The Value of Time Off

On Etsy we are always chatting about "What have you done to promote?" "Have you listed anything new lately?" and "Did you love your blog today?" Sometimes, everything everyone says you are supposed to do is quite overwhelming.

And for me, a full-time business, crammed into a part-time work schedule, mostly on the weekends...well, sometimes you just have to have a life!

So, I took last Sunday off. Just walked away from the photographing, listing, description writing, promoting, advertising, blogging, creating -- and my husband and I went to have a cook-out with some friends visiting from New Mexico who were camping at a nearby state park.

It was the best thing I could have done. Now mind you, my friend is into silversmithing for her jewelry endeavors, and we couldn't help working on a few things she had brought with her. But there was something about slowing down, just for a moment, that was theraputic.

We noticed the birds, wildlife, and flora just getting ready to burst into spring. We absorbed the sun and gave thanks to the cool breeze -- the perfect weather combination! We ate some awesome grilled food that just tasted better because we were eating at a picnic table with plastic utensils! We caught up with each other's lives.

Just like the body needs sleep to perform, our creative talents and endeavors need a rest to be refreshed for another day. This weekend has been twice as productive because of a little time off.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

I've just been dabbling today... I created a new poll here ------> about favorite earring beads, wrapped soap, relisted a few items, got myself organized for the EtsyBead Street Team's Scavenger Hunt (see flyer in previous blog post to win prizes!), and setup a "Plug Me" board on my website.

The "Plug Me" board is an awesome idea for advertising your shop! I'm still tweaking my GIF file just a little, but I think the eventual outcome will be pretty cool. Visit http://www.plugme.net/ to get your own board, or just build an 88 x 31 GIF image and drop by my website to plug yourself: http://www.dlpom.com/PlugBoard.html Handcrafted items only, please!

Off to get some snacks ready for the SuperBowl!