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Posts: 3,177I am up to my ears girlywirlies 
How do i do it?
My time management skills are totally non-existent so now i find myself with..........
7 graphics to design for clients.............1 swap bear to finish for the gorgeous Anne of Starlite Bears..............my first ATC to design and make for our delicious Dilu...........make 6 more Moonlings................re-design my website...............write about 98 emails to badly neglected friends..............shower.....sleep......cook a decent meal.........etc etc
Does anyone else get snowed under like this? And if so, how the heck do you get out of it?????
GET ME OUTTA HERE!!!
help
help me
help me please
PenPen 
LuxembearsPenny...take a deeeep breath, grab a shovel and start digging! So when is
Moonling going to be done!!!!(...Judi says as she ducks and runs.................. 
) This is what you get for being so darn good at what you do. One at a time...one at a time....
Another thing dear sweet Penny...is to learn to say "no". I am finding this out the hard way. Too many custom orders is just too stressful and it takes away for your own creativity.
My husband always tells me to raise my price instead of saying "no"...but I hate to do that too.
Newcastle, OntarioPenny, I agree with the list thingy - it really does work. When I'm really, really under the gun, I make a list and then divide the chores into guestimate amounts of time. When I know I only have so much time to do a chore, I really do go faster. Give yourself a break, though. Just do what you can do reasonably, but when you start seeing all the things crossed off your list, it is really inspiring to get the rest of it finished.
Hugs,
Brenda
Apple Dumpling DesignsPenny dear...
Judi is right...saying NO when you feel overwhelmed...even if it means NO to yourself. I personally can't do lists although I now plenty of people who live by them. Me...I just go down the list, do what I want and continue to stress about the rest...no too productive...or I just plain lose or throw it away because it reminds me of what I need to do.
Deep breath...start with what motivates you the most...and rest will be cake.
Good Luck...will be sending you good vibes!!!! 
Kim-Bee BearsI have the bad habit of taking on more than I can... I am use to multitasking all day and my work load at home isnt much better! LOL... I did finish my swap bear and two of my commissions... HOWEVER I do have another swap to do and another commision plus make another bear for Bid 4 Bears... I would love to fix my website but dont get me started on my problems with my website... ARRGH!
I would say to prioritize and dont burn yourself out.... I usually do most of my creating on the weekend so that way I can nap! 
Too much concentrating on a bear after so many hours hurts my neck, back and eyes... and sometimes my pinkie for some reason, maybe how I hold my pieces when I sew??
Anywho, take a breather and prioritize is my suggestion... my bad habit is not being able to say no...
Posts: 3,177I'm just a girl who cain't say 'no'
I'm in a terrible fix!
I always say 'Come on, let's go' just when I aughta say 'Nix.'
When a person tries to kiss a girl
I know she aughta give his face a smack!
But as soon as someone kisses me
I somehow sorta want to kiss him back!
I'm just a fool when lights are low
I cain't be prissy an' quaint
I ain't the type that can faint
How can I be what I ain't?
I cain't say 'no!'
Whatcha gonna do when a feller gets flirty
An' starts to talk purty
Whatcha gonna do?
S'pposin' that he says
That your lips are like cherrys,
Or roses, or berries
Whatcha gonna do?
S'pposin' that he says t
That yer sweeter than cream
and he's gotta have cream or die?
Whatcha gonna do when he talks that way?
Spit in his eye?
I'm jist a girl who cain't say no,
Cain't seem to say it at all
I hate to disserpoint a beau
When he is payin' a call!
Fer a while I ack refined and cool,
A settin on the velveteen setee
Nen I think of thet ol' golden rule,
And do fer him what he would do fer me!
I cain't resist a Romeo
In a sombrero and chaps
Soon as I sit on their laps
Somethin' inside of me snaps
I cain't say no!
[Additional Verse]
I'm jist a girl who cain't say 'no'
Kissin's my favorite food!
With or without the mistletoe
I'm in a holiday mood!
Other girls are coy an' hard to catch
But other girls ain't havin' any fun!
Ev'ry time I lose a wrastlin' match
I have a funny feelin' that I won!
Though I can feel the undertoe
I never make a complaint
'Till it's too late for restraint
Then when I want to I cain't
I cain't say 'no!'
Thanks for all the advice but i guess i am just a girl who cain't say NO!
O Brother do i need a holiday!
Starlite BearsHi Penny,
Oklahoma ??
And here I thought you were from London 
Get up them apples and pears and well make moonlings :dance: :dance:
Are they cousins to Clangers by the way??
:hug:
Kim-Bee BearsAre they cousins to Clangers by the way??
:hug:
What does this mean??? LOL
Starlite Bears
Kim,
These are strange little people who lived on the moon in a cartoon - they whistled all the time to talk and they also had a friendly soup dragon !
Kim-Bee BearsLMAO never heard of them before! LOL
Back Road BearsI can't say "No".
I'm not good with sticking to lists so I write them then loose them in the mess in my house!
I get to feeling overwhelmed, overloaded and just plain 'over' way too often!!
So I'm afraid I'm no help!
But I totally understand where you are coming from. If I were to make a list of all the orders I have to complete, swaps and charity work I've committed to and website work, photo shoots and a bear show I have to get organized I'd just crawl in a whole and die!
The overwhelming to-do list can become completely debilitating so watch out!
Words like Organization and Self-Discipline come to mind! Yeah, right!
How about Clone or 'Staff' ... ya know.. housekeeper, secretary, cook.
How about I get off of here and get to work???
Well. Hmmmm. Sorry, forgot what I was going to say. Oh well.
Warmest hugs anyway, :hug:
Aleta
Pandy Potter BearsSlow down you're going to fast. 
Take a chill pill as Amy would say and take it one step at a time. :hug:
Terries Bears Penny, I have this vision of a hand sticking out of a mountain of fabric, paper, pictures, glue and sofware boxes, waving madly and tiny voice yelling ...help! help!
I love your little Moonlings, they are so cute! and your new avatar!
I guess that you need to start with the most urgent project and work your way down the list.
I have never heard of Clangers either! Are they characters in a movie or a book?
Apple Dumpling DesignsCall George...that'll take your mind off everything else!!!! 
Posts: 3,177Call George...that'll take your mind off everything else!!!!
Good Thinking Girl !! You are always coming up with the BEST ideas Shantell :hug:
I'm just off to get him................anyone know where he is?
Penny :love:
P.S.
ssh - if anyone asks, i have'nt been on TT
Posts: 1,277Oh, I am no help at all. I cannot do the list thing at all. I think it's a fabulous idea...in theory. Hee hee, yesterday morning I made a list of all the things I wanted to get done. Most of it was household chores. (I am a terrible housekeeper) Well, I made that list while sitting right here in front of the computer. Then I continued to sit at this ding dang thing for a few more hours, then I got me and the kid dressed and went to visit grandma! I managed to wash the dishes at about 7:00 p.m. last night after I got home. Pretty sad, huh?
Mountain Dreamer BearsAw Pen, I'm no help at all, but I sure can sympathize. I am totally bogged down with a whole mountain of non-bear things I need to get done nad all I wnat to do is make bears! boohoo. I guess it would help if my middle name wasn't "procrastination" lol!
Just hang in there and take one thing at a time. :hug:
I love Oklahoma and those other old musicals!
I'm sorry you're overwhelmed, Penny. I think Shantell offered the best advice!
Kran-Beary'sHi Penny,
Wow, I can sympathize with the feeling of being overwhelmed. I asked Santa for 36 hours in a day for Christmas, but alas, he didn't come through for me. In the meantime I use a 'To-Do' list with a twist that I learned in a management course at work. The To-Do list gets prioritized.
I keep it on my Palm organizer so it works in terms of 'screens' instead of pages. Items that MUST get done today become priority one. They'll show up everyday on my calendar until I make them go away by doing them. This list includes yukky things like taxes.
Priority two includes most of my bear things that are time sensitive, like finishing online classes, or web updates for clients.
Priority three are all the thinks I'd like to get done. The list is dynamic and something that's a 3 today can become a 1 tomorrow. I never put more than three priority 1's into one day.
Now if something doesn't get done, I forgive myself and move on. Little bites, and the list always gets eaten away.... bit by bit. Sometimes life just gets in the way of things you want to do, and oh well. That is life. If someone wants a custom order, and it can't be done because one of the kids gets sick, or another life issue, so be it. Just do your best and 99% of the people will understand. The other 1% .... well they're just not worth having as customers.
Custom orders though...I found very tedious. Redoing a design over and over took the fun out of bear making for me, and so did creating to someone elses specifics. So, I stopped doing them about 18 months ago, and have felt better for it.
By the way...your Moonlings are absolutely stunning!
hugs
Chowlea BearsPenny - You know what they say - If you want something doing - give it to a busy person . Besides - a Lady can always do at least six things at once - its been genetically proven.
I used to tell my students to priorise things in terms of deadlines, then within that - deal with the one you like the least. That way you won't keep avaoiding it by doing other things first - rather the things you like doing more, become a reward for completing the less desirable things. - does that make sense?.
You can only do what you can do - what doesn't get done - gets left.
Sandra
Posts: 3,177Thank you all very very muchly Girls! 
I am finally getting somewhere with it all - i will take on board the good advice and try it out.
I never make lists - you should see my grocery shopping, it's always full of stuff i thought i needed but did'nt and i never seem to buy enough of what i do need!
I always think i will remember
What a NUT
Penny 
Rufnut Teddy'sPenny you have out done me. I cannot compare with you. Sounds like you are trying to please too many people. I am sure you will get there, just take it easy. :hug:
