Things Need to Change.

My creative business (which I Love), my home and my life (love those too) are very much intertwined. Classic Amy Joanne is ‘Art & Home‘ after-all. Home and Life on the first floor, and Studio Life on the second floor. Each one needs the other to exist.

It has been 3 years since ‘the hiccup’ and the ‘Amy’ part of ‘Classic Amy Joanne‘ is feeling unhealthy, scattered, unable to string a thought or idea together, and not even knowing where I am to be at any given time and so on….yes, things need to change. I need to find balance between the Business Life and Home Life.

The ol’ saying ‘do what you love and you will never work a day in your life‘ is so very true….but it is also tiring just the same and ‘shutting it off’ is even harder to do when you love it. When I look at taking ‘down-time’ I just want to continue what I do as Classic Amy Joanne. I know boo-hoo, right?!?!

The recent commercials have it right ‘it is ok, not to be ok‘.

So here I am, not ok and taking a break to refresh. A break from my retail day job, a break from posting on Social Media, a break from teaching, a break to slow the pace down and come up with a do-able plan to continue to grow (and enjoy) the business I created and have a home life with family and friends too.

This week I began with setting timers, setting the phone aside, and creating a new ‘Work Planner’. My ‘Day Planner’ for Home, Life and Family and a separate Daily ‘Work Planner’ for Classic Amy Joanne.

It feels like a good start.

My ‘Work Life’ looks very different from a normal 9 to 5…..it is created, just like the projects I create. Teaching some days and some nights. Working a retail job some days and some nights and most weekends. Scheduling each day in a weekly/monthly planner is important, remembering to leave 2 days a week for ‘my’ weekend and then creating off hours during the day or evening opposite my work schedule. I know it sounds very regimen but necessary when each day brings something different all hours of the day.

I also struggle with not being able to create every idea at once. The only solution I can come up with for this is to write each idea down in the ‘Plan Book’ (shown below) and add it to the pages of the ‘Work Planner’ as time allows.

Here is how the rest will work….for the ‘Work Life’.

Each Day Sheet in the ‘Work Planner’ (as shown below) is broken down at the top by the day, the week, and the date and then circling if it is a work day or a day off.

The ‘Scheduled For‘ box is for my shift at my retail job or if I will be teaching in the Home Studio, my Tuesday Girls, at the Center or thru Zoom. all Scheduled Time.

The ‘Daily to Do‘ is simply just a listing of ‘must do’ daily activities…such as check for orders, answer emails, read FaceBook comments and post, order supplies, etc.

The ‘Big 4 Hours‘ is to list projects that will take up to 4 hours to complete and to be honest and realistic with myself. From Blog Postings to Base Coating to Designing.

Between the ‘Scheduled For’, the ‘Big 4 hours‘ and the ‘Daily To-Dos’, this will be my work day.

The remaining time….well, it is for my Home Life.

Maybe I will get a chance to paint my kitchen, or make new curtains, or bake sweets for the freezer or learn to crochet or start a punch needle project. (and yet this is how home life intertwines with a creative business life, I digress).

My hopes are that this ‘Work Planner’ will have me back on track and I can leave it behind on my desk when I leave the Studio….with all accomplished.

And pick up my Home Life from there.

I have also been reading a very good book….I feel like it will be a good re-read too. Good advise. A keeper book for sure.

~*~

….and just to share something silly….coming from a girl who loves to make pretties, this is my ‘Plan Book’ with all my ideas and dreams written in….it is a very sloppy homemade book with handmade tabs….with a scribbled black label added to the front….I know right?!?!?! …..so classic. I can’t even believe I am showing this, lol!

A sampling of what is in the ‘Plan Book’ with Tabs such as Class, Journals, Long Term, Blog, Products, Studio and Home.

Has lots of painting projects too~ such as a Christmas Pull Toy, The Toymaker and the Gingerbread Baker, Mrs Claus Gingerbread Countdown with Rolling Pin, The Halloween Keepsake Journal, Elfie Selfies, and a lot more….including new products such as Classic Cling Rubber Stamps and Classic Candle Co, and many more Blog Posts full of information!

Let’s Make this do-able. Let’s Refresh.

Thank you for hanging in there with me, scattered and all. I hope this encourages anyone whom is feeling ‘not ok’, to see the signs and know it is ‘ok’ to take a break and refresh.

Change is coming to Classic Amy Joanne and it is all good.

~*~

Coming Soon ~ Organizing a Day Planner, Creating a Creative Business Planner, Meal and Menu Planning, Classic Cling Rubber Stamps, Chicken Bundles, Stamped & Painted Cookies, Nutty Buddy, and a Cottage Charm Journal.

And just a note of you missed the July 30, Social Media Recap……there wasn’t any…..it was a short lived idea that will be changed from weekly to monthly to coincide with the Monthly Newsletter.

And if anyone would like a copy of the ‘Work Planner’ please email me at classicamyjoanne@gmail.com (it is a word document that is change-able), I will be happy to share.