Crafty Resolutions To Make And Keep For The Year
Happy New Year to you all!
Here at Craft Insurance, we hope you enjoyed the Christmas season and we are excited to see your crafting businesses grow and flourish over this coming year. A new year can be a great time to make some resolutions which will benefit your craft business. However, New Year’s resolutions, although fired by enthusiasm initially, may not even last the month, never mind the year. So it might be more beneficial to focus on forming good habits, which will see you successfully through the year.
Forming a habit is essentially practicing a set behaviour which then becomes a routine part of your life. For example, cleaning your teeth, drinking a mug of tea in the morning, switching lights off when you leave a room. Some habits are not always good (screen-related ones perhaps) but developing healthy habits can be life-changing. Once a habit is formed, it becomes wired in our brains and we don’t have to think about it. The difficult part is forming these positive behaviours. That’s where a resolution or reason for forming the habit comes into play. If you are inspired to change a behaviour, your motivation will be greater, you’re more likely to form the habit and thus achieve related goals. So, as our New Year’s gift to you, we have ten categories of habits which will enable you to work towards some resolutions. Why not choose a few and get going on some positive and life-enriching habit formation? The first five are related to general well-being, and the second more specifically to business.
1. Most of us have indulged in sampling some delicious food over the Christmas season – and what a relief it was as all the calories started to become invisible! Many people start diets in January, but with the cold, dark days this is not necessarily a successful strategy. This being said, eating well will make you feel better and increase energy levels, which in turn benefits your business. What about choosing one area of your diet and introducing a small new habit? For example, increasing the amount of water you drink, swapping one caffeine drink out for a herbal one or cutting down on sugar in drinks.
2. Increasing exercise is another popular New Year’s resolution. This too will give you more energy to throw into your business so it’s an excellent investment of time. If this is a start up, why not aim for something small and achievable; maybe walking to the shops rather than getting in the car, or go for some accountability by arranging to play a sport or go to an exercise class once a week with a friend?
3. As well as taking time to focus on our bodies, the beginning of the year is an important time to focus on the wellbeing of our minds. Finding an interesting subject or an informative book and then committing to half an hour’s reading a week is a great way to developing some healthy mental habits. Of course, if you are an avid reader already, maybe add an extra half hour on.
4. Nurturing our souls is essential and will pay dividends when it comes to creative inspiration. In our fast-paced world it is often difficult to find the quiet space that we need. The busier you are the more likely that this space is only to be found in the morning or late at night before the rest of the household are up and about or after they have gone to sleep. I’m not promoting insomnia, but it could be worth setting the alarm fifteen minutes earlier and just sitting in the quiet; some people read poetry, some will find strength in a faith book like the Bible, and some will just enjoy the peace and awakening dawn.
5. While a habit that allows for solitude is good, so is getting together with friends. Balance is the key. Maybe you could seek out some local craft groups and commit to attending them on a regular basis.
6. Now onto the habits which relate directly to your business. Planning will save time and stress, so January could be a good time to book a table at some craft fairs. As you do this, one question you will need to ask is do I need public liability insurance for an event?
7. This leads us directly onto the next good administration habit. Make sure you have the correct insurance in place to avoid last minute panics. Back to our question “do I need public liability insurance for an event? It is not a legal requirement, but many organisers will ask that you have it in place. Public liability insurance will cover you if, when you are out and about, a member of the public claims you or your staff are responsible for causing an injury or damaging their property. Even if it is not your fault, you will be covered. To answer this question, do I need public liability insurance for an event? and other insurance related queries, get in touch with us; either Naomi or Sam will be here to help.
8. Admin could be a creative person’s least favourite part of running their business, but establishing some good habits and routines at the beginning of the year can save time and tension. Are there any regular slots you could allocate in your day/week for admin/packaging/social media etc? If this is something you find hard, you could try setting a time limit and rewarding yourself with something you like when you’re done.
9. On a related theme, it could be worth having a fresh look at your storage solutions, stationery and general work space. Sometimes have a refresh can help keep those good habits going.
10. Finally, resolve to give yourself some regular “me time” to breathe, to think and to be refreshed and inspired. This is not easy, especially if you have young children. It doesn’t have to be a big event, a simple walk in the fresh air taking time to appreciate your surroundings, maybe a coffee and a good book which feeds your soul, or maybe a wander around a busy market or car boot with lots of colour, noise and fun. We’re all unique and our creativity will be fired in different ways. Find what works for you and make it a regular date.
We wish you all a successful 2024!