Boost Your Handmade Business Without Burning Out

Today, we will be exploring three unexpected productivity tools that could be the key to transforming your handmade business from a wholly hot mess to a well-oiled machine. After all, you got into this business for your love of the craft.

Did you not?

But instead of spending all day cozied up with your favorite tools of the trade, you are juggling marketing, customer service, finances, and what feels like a never-ending list of administrative tasks. All the while, your joy, your creativity, your spark just seem to be dwindling away....

So here we are searching the web for THE tip, the tool that is going to turn it all around for us and finally bring some balance to this chaos.

Well, there's definitely no shortage of productivity tips out there... Make a schedule, prioritize your tasks, and set smart goals! All of these are great in theory, but ultimately, all you've done is add more tasks to your already overwhelming list.

But what if there was a way to boost your productivity without adding hours to your already over-stuffed schedule?

Well, there's a secret ingredient I've discovered that's boosted my productivity like nothing else, and these three tools will help you learn to grow it for yourself.

Guided Journaling

Okay, so first on the list is guided journaling. Now I know, I know I don't hardly have time for planning. How am I supposed to make time for guided journaling?

Journaling can absolutely come across as an overwhelmingly vague task to dive into. Where do you start? How much time do you put into this?

Well, I've got good news! There have been numerous studies that show that you can reap the benefits of journaling in as little as 15 minutes a day for only three days a week. That's less than an hour a week!

Okay, but what is guided journaling? Well, guided journaling is a structured form of journaling that uses prompts and questions to help focus the writer's thoughts and insights. There's really no limit to these prompts. They can focus on positives, negatives, and anything in between. Some may ask that you write nonstop for the allotted time, whereas others will have you write maybe just line a day.

Fortunately, there are benefits to just the simple act of writing, but if you want to make the most of these benefits, you'll want to pick prompts that are in line with your goals.

But first! What kind of goals might one have with journaling? 

Well, at the core of journaling is self-reflection. By regularly examining your thoughts, feelings, and experiences, you can gain a deeper understanding of your motivations, behaviors, and patterns. This self-awareness can be a powerful tool for increasing your productivity.

You may be wondering how... Well, as you develop this self-awareness, you can begin to craft schedules that work with your natural rhythms and patterns. You'll begin to learn what tasks tank your motivation and how to bounce back quicker. And when challenges hit, you'll be better equipped to manage the stress, solve any problem you've been given, and keep moving forward!

But now, how do we spend these 15 minutes?

Morning Pages

Well, if you have read The Artist's Way, you'll be familiar with morning pages, the process of stream of consciousness writing for three whole pages.

Although it's designed to clear the mind, spark creativity, and facilitate emotional release, it can be difficult for a new journaler to fill three pages in a single sitting, let alone 15 minutes.

Positive Affect Journaling

Well, the study I referenced earlier focused on positive affect journaling. This is where participants would use prompts all about positive experiences.

While this method is great for developing a positive attitude, if you're in the trenches trying to deal with big challenges and feelings, trying to express gratitude for anything can feel impossible.

Expressive Writing

Fortunately for those of us processing some heavy stuff, the book Opening Up by Writing It Down sings the praises of expressive writing. This is where you spend 15 to 30 minutes writing on a very difficult or emotional experience. It could be something weighing heavy on your mind or even a trauma that you experienced and need help processing.

So you do this for four days in a row- this is based on how their study went, although they have found that you can spread this out up to over the course of about a month, but you don't wanna spread it out any longer than that.

Now, as you might imagine, writing and even thinking about these difficult things will probably leave you feeling a little bit down, so you're not going to want to do this, you know, right before bed, and you'll want to have some buffer time between actually writing it and going about your day.

However, the results really speak for themselves and show just how worth it this exercise is! Now, while I don't have time to get into all the benefits here, to sum it up, after four days, participants were experiencing lower levels of stress and even lower baseline levels of distress for weeks, months, and even up to years.

So whether you're trying to spark some creativity, strengthen that positive mental attitude or process, some really heavy stuff, guided journaling has been a proven method of reducing the factors that harm your productivity in only an hour or so of your time each week.

Lunar and Seasonal Planning

All right. Now, next on our list, we have planning with the moon cycles and seasons.

I know most of us are already doing some form of planning, but have you ever found yourself adding a certain task to your list week after week after week, you just can't bring yourself to get it done, but then all of a sudden it just clicks and you find yourself kicking yourself thinking like, "Why did I not just get this done sooner?! Why did I fight myself so hard on it?!" Well, your body might just know that there is a right time and place to do these certain tasks.

Now, did you know that the Farmer's Almanac has been including, for over 200 years, a planting calendar that uses the positions and phases of the moon to predict when to do specific gardening tasks?! But not only do farmers follow the moon cycles, they've also learned that Zodiac signs can confer with different growing conditions.

Now, if they've been helping farmers make the most of their gardens for hundreds of years, why would we not take advantage of the same information to make the most of our businesses and lives as a whole?

By planning tasks that align with the phases and seasons. You can work more intuitively and efficiently. Over time, you'll even uncover unique patterns from week to week, month to month, quarter to quarter, that are going to help you maximize productivity.

So, how do we get into planning with the moon phases and seasons?

Well, most weather apps actually now include the moon phase right on the homepage of the app. So go check it out and come right back.

New Moon

Now the New Moon symbolizes new beginnings, and as you might imagine, this makes it an ideal time for:

• Setting intentions

• Starting new projects

• Planning for the future.

Waxing Moon

Now, when we're in a waxing moon, the moon is growing and so too can your projects grow. So this phase is perfect for:

• Taking action

• Building momentum

Full Moon

Now, when the moon is full, it's a great time for:

• Culmination

• Reflection

• Evaluating

So projects that you launch during the New Moon are probably reaching their peak during this time, which makes it perfect for evaluating.

Waning Moon

Now, as the moon diminishes, you should focus on completing tasks, decluttering, and letting go of activities that no longer serve you.

So this alone is actually going to get you pretty far. But if you've ever experienced seasonal affective disorder, you know just how much the changing seasons can affect your mood and productivity.

Somehow, the new year has become a season of setting goals and beginning new projects for quite some time now. Thankfully, more and more people are starting to realize that doing so much mid-winter isn't the easiest. So there's a growing shift to start New Year's resolutions around the spring equinox.

Spring

So just as farmers are beginning to sow seeds in their garden, we can use this time to plant seeds of new ideas and projects in our own business and life.

Summer

Now summer is the season of expansion and fruition. Focus on executing plans and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Autumn

Now in autumn, nature is beginning to slow down, which makes it a great time for you to harvest your own achievements and begin preparations for the next cycle.

Winter

Now, as the year comes to an end, we'll use this season to review the past year and plan for the future, focusing on introspection and strategic thinking.

So whether you are a believer in the lunar influence or simply looking for a fresh approach to scheduling, planning with the Moon cycles and seasons can provide a framework that enhances your productivity and keeps you in tune with nature's rhythms.

Reiki

Alright. Last but certainly not least, we have Reiki.

This ancient Japanese practice is often associated with relaxation and stress reduction. But did you know that it can also be a powerful tool in enhancing productivity, especially for handmade business owners?

As entrepreneurs, we juggle multiple roles, which can make finding balance feel like an uphill battle. Then, when we finally get time to focus on our craft, it's only a matter of time before our eyes, our back, and our joints all start to ache.

So we are overwhelmingly stressed. Our schedules are overstuffed, and we ache all over. Thankfully, Reiki might just be the miracle cure we've been searching for.

Alright, so how does Reiki work?

Well, practitioners go through a process of attunement to the Reiki energy. 

It's believed that at one point we were all connected to this energy up until modern inventions came about that allow us to live mostly unaffected by even the day/night cycles, moon phases, and seasons.

But once attuned, practitioners can channel this universal life force energy to support their clients' healing, relaxation, and stress relief by shifting their nervous system into the parasympathetic state.

Okay. Now, excuse me while I geek out for a moment. But according to quantum physics' particle theory, it says that everything is made out of these individual particles that are vibrating at different frequencies. So even us humans are made up of these vibrating particles. Now, when we are vibrating at a lower frequency, we can associate this with low energy, brain fog, and slow digestion.

But now, how does Reiki shift these frequencies? 

Back in 1963, Gerhard Baule and Richard McFee used a large induction coil to detect the magnetic field of the human heart for the very first time. So, from here, a superconducting quantum interference device. Squid for short was developed and used to discover that all tissues and organs produce specific magnetic pulsations.

Now, in 1980, Dr. John Zimmerman began a series of important studies on therapeutic touch using a squid magnetometer. He discovered a pulsating biomagnetic field emanated from the hands of practitioners that naturally sweeps back and forth through a full range of therapeutic frequencies needed to stimulate healing in any part of the body.

With Reiki being a universal life force energy, it's not limited by time or space. And thankfully, we're seeing more and more studies now showing the benefits of Reiki even at a distance.

The effect of Reiki on fatigue and comfort in hemodialysis patients

For example, this single blind control study offered 36 to 40 minutes of Reiki three times a week for four weeks to 62 patients receiving hemodialysis treatment.

So compared to the controlled group, the patients who received distance reiki showed an improvement in both fatigue and discomfort immediately after the session. But that's not all. Four weeks after the final Reiki session, the group that received distance Reiki maintained higher levels of comfort compared to the control group.

Effects of Distant Reiki On Pain, Anxiety and Fatigue in

Oncology Patients in Turkey: A Pilot Study

Now, in this randomized control study, oncology patients were split into two groups. In one group, they received 30 minutes of distance Reiki every night for five nights. Now, the other control group didn't receive any Reiki.

These participants were blind to which group they were in. But upon assessment, the control group actually showed an increase in pain, stress, and fatigue, while the distance Reiki group showed a clear decrease in pain, stress, and fatigue after the sessions.

Long-term effects of energetic healing on symptoms of psychological depression and self-perceived stress

Now, the last example I have for you is this single blind study that followed participants for a bit longer.

So there were 46 people who were divided into three groups: hands-on reiki, distance reiki, or distance placebo reiki, which means they didn't get any reiki. 

So each participant received 60 to 90-minute sessions of some sort each week for six weeks. Now, what's incredible about this study is that those who actually received Reiki saw a significant reduction in symptoms of psychological distress that continued to be present for a whole year later!

So if you think Reiki is something you'd like to try for yourself, there are many ways to tap into it. 

Prerecorded

Most practitioners offer some form of prerecorded Reiki, for those of you just wanting to get a little taste.

What's so nice about prerecorded Reiki is that you can benefit from it again and again for less than the cost of a one-on-one session.

Group

If you enjoy being in community, or maybe you're a little intimidated by the idea of meeting one-on-one, you might try out a group Reiki session.

These sessions are a great way to sample receiving Reiki live without having all the focus on you.

One-on-One

However, nothing beats the effect of one-on-one Reiki. When the practitioner's able to put their full energy into sending Reiki to you and only you, the support you receive is customized to your exact needs. 

Asynchronous

Fortunately for my socially awkward or perpetually busy friends, you can reap these same benefits without actually meeting by signing up for an asynchronous Reiki session. 

This allows you to receive Reiki while continuing about your day, or enjoy a great excuse to relax with limited interaction.

Live

Just know that when you are ready and able to meet one-on-one, us Reiki practitioners are trained to send Reiki energy only for your highest good and healing, without judgment. You cannot mess this up. Plus, there's typically some time built into the session where you get to discuss your experience and ask any questions.

As a life coach, I found Reiki to be the best tool for helping my clients reach their goals with greater ease and less stress. I also record the sessions with their permission, of course, so that they can replay it as many times as they need. 

So no matter the circumstances, Reiki is designed to meet you where you're at. With its support, you can relieve stress, ease aches and pains, and clear the fog that's hurting your productivity.

The Secret Ingredient

But you may still be wondering what the secret ingredient is that these tools are supposed to help cultivate?

Well, I'm glad you asked. What I found over the past seven years of slowly incorporating these tools into my routine is that this little voice in my gut has grown louder and louder.

You've probably noticed that you have this little voice, too.

It's called our intuition, and it's that subtle nudge that seems to come from a place beyond reasoning, offering insights and solutions that appear effortlessly if you know how to listen.

Most often, our intuition is drowned out by our anxiety. Even in the moments when our intuition is screaming at us, most of us aren't able to recognize it because we're so used to following our anxious, overanalytical thoughts.

The year I spent learning to be a life coach helped me to refine my guided journaling practice, and I learned how my intuition shows up for me. Over time, I discovered a strong connection between my natural patterns and the cycles of the moon, stars, and seasons.

Using this knowledge has consistently kept me anchored through periods where I would typically struggle, but I would give anything to go back and relearn it all with the help of Reiki at my side.

I'm going on two years of Reiki training, and by the end of this year, I'll be a Reiki master. Despite what's been a lifetime obsession with self-help, development, and improvement, it's only been until I started regularly receiving Reiki that I found my ability to focus, follow through, and finally bring balance to my life.

Balance and Thrive Starter Kit

So if you are ready to claim this for yourself, go over to thelocuslotus.com to sign up for my Balance and Thrive starter kit.

There you'll receive a guided journaling practice, one of the first ones that I

used to get myself together, and you'll also receive a five-minute recorded Reiki session to help take you from a state of overwhelm to clarity.

You'll walk away with actionable tips to make your life what you want it to be, no matter what kind of day you're having. We're all about flexibility here!

But the great thing is that with everything that I offer, there's a group that you'll get access to. You can connect with other people who are in similar situations and learn from each other, and, you know, ultimately, that's been the best thing that's helped me. 

And I'm so excited to see it help you too!