My first newsletter!
Hello!
The purpose of my newsletter is to share what I am learning and the ways in which I am growing. I will talk about all the projects that I am working on and all of the obstacles that I am overcoming. I may not be an expert on all that I will be writing about, but nobody ever has or will have the unique experiences that I am having. You will be able to see a completely new and unique set of experiences. Let’s get to it!
1. Setting up my Calendar
One of the tasks that I worked on this week was setting up my online calendar. I often have issues with planning my schedule, being stressed by that last minute task I forgot to do, and giving myself an unrealistic work load. I personally believe that one of the worst feelings is to suddenly realize that you missed your zoom call earlier that day (only slightly worse is realizing that someone forgot to show up on you). I hope that my calendar will help me to:
Be able to more realistically plan my days.
Keep track of all my events, so that nothing gets left out or forgotten.
Know which days I can realistically add a heavier work load to.
“An hour of planning can save you ten hours of doing.” - Dale Carnegie
2. Setting up my task manager
I had always recorded my daily tasks on a small spiral bound notebook, unfortunately that notebook has mysteriously disappeared in the last few weeks, and I have not instituted another way to write down my daily tasks. That’s why I was excited this past week to find out that my Praxis curriculum included setting up my tasks manager. I am pumped to now be able to effectively record and prioritize my tasks. (Pro Tip: you can personalize the background of each of your boards!)
3. Designing seasonal labels
This week I worked on designing the labels for Arete Tallow’s Christmas products. I have definitely learned that when you are selling a product you have to think months ahead of everyone else. I was taught this by an unknowing teacher. I was pitching my tallow moisturizer to a local retailer when she mentioned that their Christmas orders were coming in shortly. I was surprised to hear that she was ordering for Christmas already, but then realized that this strategy would not leave her scrambling at the last minute to have inventory for holiday shoppers. You never know when you are going to learn something new!
“Always plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.” - Richard Cushing
4. The Week Ahead
This upcoming week I plan to implement a few strategies to help my work go a little smoother.
Prioritize my tasks.
I frustrated myself several times this past week when I focused an getting many little things done and I didn’t focus enough on the big important things. By the time I got around to the important tasks I was already burnt out and was not able to put in my best effort.
Leave time for leisure.
I often fall into the trap of not knowing when to stop working. I plan to put more emphasis this upcoming week on the quality of the time I spend working, rather than the quantity.
5. Thank you!
Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to read Serena’s Newsletter!