Organizing my Crafty Business Space

The Desk

I knew that if I didn't start my organization with the desk area, I would regret it later. I thought about all I need to do at my desk, and how to organize everything in a small space. 

• Planning
• Filing
• Document Printing
• Computer work
•  Photo Printing
• General Paperwork and Bill Paying for CTMH 
• General Paperwork and Bill Paying For Home

My desk is small, as is the location of my desk. Besides being functional in a small space, I need it to be fun and pretty, or I will not want to work.

  As you can see, everything is pretty in pink, and lime green. It really is my happy work space. The chair is padded and grey to match my walls. It, along with the picture throw, was a gift from a dear friend. 

There is room for my laptop, printer, and Selphy printer. I added the bulletin board, and white metal organizer, to get some things off of my desk space. This desk only has one drawer, and two small shelves. I really had to purge, and only keep necessary items in my desk space. I also have a filing cabinet that is close by, but that will be a post all its own.

 One of the few things that sits on my desk is this little organizer from Michaels. These go on sale quite often, and come in lots of different patterns.

 I love these little pink buckets which were a gift from another friend. The little basket holds my Fuji Instimax, and a canvas given to me by one of my daughters. 

I think I purchased this metal organizer at Marshall's. It carries supplies that I really need to have on hand. By getting it up off my desk I am able to fit my label maker, pencil sharpener, and business cards on my desk.

 Yes, I try to keep all of my office supplies in coordinating colors. Doesn't everyone? The desk houses label maker refills, extra tape, staples, paper clips, binder clips, push pins, and zip drives. All of these are things I need to have close by.

 My desk is a great place to spread out my planner, as I look forward to the next week/month. I love to add stickers, different colors, and quotes to my planner. Sometimes I can get lost in planning for hours.

I have come up with a schedule that works for me, unless I have something unavoidable crop up, or a doctor's appointment. Here is how my schedule looks right now:

Monday - create/ social media connections
Tuesday - post to blog and/or Youtube
Wednesday - create/ social media connections
Thursday - post to blog and/or Youtube
Friday - desk day/customer connections/bi-weekly newsletter
Saturday - create/social media connections
Sunday - review/evaluate/plan

If I don't create projects on a regular basis I have nothing to blog, or make a video, about. I'm trying a new schedule next week to see if it will help me get more done. The first week of every month I will post about specials. The second week I will try to create based on holidays, and the Close to My Heart stamp of the month. The third week it is what ever strikes my fancy. The fourth week is series, such as this one on getting organized. 

How do you organize your desk area? Any tips or tricks? I would love to hear them.

STAYING ON TRACK IN 2015

Planners, Planners, Planners

It all started when I saw a YouTube video on something called a mind dump. The idea is to clear your head by writing everything down in a notebook, which will free your mind to come up with new ideas. David Allen advocates this system in his "Getting Things Done" book. 

Soon I realized I needed a planner to keep track of all of my appointments, and to-do lists. Hmmm, how about planning for success in my fundraising business? I'm sure you can imagine how this snowballed, and I found myself needing several different notebook/planners.

 

I am sure that I will tweak this system as the year goes on, but I'm excited to have a system in place. In the video below you can see how I am using my current system. If I make big changes I will update you all as I go along.

The printables I used can be found on:

 The CEO of Me blog

PDX blog planner 

I also used the Seaside paper packet for the Blog/Close to My Heart planner.  

The Levenger disc bound system, and the Frixion pens can all be found on Amazon.

Your planner(s) will likely look very different from mine if you are raising children, work outside the home, etc. Let me know if you have a system to stay organized this year, and what it is.

 

GETTING READY FOR 2015

SMART Goals and a New Planner

I have been working on setting my goals for 2015, in an effort to be more productive in all areas of my life. I discovered SMART goals recently, and fell in love with the idea. The acronym stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely.

Instead of simply saying "lose 40 pounds", my goal reads "I will lose 40 pounds by the end of 2015, in order to improve my overall health, and energy level."

Steps to reach goal:

1. Exercise 2 times per week, for a minimum of 30 minutes each, beginning January 1st. Increase the amount of exercise every quarter, reaching 5 days per week by year end.
2. Work up to eating 4 servings of fruits and vegetables by June 2015.
3. Make meat and sweets the smallest portion of my food consumption by April 2015.
4. Eat my biggest meal before 4 pm and eat nothing after 8 pm starting January 1st.

I have set all of my 2015 goals in this manner. The plan is to check in on all of my goals weekly, so that I am holding myself accountable.

The second part of getting my act together in 2015 is finding a planner that I can customize to fit my needs, and organizing my work space.

I have ordered my planner, but it hasn't arrived yet. I found it on Amazon, and it is a disc bound system.

LEVENGER JUNIOR SYSTEM

Because it has discs, instead of coils,  pages can be rearranged, removed, or added, as needed.  I will do a video, and post, on my planner as I set it up. 

The organizing has begun on my craft room/office. My husband was kind enough to break out some tools and help me hang  things over my desk.

You have to love a husband who will just help, without making a comment on your color choices. The idea behind this pegboard wall is to get as much off my desk as possible. It also needs to be pretty enough that I will want to look at it as I work. I have a few special gifts from friends that make me happy, and also a shortened version of my 2015 motto, which is "Strive for progress, not perfection." 

As I work on my goals, organize my workspace, and set up my planner, I will share here and on YouTube.

Please share your comments, or plans, for 2015 below.