The Holiday Busy Season

The last quarter of the year is always busy with family time and holidays, but handmade product makers get to add an extra layer. Promotions and increased sales caused by demands for gifts take a lot of time!

At this point in the year you have 7 weeks until Thanksgiving and 10 weeks until Christmas (if you cut out a week for Thanksgiving). I would bet you’d love to take a little time off, slow down, spend time with loved ones. Here are some ideas to make it happen.

Finding Productivity in a Crazy Quarter

Here are some questions you need to ask yourself today, in order to get a little more time this holiday season.

• What is on my list that I can push off without damaging my business?

Outside of planned promotions, this is not the time to start a new project. Write down all your good ideas but don’t act on them until you get through the holidays.

• Is there work I can automate to free up, even 30 more minutes, each day?

Are there mundane tasks you perform that don’t take a lot of time or energy but you do have to carve out a little time to complete them. Automate it! If automation isn’t included in the system you are using, see if Zapier can help.

• Am I working on tasks to perfection rather than just good enough?

Perfectionism is a death sentence to a business owner. We can continually edit and tweak but at some point, you just have to go for it! I’m talking about content posts and video series. I do think your actual product should have plenty of R&D involved!

• Is it time to hire a professional? (VA, Business Systems Expert, Assistant, etc.)

Big stores hire extra help every holiday season, why don’t you? Increased demand means you’ll be making extra product over the next two months and possibly last minute if your forecast wasn’t correct. Bringing on a V.A., Systems Expert, or an assistant to help carry some load may make the different between a stressful 3 months or exciting success! Plus bringing on seasonal help is a great way to ‘test drive’ for the future when you do want permanent help

• Are there common roadblocks that cause me pain that I could clear by changing, <XYZ>?

Often we continue to do a task the same way because “that’s how we’ve always done it”. If you can note when something is a pain in the butt to complete and find a different solution, it will take just 1 pain point off our plate! Reordering the sequence, setting up a new app, or buying a new tool may make all the difference!

• Would a dedicated break for 15 minutes every few hours clear my head and make my productivity increase?

When work is busy, my gut reaction is to put my head down and work, work, work! While this is an excellent process in short term, doing it for 8 hours straight isn’t. Set an alarm or have Alexa remind you to take a short break every 90 minutes. Just stepping away from your task to stretch, refill your water, and step outside can increase your daily productivity!

• What work am I stressing about that isn’t directly related to making money? Can it be removed for now?

So often we are completing a series of tasks because at some point in the past we thought they would b a good idea but now have never stopped to ask ourselves why. Review your to-do list. If a task isn’t directly bringing money into your pocket, can you put a pause on it or decrease frequency over the next few months? You might find it can be completely removed without affecting your business at all!

Summary

Holiday promotional periods can be exhilarating for product makers. Black Friday was named for an accounting reason! Reaching those monetary yearly goals over the next few months can push you to overwork yourself trying to get in ‘just a little bit more’. Don’t let it cost you emotionally. Schedule down-time to enjoy the season with your friends and family.