Leaving Room for Flexibility

Last Tuesday, I was still dragging after the time change. We got a late start, and the girls and I never managed to catch back up. Then I realized I'd made a big mistake in my business model while we were eating lunch. I still needed to get a bunch of household chores done and writing time was supposed to start an hour and a half later. But I know myself well enough to know I'd forget if I didn't handle the issue right then.

So I rearranged the "time chunks" in my schedule to make room for this task, and I got to work. I still have my schedule, and I kept to my work day. I just left enough flexibility in my schedule to be able to adjust when I need an hour or two to handle issues that come up unexpectedly. If you run a small business, it's something you need. If you keep things too rigid, you'll drive yourself bonkers.

So what was this problem?

It might seem like a small thing, but I originally set up the buy now links on my author website to redirect to the Contented Comfort storefront's book category. I did it because the storefront was already set up and paid for, and I just didn't think about it too much. However, it's a decision that flies in the face of common sense and online sales advice. People don't like being redirected to another site when they go to purchase an item. It smacks of a scam.

How's it look?

So, I spent the two or three hours it took to set up and configure a storefront on my author website. The widget I use to run my store makes matters as simple as possible, but it is still time consuming. Getting the store set up takes an hour to hour and a half. Listing my books was simple enough. I only have two at the moment, after all. The last hour or so was spent designing a custom banner for the storefront and reconfiguring the website to direct traffic without cluttering up the landing page.

By the time that was done, I only had enough time to write a few hundred words for the day before "closing time," but I have something that will benefit my business over the next several years. 

Remember to leave a little flexibility in your schedule, whether you're a business owner or not. It saves a lot on stress and can save you time and money in the long run.