I know y’all love it when I natter on about my work schedule, so…

So yesterday in the car as I was describing this to Tim, just at about the point in the conversation when I was going to stop in the middle of a sentence since he didn’t seem to be listening to me anyway (LOVE YOU HONEY) he’s all, “that sounds like the hot dog and hot dog bun scenario” and I knew he got what I was saying.

See, here’s a typical work week for me –
SATURDAY – start pouring ceramics by about 9 AM. Clean greenware while waiting for the slip to set. By about 10:30 I’ve also started to make soap. Continue for the rest of the day, bouncing back and forth between cleaning greenware and making soap. Begin popping open ready molds by about 5 PM. Finish after dinner (or the next day if it’s truly humid and they won’t open).
SUNDAY – start dyeing yarn by about 9 AM. Go back and forth between dyeing yarn, unmolding soap from Saturday, and any “office work” (supply inventory and ordering, catching up on email, plotting blog week, etc).
MONDAY – depending on which Monday it is, I either have a chiropractic appointment or I bisque fire the kiln. Paint/glaze ceramics between about 9 and 10, and again between about 2 and 3. In the meantime, process orders from the weekend and get them to the post office. List a few items. Blog/work blog/Ravelry post/interact on Facebook and Twitter as HaldeCraft. Also more office work not completed Sunday. In the late afternoon, make any lotion or lip balm that needs to be restocked (or new). Feel guilty about not having time to label lotion/lip balm.
TUESDAY – if the kiln has been fired the day before, open it as soon as it’s cool enough. Paint/glaze ceramics between about 9 and 10, and again between about 2 and 3. Pour ceramics and clean greenware between 10 and 1. List a few items.  Blog/work blog/Ravelry post/interact on Facebook and Twitter as HaldeCraft.  Process any orders and take to post office. Take a break and meet friends for knitting between 4 and 6. When I come home, pop open ready molds. Make dinner. Finish opening molds after dinner (or the next day if it’s truly humid and they won’t open).  Feel guilty about not having time to label lotion/lip balm.
WEDNESDAY – glaze fire the kiln. Paint/glaze ceramics between about 9 and 10, and again between about 2 and 3. Wrap soap between 10 and 2, and more after 3 until I can take no more. List a few items. Blog/work blog/Ravelry post/interact on Facebook and Twitter as HaldeCraft. Process any orders and take to post office. Possibly label lotion/lip balm after dinner (Tim is really awesome at helping me with this as we’re watching TV.)
THURSDAY – Paint/glaze ceramics between about 9 and 10, and again between about 2 and 3. As soon as the kiln is ready to open, take everything out; photograph ceramics. Also try to get some office time. Do laundry. List a few items. Blog/work blog/Ravelry post/interact on Facebook and Twitter as HaldeCraft.  Process any orders and take to post office. On alternate Thursdays, get to Ingenue Avenue and do an inventory (restock as needed). Knock off by 5 to go meet friends for knitting from 6-8.
FRIDAY – Paint/glaze ceramics between about 9 and 10, and again between about 2 and 3. Wind any yarn that’s dry. Try to get to folding laundry. Try to get some office time. List a few items. Blog a recap of what I’ve listed that week. Blog/work blog/Ravelry post/interact on Facebook and Twitter as HaldeCraft. Mostly stare at wall trying to remember what I’ve forgotten to do that week and what needs to be done next week. Process any orders and take to post office. Collapse from exhaustion.

Having said all that, this IS the best job I’ve ever had. Most of the above is done in pajama bottoms before about 10 AM, and I don’t have to wear makeup. Some days (mostly Tuesdays and Thursdays, because I’m going to see people) I even remember to brush my hair.

BUT.

There are times when I feel I’m not accomplishing enough. Not because I’m not DOING enough (Jesus, even WRITING about my work week made me want to take a nap) but because rarely in the week do I actually finish something I started that week. Most of the time when I’m listing something, I’m listing something I made two or three weeks ago but haven’t had time to list yet. You know what I’d love to do? List ceramics that I take out of the kiln on Thursday… ON THURSDAY. A lot of times when I blog the firings, people want that stuff right away. I’d love to be able to say “and it’s already all listed!”

So I think I need to re-evaluate my work schedule once again.

This is my new plan:

Out of the four things I do (ceramics, yarn, soap, and lip balm/lotion), I love ceramics the best. So I am going to work on ceramics every week, sticking with pouring on Saturday/Tuesday, and spending two hours a day during the week painting/glazing.

The other three things (yarn, soap, and lip balm/lotion) I’m going to give a week to each. For example, starting today, this is “yarn week.” I will be dyeing yarn today and tomorrow. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday I will wind any yarn that’s dry, photograph if necessary, label, and list as I go. This week’s ceramics schedule is in the wind due to reorganizing the studio, but I have the kiln full and will fire when I can (Wednesday by the latest, to keep on track-ish). Meanwhile I will list all the ceramics I have that I haven’t listed yet.

Next week will be “soap week.” Sunday and Monday I will make soap. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday I will wrap, label, photograph (if needed) and list soap. Thursday I will list all the ceramics I take out of the kiln from Wednesday’s firing.

The third week from now will be “lip balm and lotion week.” I’ll make lip balm and lotion Sunday and Monday (I have a lot of new flavors to bring in and it might actually take two days; in the future, for restocks, it will probably just take one day). Then I’ll label, photograph, and list on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Thursday I will list all the ceramics I take out of the kiln from Wednesday’s firing. Since this is the craft least likely to take the time I’m putting aside for it, I will use the extra “free” time for things like WEEDING THE FRONT YARD OMGPONIES.

The fourth week will be back to yarn… and so on. I’m going to try that through the upcoming Christmas season, and evaluate around November/December to see how it’s been working.

Part of me is a little nervous — so I’ll only have new or restocked soap every three weeks?!?!?! But let me be honest with myself — I’m so far behind in wrapping the soap I made two weeks ago, I’m about on a three-week schedule from make-to-list anyway. Why not just put one week aside for each craft, so that I won’t feel guilty about making too many things and not having enough time to finish them? See? Hot dogs and hot dog buns! Too much of one, not enough of the other.

One more word and I’ll have 1200. Damn. Now I have 1209. 1215!

🙂