My Inbox Zero

Getting my email organized was a lot of work, especially since I have been neglecting my inbox for years and it already has a thousands of emails! AHHHH!!!!

For me the idea of an empty inbox is piece of mind. A heard about inbox zero while working through Set Up Shop by Jess of Create and Thrive. It has cleared up mental space for me, I feel like I can find the most recent and relevant emails. Deal with the stuff that needs to be dealt with, have a place to stash it and move on.

Here is what I did.

I create some categories that work for me. Then I broke them down. I am pretty detail oriented, so just achieving messages I was done with was not enough. My plan is to officially archive the messages at the end of the year so that I can stay organized throughout and then move on from there.

My System Looks Like This:

Inbox

Needs Response - Cleared out and caught up on ever week

New Orders - To be put into order book daily

Needs Action - Cleared out and caught up on ever week

Defer - Check once a week and wade through:)

Interesting & Inspiration

Six Bits Story Books

Fibre Works Archives
sub folders include:

• Order 
• Supply Order
• Customer Inquiry 
• Wholesale Information
• Projects
• Festivals
• Exhibitions
• E Books
• Patterns
• Guilds
• Taxes
• Receipts 2016
• January
• February
• March

Personal Archives
sub folders include:

• Photo Transfer
• Family
• Funny
• House
• Cat Sitting

These categories work for my life, your categories can and likely will be unique, just like you:)

When an email lands in my inbox I sort it into the correct folder if I can't deal with it right away. For me this allows me the space to have my email open for reference as I work through tasks to be completed, but removes the distraction of worrying how I will remember to get back to that email.

Now to work through all the organized Needs Response and Needs Action emails!

Thought Provoking: 45 Things to Consider

Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio .

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written.

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short – enjoy it.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye, but don't worry, God never blinks.

16.. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19.. It's never too late to be happy. But it’s all up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative of dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. Accept what you already have, not what you need

42. The best is yet to come...

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

It's happening! 

I am so excited to finally launch my online shop:)!!! 

Launching my shop has been a longer journey then I expected. An ultimately complex thing tied up with emotions I had not expected. I have sold my work privatly and at festivals, but putting it online has been an unexpected hurdle. One I am excited to finally be jumping! I have experienced lots of fear around listing my products on Etsy. Wednesday is the day. I am conquering that fear and forging ahead. 

The last five months of my business set up have brought me so far. I feel I have worked through many challenges. I have begun to build a brand and I feel comfortable in my product knowledge.

It is very exciting to finally be at this point! 

Would you like all the details and to be the first to know when the shop goes live? Head over to my website (www.sarahelizabethfibreworks.com) and hit the "be invited to our unveiling" button to sign up for my newsletter! 

I can't wait for you I see my shop!