A plan for less stress.

I'm always a bit uncertain about whether to write these kind of posts on the shop blog, but everything I do ties together into the shop. Why not, then? Nothing like a bit of variety. 

This year has every opportunity to be hugely stressful. More so than usual, I feel. There is now a lovely man friend in my life - who lives in Auckland. Nope, there are no plans to move in that direction, but I will be spending more time there. Thank goodness for cheap flights. (Also, watch this space as i'll be organising Auckland knit nights when I can, and be offering yarn mule services).

There are already many big markets and events Holland Road Yarn Co will be present at alongside business as usual for the year. 

Where am I going with this? Thinking about stress, and what gets me all anxious. It's silly really: free time stresses me out. I can't sit and do nothing, and yet when i'm tired and busy my decision making skills go out the window and I can't quite figure out what to do next, or what is most important.

Solution: remove the luxury of choice. 

Somehow, not having the leisure to choose what to do next leads to greater productivity. No wasted time wondering what to do in the long list of doing. Hopefully less time looking at said list thinking 'I don't wanna.'

We're (mostly) inherently lazy. A task that requires brain power usually sends me straight to Twitter and Facebook and Pinterest and Flickr and Ravelry before I want to use my brain. Which is ridiculous, really, as using brain power is fun. If there's no choice but to get stuck in, more ticks are ticked and jobs crossed off. 

Which means planning like crazy. Luckily, I LOVE to plan, and write lists, and gaze into the hazy unknown future. The more items entered into the 2013 calendar, each task added to iProcastinate (yes, that's the app i'm using to plan a work schedule!) helps me feel more relaxed and excited about the year to come. 

I'm breaking down each big project into small steps so the mountains appear more like molehills. Each project has a deadline, which means I may put it off until the very last minute on the very last day, but isn't that what deadlines are for?

One job that will facilitate all this doing was having a great big epic tidy of my office space. It's been such a disaster that it hasn't really been a functional office beyond storing yarn, shop junk and the ironing board.

No more! It's now 99% tidy - just needs a few little bits and pieces to finish it off. What is it about walking away from the last little bit of a job that makes it easier when you go back to it later?

The best part of all this: more knitting time. That's the plan, anywho...I guess sharing all this is in the hope that you see the other side of running a yarn business. I'm also the first to admit that perfection is not my middle name. I do worry that all this planning and thinking ahead will come to nought in a few weeks once the shop is open again and the real work starts. Sticking to it is best in the long run, though, so you lot need to keep me honest. I also need to remind myself that being organised and making beautiful things keeps me very happy indeed. 

Here's to a great 2013!