Many creative entrepreneurs are passionate about their business, wanting to spend hours upon hours creating. We get a creative high when we are in the flow state and want to keep going. However, life tends to pull us away or even prevent us from getting started. So the question is, how do you fit your Etsy shop in to your already busy life? Here is everything you need to know about time management for Etsy sellers.

My Top 5 Time Management for Etsy Sellers Tips

As a busy mama of 3 who has run an Etsy shop for over a decade here’s five life changing actions you can take today.

1. Separate your day job with your business. Do not try and work in small pockets of time between meetings. This will drive you crazy because you’ll be context switching. Meaning you’ll be trying to switch off one part of your brain or focus and turn on another. A study conducted at UC Irvin found it takes 23 minutes to recover from a distraction. You could be trying to recover all day if you are distracting yourself with other forms of work. Above all, sink in and focus on your work, you’ll be glad you did! 
2. Schedule out your time to work on your Etsy Shop. First, plan your week and set goals for the week. Maybe these goals are, landing your Etsy shop idea and naming your shop, or listing 5 new items. Then, each day schedule out the time you are going to work on your Etsy shop. Read here about the time of day you work and why it matter. Make a list of the “big three” items you want to accomplish each day. I use this daily planner to keep myself organized. Download it here. You’ll feel so accomplished when you check off your to do list! 
3. Ask for help with household chores. You may feel like you should do it all; however, that’s a recipe for frustration. If you’ve been taking on most of the household chores, ask or demand help! Have kids? Write them a chore list. Set aside focused chore time, turn up the music, divide and conquer that list!  Have you thought about getting a house cleaner or a nanny? Time is precious, You can likely make the money back (and more) that you spend on those services. 
4. Saying yes to yourself may mean saying no to other things. If you love creating and want to accomplish your goals but need more time. Start saying no to things that don’t bring you as much joy as creating. When you get in the habit of prioritizing your time, it gets easier and easier to say no to other invitations. You’ll have more time and more energy when you are focusing on what you love.
5. Hire a contractor. Are you in a place where you know you can’t do it all? Hiring a contractor may be closer than you think. Start to write down tasks that you don’t enjoy doing, write down the steps you take while doing them. You can use this list and set of operating procedures to train a contractor. You’ll be able to focus on what you love about your business and have more time to do things you’ve potentially been neglecting. You may not have had time to grow the business the way you wanted to and hiring a contractor could enable you to do this. 

The Big Decision 

Now, set a goal… what are you working towards? You are going to be successful… the big decision is this… what do you want to spend your Etsy money on? The first step is to ensure you have a separate business bank account. This can be as simple as having a dedicated checking account at your current bank.

Ask yourself, do you want to go on more vacations, travel with your family? Saving for a large purchase? Is your profit a stream of income for your family? Are you planning to grow your Etsy Shop so you can quit your 9-5 job? Set this money aside and make it have a purpose. Having your Etsy money separate can make it easy to see how much you are bringing in each month. It will be easier to make your dream a reality. Having this goal to focus on will keep you motivated. 

Now that we’ve gone over the top five tips to fit your Etsy shop in to your busy life you are equipped with strategies to keep you motivated and focused on your goals. Give yourself grace, and tackle each day with a sense of purpose and your dreams will be right there waiting for you.