooooooo much better than having an out of control to-do list. I get a lot more done when I limit my to-do list, and I feel better about it–like you.
April, your tips are so helpful!Overwhelm is such an awful feeling. Random question but what camera do you use for your videos? If you ever did a video marketing course I’d definitely enrol!
Thanks Victoria! I use an HD Flip Cam. You can get them pretty cheap. When I purchased mine it was $200, but you can find them for around $70 now. It’s incredibly easy to use–highly recommend.
Hi April,
I love hearing what you have to say and how you say it. Puts a smile on my face plus your tips are always informative.
I need a to do list to remind me to do My To Do List. 🙂
Love your videos right to the end. 🙂
Laura …hugs
Thanks Laura!
Hahahahaha…make it a habit. Do it at the same time every day.
Love these tips! I think you left the best one out of your video, but you mentioned it in one of your comment replies! I have to keep my to-do list doable. No more than 10 must-dos in a day. Otherwise, I go to bed frustrated with what didn’t get done, instead of satisfied with what did.
Yes, it is an important one! Glad someone brought it up.
Great tips. Especially the one about doing what you’re procrastinating on first thing in the morning. Get it out the way early!
Thanks Sasha! Glad you enjoyed them.
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