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Yesterday, I asked you to reflect on your days… how are you truly spending your time?  There are days where we are working to a MAXIMUM.  And, there are also days that we seem to be working a full day, but have not done so.  Why do we sit at our desks “working” when we are not always WORKING?  Is there better way to spend our time – and why do we feel like we should be sitting there from 9 to 5?

Working the 8 hour day in 4 hours

Lately, I’ve noticed something about myself.  There are days when I’m “working” for 8 hours or more, but in reality the output is worth less than that.  I’ve been trying to figure out how this has happened.  When I look back on the last several years, I became much more efficient when I gave birth to my daughter.  It is in this time that I learned how to smash 8 hours worth of work into 4 hours.  I didn’t work any less than before, I just worked smarter.  In fact, in her first year, I co-founded Get Hitched Give Hope in addition to running my invitation business.  (In hindsight, this was insane… but somehow it all got done.)

Since my daughter started school 6 months ago, my “work time” is much more consistent and I’m not having to squeeeeeeeeeeze in my work into a short time frame.  I have much longer “work hours” while she is in school.  But, when I take a hard look at my days, I’m not always accomplishing a great deal more with the 8 hour days than with the 4 hour days.  There are certainly “full throttle days”… but there are also days that I worked 8 hours but the output is only 4.

This also happens during busy season.  We work full days and then on weeks where we have down time, we continue to sit “working” even though things are slower.  We are accustomed to the pace of a very full 8-12 hour day… and even when our day is not as full, we continue to “work” for 8 to 12 hours.

So, what to do?

There are 2 questions I have…  One has to do with productivity.  And, the other has to do with work-life balance.  The first: do I need to fill my 8 hour day?  The latter: do I accept the 4 hour day when I have it?

Do I fill the 8 hour day?

Are we being as productive as we need to be?  There are so many distractions these days that sometimes it feels like we are working, but we are not.  We spend time on social media that is not always “real work”.  We spend time multi-tasking so we feel busy… but in reality, we are doing a lot of little nothings.  (Make sure to read our post on the perils of multi-tasking.)  Are there “business things” we should be working on?  Do we need to be better about filling our 8 hour day with 8 hours of work?  Do we need to be better at focusing?

If the answer to these questions is “yes, yes, yes, yes, yes” then you may be wasting time.  I recommend you truly start journaling your time.  Right down how you spend your days to truly see where you are losing time.  (Chic Wedding Geek, Terrica Skaggs, has some great time tracking tools for this.)

This is sort of like dieting: journaling what food you put in your mouth is helpful in knowing the “extras” that your body does not need (and are not so good for you).  Seeing how you spend your time can be very eye-opening at learning the “extras” that you do not need in your business or your personal life.

Do I accept a 4 hour day?

What if you feel that you are accomplished in your work day?  OH SURE – a business owner’s work is NEVER done!  It’s true.  But, truth be told… it is not every day that we “work” 8 hours and have 8 hours of output.  What happens if you only work those 4 hours instead of 8 from time to time?  What if – instead of sitting at your desk from the obligatory 9 to 5 – you WORK only from 9 to 1 and call it a day?  What if you spend some of that extra time on yourself or your family?

I know some of this is CRAZY talk… especially during busy season.  And, I know that so many of us are maxed out these days, unable to accomplish our to do lists in an 8 hour day (or even a 12 hour day).

However, I want you to be honest with yourself about your time… and how we spend our days.  We have the freedom and flexibility as business owners to spend our time how we WANT to.  So, take time into your own hands… no one is forcing you to sit there from 9 to 5 (or 9 to 9).  It’s OK to work a 4 hour day, as long as your business needs are being met.

Thoughts?  Are you OK only WORKING 4 hours from time to time?  Or, do you feel guilty?

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Over the last few days, Kelly and I have had the chance to meet with DC and Baltimore wedding pros.  We had the pleasure of speaking on mission statements at the Baltimore NACE meeting and I also had a casual breakfast with some of The Simple Plan DC graduates.  One thing is clear: it is summer and people are BUSY. There are weddings to be planned and executed!

We also commiserated with a lot wedding pros on how we become so busy and why we are so busy.  (Kelly has been reading The 4-hour Workweek which prompted some great conversations.)  There are certainly days where we all work at full speed and full capacity.  These are days that we all know: 8-12 hours of full throttle, high-speed, heavy productivity.  But, there are days that are full “just because” we feel they should be full.  We are filling our days because we feel obligated to do so.

Being Honest With Time

I think tracking your time is EXTREMELY important to determining your costs and understanding your pricing.  We talk at great length about this in our education about profitability.  And, I think you need to know how much time you spend working on each wedding, each project, each product.  (Chic Wedding Geek, Terrica Skaggs, has some great time tracking tools for this.)

Today’s post, however, is about your time in the grand scheme of life. We are programmed to sit at our desks from 9 to 5 because we feel like we should in order to be responsible business owners.  But we aren’t always working during those hours and we are doing ourselves a disservice.  It’s not fair to us, to our business, to our families, to our souls.

Be Honest with Yourself about Time…

In the last few weeks, I’ve been finishing my day reflecting about how I spent my time.  I haven’t tracked my hours.  I haven’t journaled my activities.  (Again, this is a must for determining costs.  This is a personal reflection.)  I simply have ended my day with the questions, “What did I accomplish?  How much time did that take?  How did I fill my day today?” There are days, where I could confidently reply, “I filled my time well.”  Other days, “Wow.  I could have gone to a yoga class rather than the 2 hours I was spinning my wheels on a project that didn’t advance.”  Do you see where I’m going with this?

Do this…

So… I want you to do this for the next couple weeks.  When you finish your day, shut down your computer, stop for a minute and reflect:

What did I accomplish today?

Did I accomplish the work things I wanted to accomplish?

Did I have any time for myself, personally?

Did I spend time with my family?  (Real time.  Not time on a smart phone while your family played around you.)

How much time was I “working” where I wasn’t really working?

Could I have spent that time on myself or my family?

You don’t need to write this down, or track it.  This is only for you to have a better gauge – in your heart – of how you are spending your time.

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June 15th!  That’s today!  This could only mean one thing: SUMMER is almost here!  And, in the wedding industry that means it’s busy season.  Busy season means we are all running around maxed out.  Our weekends are full of weddings, and our weeks are full of preparing and processing those weddings.  With all the “busy-ness”, it’s a miracle our heads don’t explode.

Today, I want to share…

5 Ways to Cope with Busy Season in the Wedding Industry

1 – Start the Day for YOU

Before you start your day, spend 30 minutes doing something that is going to make you feel better.  This is a great way to get focused and centered.  It may mean that you read the newspaper, go for a walk, or sit outside with a cup of coffee.  Or, let’s face it… this might mean 30 minutes organizing your workspace or creating a to-do list.  But, before you do anything for anyone, do something for yourself.  Before answering that client’s email or fixing your kids’ breakfast, spend 30 minutes doing something to start your day out right.  Having these 30 minutes helps you start the day with clarity.  I guarantee your day will go a lot smoother if you start with YOU in mind.

2 – Set Work Hours

Even though it is busy season and your workload may have just doubled (or tripled), you need to set work hours of some kind.  I do understand that you have a lot more to do: a lot more email to answer, a lot more coordinating of clients, a lot more details to keep tabs on.  But, give yourself “busy season hours”.  This may mean that you shut your computer off at 8pm (instead of what I think is an appropriate time: 6pm).  But, if you don’t shut it down at 8pm, you’ll be working til midnight “just because”.  Trust me, no “good work” is getting done between 8-12.  Furthermore, answering client email after 8pm just opens you up to the expectation that you’ll be available at all hours, and you must learn how to set your client expectations.

3 – Schedule one “selfish” thing each week

When times are busy, we often don’t allow any time for ourselves.  And, on the off chance we actually take a lunch break – let alone anything truly indulgent – we feel guilty about it.  “Oh, I really should be working right now.” WHY?  Yes, we are busy.  But, we signed up for a life of business ownership and self employment because we want to do more for ourselves and our families.  And, it seems like it’s the first thing we compromise.  So give in… schedule one “selfish” thing for yourself each week. Meet a non-wedding-industry friend for lunch, schedule a pedicure on Wednesday morning, watch a world cup match on a Thursday afternoon, take a Monday off.   You are going to put in the hard hours this summer… there is no doubt about it.  So, make up for it in some other way each week.

4 – Plan a summer break

I don’t care if it’s only a 2 day staycation at home, but plan some sort of “summer break” for yourself.  And get it on  the books NOW before the summer has evaporated.  In my previous life in the kids’ clothing industry, summers used to be VERY busy with tradeshows.  It was not uncommon for me to work straight thru from July through August.  And, before I knew it, my summer had evaporated with little to show for itself.  I spent 4 years without much of a summer because I was working so hard.  And, I know wedding pros can experience the same.  So, before summer evaporates before your eyes, schedule a few days off.  And “days off” means: no clients, no computer, no work.  (And, no excuses!)

5 – Say No

It’s OK to say “no”.  There is no way we can do it all.  People who appear to “do it all” are actually good at prioritizing.  And you must become good at that also.  When you are feeling maxed out and your list is a mile long pick SEVERAL things from that last that you are simply NOT going to do.  I know it might sound CRAZY, but you must do this in order to gain control and balance.  There are a number of things that we all work on, that we really don’t have to do.  We are busy for the sake of being busy.  Yet, we continue to do them.  CHOOSE, PRIORITIZE, SAY NO.

What are your thoughts?  How do you cope with busy season?

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I love multitasking!  I love the feeling that I’m juggling a lot of balls at the same time.  A gazillion years ago in college, when I was a barista at Starbucks, I loved having twenty drinks in my queue.  I love simultaneously heating milk in one jug, foaming milk in another, while grinding beans into a fine espresso roast, while pulling a shot, while pumping cocoa.  I loved all of that busy-ness and action.  And, thus set out my life-long love affair with doing a multitude of tasks ALL at the SAME TIME.

And… thus set out some very bad habits that I try hard to break every day. The primary bad habit is an inability to focus on a project for very long.  I have a modern-day-multitasking-technology A.D.D.  This isn’t clinically diagnosed ADD… just a variety that I think many of us have in this day and age.  We do something for 5-10 minutes and quickly need to move on to the next thing.  Ultimately this back and forth, working around in circles, juggling many balls – MULTITASKING – is unproductive.  It also makes us less effective in our work.

MULTITASKING = LACK OF PRODUCTIVITY

A few month’s ago NPR Radio did an interview with Dr. Clifford Nass of Stanford University who had conducted a study on people who multitask.  The results were astounding.  He was interested in researching “chronic multitaskers” – people who cannot do one single thing in a given time.  These people must be watching TV while reading, checking email while chatting on the phone, and so on.  In the interview, Dr. Nass observed that multitaskers think they are good at multitasking, but often they are not.  Their work suffers on account of multitasking.  The study also found that chronic multitaskers were surprisingly weak in the following three abilities:

• Filtering Information
  “The ability to ignore irrelevant information and focus on relevant information.  Multitaskers are suckers for distraction and suckers for the irrelevant, and so the more irrelevant information they see, the more they’re attracted to it.”
• Manage Working Memory
  “Imagine having very neat filing cabinets where you carefully and quickly place things in the right cabinet, and when you need the information, you immediately know which filing cabinet to go to.”  Chronic multitaskers have a  hard time keeping this organized.
• Slower at Switching Tasks
  Chronic multitaskers are worse at switching tasks than other people.

In a nutshell, Nass’s study goes on to show that multitaskers are actually not good at multitasking and that it actually works against many of the skills that you think a multitasker has.  This is a fascinating interview… I highly recommend listening (or reading) all of it here.

TRAINING YOURSELF TO FOCUS

In Julie Morgenstern’s book, “Never Check Email in the Morning”, she addresses the inability to focus on the task at hand.  Her tip?  Work at increasing your focus and attention span.  You may be so accustomed to switching tasks every 5 minutes (GUILTY!) that it’s going to be challenging at first to focus on something for 2 hours.  So start small.  Start working on something, completely uninterrupted and focused for 10 minutes.  On day 2, increase your focus time to 15 minutes… and so on.  You’ll find after time, that you are actually accomplishing a LOT more when you can work on one project or task for large chunks of time.  And your ability to filter information, utilize your working memory, and switch tasks will also improve.

JUST DOING…

I came across this post yesterday from Zen Habits blog: The Zen of Doing.  There is a zen proverb that says, ““When walking, walk. When eating, eat.”  Zen Habits’ author, Leo Babauta, writes, “Focus on doing one thing, right now. Just choose one thing, and clear away all other distractions. Seriously, clear it all away.”  He goes on to explain that “By focusing on the doing, we drop our worries and anxieties, jealousies and anger, grieving and distraction.”

So… my challenge to all of you is to join me in breaking this habit of multitasking.  This is a bad habit that I have to correct every few months.  And, then I fall off the wagon (like dieting) and I have to jump back on again.  While I wrote this blog post, I only checked my Twitter account once.     Baby steps…

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I talk a lot about working on HUGE projects in chunks of 30 minutes per day.  My rationale is that you can do ANYTHING if you piece it into small bites.  I like to set a timer so that a 30 minute project doesn’t swallow my entire day by becoming a 5 hour project.  Lately I’ve been thinking of all the things – small and large – that you can get done in 30 minutes.  There are also little tasks that can make a big difference when you only have a small amount of time.  (I suffer from not wanting to start a project if I have a phonecall in 30 minutes.)  So, here is my list of small and large projects you can get done in 30 minutes – broken down into small challenges and large ones.  Pick only one of these to do each day and commit yourself to 30 minutes.

Small (quickie) 30 minute challenges:

These are the quick little projects that’ll make you feel just a little bit better about yourself and your biz.  These are usually one-timers that can be done when you have a small chunk of time where you are waiting for a call or an appointment.

1. Clean out a file drawer.
2. Make a coffee date with someone you want to know better in the wedding industry.
3. Wipe down your desk and computer screen.
4. Call your mom.
5. Pay 5 bills.
6. Clean your thing-a-majigger draw (you know, the one with the paper-clip explosion).
7. Write a blog post (idea: the thing that excites you most about your business).
8. Take a 30 minute walk to clear your head.
9. Write down 5 things that make your business different.
10. Read a business article in a magazine, blog, or book.
11. Send a thank you note to someone who has helped your business.
12. Take a nap.
13. Read your goals for 2010.
14. Give.  Find a charity or non-profit and donate $5 to their cause.
15. Sign up for a networking event.

Large (long-term) 30 minute challenges:

These are the HUGE projects that when broken up into 30 minute chunks, you can accomplish over time.  These are the items that you’ll repeat every day, 30 minutes at a time, until you are done.

1. Clean out your email inbox.
2. Work on one piece of your business plan.
3. Write a book: one page at a time.
4. Organize a large pile (or box) of denial.
5. If you have months of receipts, input them into your accounting software.
6. De-clutter: Grab a bag and find 10 things to throw away in your office.
7. Redesign your website: one page at a time.  (Work on the concept and the flow if you are not the designer.)
8. Organize inventory
9. Write down systems and procedures for your business: one process at a time.
10. Design a new collection, a new product, or a new division of your business.
11. Create a database of every person you’ve ever done business with.
12. Clean out your computer files.
13. Organize an open house for your business.
14. Plan for the next wedding show (that you attend as an exhibitor).
15. Train an employee on a new responsibility.

Do you notice how none of these items included “check facebook” “talk on twitter”?  (Yes, I do a lot of that too.)  The point is that if you really commit yourself to spending time on something – even in little increments – you can accomplish a lot.  Are you short on time?  Or, are you short on commitment?

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Lately, I’ve been a little shocked by people’s email and telephone protocol.  What seems to me as something so simple and straightforward does not seem to be the case for everyone.  I’m going to preface this post by laying down a few assumptions:

• I believe in setting boundaries.  No one should be answering email and phonecalls late into the night.  I also believe in keeping weekends.  It is OK to not respond to email on Saturday-Sunday.  (Or Sunday-Monday if you work on Saturdays.)
• There are days that our job requires us to be out of the office: meeting with clients, at site visits, at networking functions.
• We all get busy and there are days where we are bogged down and can simply not respond to everyone’s inquiry.

Let’s address a few HUMONGOUS CORRESPONDENCE OFFENSES:

Not responding to email in a timely fashion

Email MUST be responded to within 24 hours.  Here are my rules for ensuring his happens:

• I quickly scan my email for personal and business.  Personal email usually requires a little more time and thought.  My friends, fortunately, do not require a quick response.  Business correspondence does.
• At the end of my workday, I check my inbox to make sure every single business email has received a reply of some sort.
• If I do not have an answer or need more time for an email, I simply let the sender know, “I’ll get back to you before the end of the week.”
• I archive and file all email once responded to.  My inbox has only “open items”.

If you have trouble, organizing your email and keeping everything straight, you may need to set up folders and filters.  See this post on setting up your email inbox.

Like I said, there are days that we have maxed out on our responsibilities as business owners and we must prioritize.  Some times email must play a second fiddle in order to fry the bigger fish.  This is completely understandable.  The problem is when poor correspondence becomes the norm.  Not only are you sacrificing potential business, but also you are sacrificing relationships with colleagues.  You are sacrificing your image and your brand.

Responding to a phonecall with an email

I’m not a big phone person.  I prefer email because I’m very visual.  I need to see something in writing for it to truly set in.  It also creates an easy reference for me to take action in the future.  I know many wedding professionals agree.  Planning a wedding is an intricate web of many little pieces that are nice to “see”.

There are times, though, that a phonecall is necessary.  And, usually a phonecall is made when something is urgent and/or very important.  If I’m calling you, do not email me back. There’s a reason I phoned you.  Just like with email, ensure that you have returned every voicemail at the end of the day.

Now… there is only ONE reason a phonecall should receive an email reply and that would be if you want to set up a better time to talk by phone. There are days that I simply cannot take a phonecall.  I understand this.  Typically, I schedule ALL phonecalls if I can.  If you receive a phonecall that you cannot take and it is NOT urgent, then a quick email asking to schedule a time is appropriate.  Again, make sure the call is not urgent or this defeats the purpose.

Phone = Urgent
Email = Not Urgent

Please respond to phonecalls with phonecalls.

Not setting an “out of office” responder

I am a HUGE fan of the “out of office” auto-responder.  You should be setting this on your email any time that you cannot or will not be responding to email within 24 hours. If you have the slightest doubt that you will be able to respond to email, just set the auto-responder.  This is a great habit to establish.  Here are some examples of when to use this:

• Out of the office for site visits
• Away from your desk for client meetings
• At home with your kids for the day
• Have family visiting from out of town
• On vacation or business travel
• On the weekend (especially if you take an “unconventional” weekend such as Sunday – Monday)
• You are simply too swamped to respond to email

The last point is VERY important.  If you are slammed with work, you need to let people know.  Otherwise, you look irresponsible.  If you cannot take any more business and don’t plan on responding to inquiries for some time, please let people know: “We are booked through the end of April.  We will be meeting with clients beginning May 1.  If you are interested in setting a time to meet, reply with your May availability.”  If your heavy workload is confined to a short window of time, let people know, “I’m in the throws of invite assembly!  Woohooo!  Please know that I’ll be in touch with you within 72 hours and not a minute more.”

The auto-responder is awesome for giving you breathing space.  It allows you to work on email when you can best respond.  Not only does it curb the expectations of the sender, but also allows you to be present with your other commitments.

How about you?  What are your correspondence pet peeves and what are your solutions?

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You know that feeling of exhilaration that you feel as you are on an airplane on your way to a relaxing vacation?   It’s that feeling of excitement, exhaustion, euphoria, relaxation… all bound together. Why is that?  Yes, you are going on a very much-needed vacation.  It’s a feeling that is based not only on the fact that you are taking time off, but also a feeling of completion.

Chances are that you have spent the last several days getting everything in order.  You have crossed your t’s, dotted your i’s, signed the last check, sent out proposals and contracts, sent the last email, cleaned your desk, put up your out-of-office email response, and shut down your voicemail.  All of the loose ends have been contained.  And, gosh darnit… doesn’t it feel AMAZING?!

This is a concept that David Allen talks about in his book, “Getting Things Done”.  The idea is that in order to truly live at peace, you should be containing all your loose ends (he calls them “open loops”) every day.  I recommend you read the book to get the skinny on how to do this.  His easy tools and tips require about a day to set up.  It’s easy as pie.  And, it can revolutionize your work flow.

Yesterday, we talked about doing a monthly review of your business.  This made me think of David Allen’s concept.  Wouldn’t it be great to have that “on vacation” feeling every weekend?  (I’d love to have it every day, but I’ll settle for the weekends.)  Now… I know that MANY/MOST of you work on weekends… (darn those people for marrying on a Saturday!)… I’m going to be realistic and say this isn’t possible EVERY weekend.  BUT, you need to define your boundaries and make sure that you are creating pockets of time off in your schedule or you will burn out – and fast.  If you work on Saturday, take Monday off.  If you have 3 weddings in 3 weekends in a row, make sure the 4^th one is off.

So, here is my challenge for today… pick a weekend (or a day) to have that “on vacation” feeling… it could be this weekend, or the following.  On the day before your “weekend”, spend two hours doing the following:

• Quickly, spend 15-20 minutes cleaning your desk.  Remove all papers and files.  Put everything “out of place” into a pile onto the floor.  Wipe and clean your desk.
• Repeat for any other countertops or shelves that collect your “random stuff”. Put everything “out of place” into a pile onto the floor.
• Make 3 file folders (or boxes) labeled:
  • Now
  • Projects
  • Filing
    Note: These are temporary so don’t over-think this process.
• Start a to-do list with 2 categories:
  • Now
  • Projects
    Leave this list blank until we get to the next step.
• Let’s go through the “out of place” pile on the floor.  Grab the pile and do the following:
  • One by one, grab each item, spend 2 seconds and decide:
    • Is this something I need to take care of now before the weekend?  (Limit yourself to very few of these – max 5.)
    • Do I need this to complete a project?  (These are projects to be worked on next week.)
    • Do I need to file this for future reference?  (This is an item that is not actionable, but you might need for reference in the future.)
  • As you are working through each item, file them in their folder.  Add the “now” items to your to-do list (remember, you should only have a maximum of 5).  Add the “projects” to the list.
  • Take your 3 file folders and find a place for them.  With the exception of the “now” file, you will be revisiting the “projects” and “filing” folders after your weekend.
• Open your email account.  Similar to the “out of place” file, go through your email inbox like this.  (If you have 988 emails spanning back to 2004, then do this with the most recent emails that can still be actionable.   The rest of your 900 emails deserve another blog article.)  Decide:
  • Now items: address immediately  (don’t dilly-dally, just do)
  • Project items: add to your to-do list
  • Filing: File away in archive folders in your email account
• If you have any phonecalls you need to make, make them.
• Review the “Now” list and “Now” folder.  What are those 5 things you HAVE to do before you can enjoy your weekend?  Do them.
• Do your “things” start to feel a little more under control?  Does your desk look nice?  Is your email a little more managed?  Time for the BRAIN DRAIN! Grab your to-do list and sit at your clean desk.  Go through the following categories of your life and grab any “loose items” from your head:
  • Personal: your, your family, your friend’s needs
  • Clients: any open items to be resolved next week
  • Business: any goals and plans you need to work on next week
  • Other: anything racing through your mind that you need to do

You should feel much more euphoric now… and ready for that “on vacation feeling”… enjoy the weekend!

Want this is in a handy-dandy download?  Print it out and put it on your calendar for Friday!  Download here: Sage Wedding Pros On Vacation Feeling. Find other downloads by clicking here.

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Lately, I have a lot on my plate.  And, people always ask me, “How do you do it all?”  And, I usually answer something to the effect of “Somehow it all gets done.  I don’t know how, but it does.”  And, that’s not true.  This is the myth of people who do and manage so many jobs and responsibilities. NO ONE gets it ALL done.

There are two things that people like myself are good at doing: Choosing and Prioritizing.  I don’t get it all done.  I choose.  Every day I make choices about what is most important at that given moment.  And, some things are not chosen.  Some things are simply not done.

There are days I choose to get to the office early over taking a shower.  There are days that I choose to write a blog post over sleeping.  There are days that I choose to play with Lili over doing my bookkeeping. There are days that I choose to work on Get Hitched Give Hope over mmm… paper.  There are days that I choose to meet a printing deadline for The Simple Plan workbook over taking Lili to the park.  That is the long and short of it.  Lara Casey recently talked about how she hasn’t slept, worked out, eaten, laughed, or blogged while trying to finalize the last print edition of Southern Wedding Magazine.  ‘Tis true!  No one gets it all done.

I want you to know this, especially if you are new to the wedding business… especially if you are new to entrepreneurship.  I’ve always looked up to people who “get it all done”.  I have looked up to them as incredible super-beings who are on top of the world.  And, truth be told there is some pride in having people ask you, “Michelle, how do you do it all?”  But, it’s a big fat myth.  No one does it all.  We choose.  We prioritize.  And, we must do a pretty decent job at choosing and prioritizing because people seem to think we get it all done.  (HA!  Oh 24-hour-fitness, you and I are unrequited lovers long overdue for a reunion.)

Everyone has different methods of prioritizing.  I wrote about this recently in the post, Prioritizing for your Small Business.  I make lists and I condense my “priority list” down to the most important and most urgent.  I usually have 10 manageable things on my condensed list (and about 50 other sheets of paper held with a binder clip of assorted other to-dos, along with my google tasks online.)  And, I also make “on the spot” assessments of what is most important at that given moment.  I may have a list of SUPER important things, but a 2-year-old begging me “Mommy, go room.  Mommy, play bear house.”  I may have to ignore my list for one of the ladies and gent of GHGH who need help in a pinch.

I choose.  I prioritize.  That is what I do.

Julianne Smith
Owner, Julianne Smith Garters
Washington, DC
www.juliannesmith.com
Established 2005

What is your favorite thing about weddings?

My favorite “thing” is the pictures. They are so beautiful and so real. Capturing all the details and the small, yet important, moments is always so amazing to me, especially since I have zero photography skills. I also like that the photos are something the couple will have forever to help them remember this amazing moment in their relationship.

What is your best tip for time management?

Make a list and stick to it. No matter what I’m doing (packing for a trip, going to the grocery store, trying to get the most out of the one hour that my daughter sleeps), I make a list of everything I want to accomplish, even the very littlest things. And, when I’m overwhelmed, just writing things down helps me to clear my head and ease my stress. Then, I start at the top of the list and work my way down, not allowing myself to skip over things, even if I don’t want to do it.

What is your little marketing secret?

My best piece of advice is to be yourself. For example, if you are pitching a magazine, don’t send them a stuffy formal email, if you are not a stuffy, formal person. Editors (and clients) want to know the person behind the product. Your personality should be reflected in everything that you do, even marketing and PR.

What is the funnest (most fun) trend you are seeing in the industry?

This is kind of out there, but I will say that the best “trend” that I’m seeing in the wedding industry is people helping other wedding industry people. There are a few really good blogs (like Sage Wedding Pros), seminars, speakers, and professionals-for-hire who are sharing their experiences with the greater wedding community. It is neat and exciting to see industry veterans take what they’ve learned and pass it on. It gets me excited for the future and makes me wonder where I’ll be in a few years….will I be teaching others how to make wedding garters!?

If you were starting your business all over again, what would you have done differently?

I can honestly say that I would not change a thing. I’m a big believer in learning from every experience, especially mistakes. And, I don’t necessarily view any mistakes I’ve made as things I’d change. Everything I’ve done so far has helped me to get to where I am today. Every issue or problem that I’ve encountered has only helped me to grow better and stronger as a business owner and a designer. That said, I still have a long road ahead of me (hopefully!), so I reserve the right to change my answer in the future!

Thanks Julianne!

Andria Lewis
Owner, Andria Lewis Events
Memphis, TN (servicing TN, MS, AR)
www.andrialewisevents.com
established 2005

What is your favorite thing about weddings?

Other than the joining of two lives, I really love the pretty of weddings. I love fresh flowers and soft, billowy centerpieces and wedding cake and champagne. Yes, that is all one thing. :-}

What is your best tip for time management?

My best advice on time management is to stop and consider everything that is going to happen on the wedding day. Create a solid plan for it, add at least a 15 minute cushion for each aspect of the day and then just let things happen. My timelines/production schedules are quite detailed. Somtimes these production schedules scare vendors that have never worked with me before. They think it is going to be a rigid day. But, on the wedding day, they realize it’s more of a flow chart. There will be bumps in the road, but with a solid plan you can handle the bumps and get back on track. A good production schedule leaves guests feeling as if they’re a part of a wonderfully planned party and not a part of a segmented event (now we are cutting cake, now we are dancing).

What is your little marketing secret?

My former brides. I attended Eventology 2009 in Indianapolis, Indiana this year. One of the speakers’ topic was Making Your Brides Your Fans. It is so important to my brand and to my level of service to make sure my brides have an experience. We are more than efficient at Andria Lewis Events. We create an experience. That is our marketing secret.

What is the funnest (most fun) trend you are seeing in the industry?

I am really happy to see bright colors coming into play. I am also loving the trend (hopefully it will last) of brides wearing shoes that are not deemed bridal shoes. Purple, green, orange, yellow, leather, flats, heels. I love it! I am a HUGE self-proclaimed shoe snob, so this trend just excites me to no end.

If you were starting your business all over again, what would you have done differently?

I’m not sure I would do anything differently. I have enjoyed the way my business has grown. I am a Hurricane Katrina transplant into my current market and my company has really grown here so I can’t complain.

Thanks Andria!