Only 10 days left till Christmas and 15 days left for the year 2014. My 2014 resolution was to stay organized, and I am proud to say that I did pretty well with keeping my resolution this year! My sewing room is in order most of the time, and I made sure to put things back in the original spot after I finish sewing. Since we have limited space, every single item needs to have a place of its own.
Staying organized includes being on top of the accounting part of the business so I’m not buried with receipts during tax season. I marked the beginning of the month in calendar to do all the accounting at once for the previous month. At first, it took me about three hours but as the months passed by, I was able to do it in within an hour.
Every morning, I write a list of things I need to do on a sticky note. If it is on a busy day, I write something like “finish shoulder seam of my coat” or “wrap dress for etsy order”, even if I know it takes only five minutes to do. That way, I can get some sense of accomplishment!
I’m mostly done with Christmas cards and New Year cards, which I used to delay till the very last minute. It is so much less stressful to finish it early! I ordered my business New Year cards from Nohana （ノハナ） and personal ones from T print （Tプリント）. The prices were pretty much the same, but I like the quality at Nohana better. The cards were thicker and glossier. The good thing about T print is that they print the recipient addresses for you without additional cost.
So now I’m done with administrative hassle, I can enjoy some Christmasy stuff. We decorated the Christmas tree on one Saturday morning. We have a rather sad looking fake tree, very much like Charlie Brown’s, but every tree in Japan is like that unless you drive to Ikea to pick up a real tree! We also decorated some cookies. What kind of Holiday things do you like to do?
Also I’m thinking about doing a small giveaway (much like the one I did back in 2012) for the blog readers. Please write in the comments below what you would like as a giveaway gift♡ I would love to know if there is anything you cannot get in your country that is in Japan.
クリスマスまであと１０日、新年まで１５日です！
２０１４年の抱負は整理整頓でした。
今年はけっこう忘れずに整理整頓できたと思います。年賀状も完了したし！
皆様はこの忙しい時期、どうお過ごしですか？
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Nicole says
Giveaways are always good! I am going this week to the fabric store to buy the fabric for the one I’d like to do. Linking it with a New Years resolution is a great idea!
Chie says
Thank you Nicole! I’m thinking of a Japanese sewing book as a giveaway – they have so many cute sewing books these days!
Thewallinna says
Do you know who is the most organized person I know? You! I cannot imagine how you juggle between your Etsy show, wedding business, being a mum and a wife and sew stuff for yourself to name a few! If I were Santa I would give you the biggest present from my bag 🙂
Chie says
Haha thanks Inna! I’m flattered : )
Ginger says
Congratulations on a successful New Year’s resolution! I’ve been a bit more organized this year, not TONS, but a bit, and it really helps my mindset. I get very overwhelmed when things are messy and it’s nicer to have everything in its place.
Your Christmas tree ornaments are so sweet! I love them so much! I’m feeling a little sad as this was the first year we haven’t put up a Christmas tree, but Blake has been working lots and hasn’t had time to get one with me, so we are skipping it. I would like to do a little baking tomorrow for the neighbors before we go back home for the holidays this weekend. That’s one of my favorite things to do around Christmas. 🙂