fieldnotes 06
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Fieldnotes #06
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!
We're already a few days into 2025, can you believe it?! I deliberately waited until now to post these Fieldnotes because I wanted to make sure you all had plenty of time to enjoy your holidays. I'm nice like that. 😅
The start of a new year always pushes us to reflect on the past year, doesn’t it? Did you do much reflecting on 2024, or did you just jump into 2025?
For me, 2024 had a lot of both Mountaintops and Valleys. Okay, let’s face it, most years are like that!
📈 2024’s Mountaintops included things like launching 2 Toolkits, starting these fun Fieldnotes, creating my first Course, and (for sure!) retiring and moving across the country! 🎉
📉 Of course there were some Valleys, too, because you can’t have one without the other! Interestingly enough, my Valleys were actually directly connected to some of my Mountaintops! Retirement turned out to be a very exhausting process (and don’t get me started on living in a hotel for weeks while you look for a house!). And I had some heartbreaking push-back when I launched Zazzle Unleashed, so much so that there were definitely moments when I considered closing up shop and just going back to focusing on my own Zazzle stores. 😥 But of course it’s all part of the process, and I really learned a lot through it all. I also really leaned into all of the positive feedback and encouraging messages many of you sent me. 🥰
💛 In the end, heading into 2025, I am even more motivated to create products and courses to help ALL OF US succeed and grow. Thank you for journeying with me through my first year of doing this!
2025 is going to be amazing!
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⌚ If things seem a bit slow over at Zazzle, it's because they're all still on their holiday hiatus. Don't worry, things will pick up again - your products will index and your categories will update. Just roll with it!
🚀 The Design Tool has been undergoing some, um, "fun" tweaks, some of which have caused things to really get a bit weird in there. 😒 Some of the issues aren't issues at all - they're actually new features (that many people don't love). But some of the issues (like that weird one where the text boxes sometimes won't update) are still being worked on. Remember, they're still on hiatus over there (or will be slowly coming off of it), so give them time to get going again.
In the meantime, one thing that OFTEN works for me when something goes bonkers with the Design Tool it to switch to a different browser altogether. I tend to go back and forth between Firefox and Chrome, depending on what is working that particular day. And it isn't always consistent.
📉 Of course there were some Valleys, too, because you can’t have one without the other! Interestingly enough, my Valleys were actually directly connected to some of my Mountaintops! Retirement turned out to be a very exhausting process (and don’t get me started on living in a hotel for weeks while you look for a house!). And I had some heartbreaking push-back when I launched Zazzle Unleashed, so much so that there were definitely moments when I considered closing up shop and just going back to focusing on my own Zazzle stores. 😥 But of course it’s all part of the process, and I really learned a lot through it all. I also really leaned into all of the positive feedback and encouraging messages many of you sent me. 🥰
💛 In the end, heading into 2025, I am even more motivated to create products and courses to help ALL OF US succeed and grow. Thank you for journeying with me through my first year of doing this!
2025 is going to be amazing!
⌚ If things seem a bit slow over at Zazzle, it's because they're all still on their holiday hiatus. Don't worry, things will pick up again - your products will index and your categories will update. Just roll with it!
🚀 The Design Tool has been undergoing some, um, "fun" tweaks, some of which have caused things to really get a bit weird in there. 😒 Some of the issues aren't issues at all - they're actually new features (that many people don't love). But some of the issues (like that weird one where the text boxes sometimes won't update) are still being worked on. Remember, they're still on hiatus over there (or will be slowly coming off of it), so give them time to get going again.
In the meantime, one thing that OFTEN works for me when something goes bonkers with the Design Tool it to switch to a different browser altogether. I tend to go back and forth between Firefox and Chrome, depending on what is working that particular day. And it isn't always consistent.
Just be flexible and do what you can while we wait for them to shake things loose and jiggle all the handles. 😉
What should you be creating right now?
💒 If you're in the Wedding niche (or want to get into it!), now is the time to be creating - especially for those Spring and Summer weddings! Need some help? Head over to the Archives or to November's Fieldnotes and grab some flowers to get started.
If weddings aren't your thing, remember that both St. Patrick's Day and Easter are also in our "2-3 months away" window for creating designs. And remember, you don't have to design seasonal products (although why wouldn't you?!). You should be designing evergreen products all year long.
What should you be promoting right now?
💌 Valentine's Day! Pin those cute mockups you made and get your Valentine's Day collections in order. Didn't make any Valentine's Day stuff yourself? Go grab your Zazzle affiliate link and start pinning other people's products to hopefully get some of that sweet 15% referral income. .png)
🙈 The most obvious bit of news (in case you haven't looked over at the sidebar on this page) is that the Original Designers Toolkit is STILL only $9! I had planned to raise the price on January 1, but we got hit with RSV over here and were sick over most of the holiday season, so it got pushed back. I have a soft deadline of mid-January to get that finished, but - as you'll see in a minute - I have another huge project I'm working on, so it may be this price until the end of the month. But for sure by February 1 you won't be able to get it for $9 anymore, so if you want it at that price, crack on!
⚡ Our first Toolkit of 2025 is in the works! If you recall, I surveyed ya'll a few months back and the results are in: the Wedding Designers Toolkit is scheduled to be released this month! 🎉
⚡ You can also look forward to the Graduation Designers Toolkit, the Birthday Designers Toolkit, and the Baby Shower Designers Toolkit this year, all scheduled to be launched during the first 6 months of the year!
⚡ BUT WAIT, there's more! I have a small course coming out on Collections in mid-February. Several of you have been on me about this, and it's going to be a fun, short course. I also have plans for another full course this Fall. It's just in the planning stages right now, so I don't want to say too much about it, but it is the result of a combination of requests I've gotten for how to do certain things on Zazzle, and I'm really digging it!
🙃 Yes, I have a LOT on my plate this year! Normally I would be really anxious about it all, wondering if I'm biting off more than I can chew, but this year I'm also really focusing on planning and using my time intentionally (and wisely), so I'm here for it!
Which brings me to...
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One of the main things I was looking forward to in retirement was calm. There is nothing calm about teaching teenagers, so 31 years of “controlled chaos” made me really crave calmness! But I’m an enigma! I crave calm, but I always seem to be creating my own chaos! 🙃
For example, for the past few years I’ve worked off of a really (REALLY) long master To-Do list that sits in a notebook on my desk. I like it because the minute an idea pops into my noodle I can jot it down on the list. But it isn’t the greatest way to plan, since there is no organization to it whatsoever, and it’s several pages long! I tend to just look at the list and pick things to work on until I get distracted, then I pick something else. I’m sure you can imagine that this does not really work for a “calm business.” 🙈
Everyone is setting goals right now, and I’m no exception! I’m one of those people who has a lot of goals and a real problem with procrastination. I’m an “Idea Girl,” what can I say? 😂
So this year I’m trying something new. I still have my giant list, and I will still add to it - I’m just used to using it as a big ol’ brainstorming list. But this year I have some really big projects that I want to get done for YOU, so I need to be more organized this year and less, um, procrastinatey. Yes, that’s a word…well it is now! 😂
And ya’ll know how much I love gamification, so I made another Bingo! This time, it’s Goals Bingo - and for me, it’s for my BIG goals for 2025. My Bingo card contains 25 things I plan to do to move my business and my life forward this year. These are TASK goals, so they come with deadlines and outcomes. This isn’t everything I’m doing this year; it’s just the “Top 25” that I really am committed to.
I would love to invite you to join me for Goals Bingo this year! I’ve made a FREE Bingo card for you (personal use only), along with a video on how to fill it out. It's a Google Sheet, so you just need a free Google account to access it. Click on the image to make a copy of the Google Sheet.
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And click here to watch a walkthrough of Goals Bingo! It's about 25 minutes.
If a giant year-long Bingo game isn’t your thing, keep in mind that this Goals Bingo is great for ANY of your task-related goals! You could make one for 25 products you want to make, or 25 collections, or really 25 of anything!
I’ve got a couple of other freebies for you.
One-Task-A-Day Tracker: Consistency pays the bills! You’ve heard me talk about the value of consistency and how it is one of the most important aspects of being successful. I love the idea of Consistency Goals: doing that one thing (or two things) you need to do daily to move the needle forward. So the One-Task-A-Day Tracker is exactly what it sounds like: do a business task every day (okay you get weekends off - I’m not a monster! LOL). It’s a simple checkbox system; no words or written goals involved - just you committing to ticking a box every day. Click the image to make a copy of the Google Sheet!
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Click here for a very short video walkthrough of the tracker!
My Daily Planning Sheet: I used this for a long time when I was starting out and my time was limited. It’s a great tool for focusing your thoughts first thing in the morning and deciding on at least 1 thing to work on. It also includes a little space to “debrief” the day and make any notes for the next day. I’ve included a single page, and one with 2 on a page. You can print them or use them digitally. Again, just click the image to grab the PDFs.
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I have one last little freebie for you this month. I made a set of 10 “thank you” cliparts for you to use in your endeavors (personal or commercial). It’s just my way of saying thanks for coming along for the ride. There are high quality PNGs, sticker-style versions, and I’ve also included the SVGs in case you like that sort of thing. Just click the image to grab the clipart!
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⚡ Our first Toolkit of 2025 is in the works! If you recall, I surveyed ya'll a few months back and the results are in: the Wedding Designers Toolkit is scheduled to be released this month! 🎉
⚡ You can also look forward to the Graduation Designers Toolkit, the Birthday Designers Toolkit, and the Baby Shower Designers Toolkit this year, all scheduled to be launched during the first 6 months of the year!
⚡ BUT WAIT, there's more! I have a small course coming out on Collections in mid-February. Several of you have been on me about this, and it's going to be a fun, short course. I also have plans for another full course this Fall. It's just in the planning stages right now, so I don't want to say too much about it, but it is the result of a combination of requests I've gotten for how to do certain things on Zazzle, and I'm really digging it!
🙃 Yes, I have a LOT on my plate this year! Normally I would be really anxious about it all, wondering if I'm biting off more than I can chew, but this year I'm also really focusing on planning and using my time intentionally (and wisely), so I'm here for it!
Which brings me to...
One of the main things I was looking forward to in retirement was calm. There is nothing calm about teaching teenagers, so 31 years of “controlled chaos” made me really crave calmness! But I’m an enigma! I crave calm, but I always seem to be creating my own chaos! 🙃
For example, for the past few years I’ve worked off of a really (REALLY) long master To-Do list that sits in a notebook on my desk. I like it because the minute an idea pops into my noodle I can jot it down on the list. But it isn’t the greatest way to plan, since there is no organization to it whatsoever, and it’s several pages long! I tend to just look at the list and pick things to work on until I get distracted, then I pick something else. I’m sure you can imagine that this does not really work for a “calm business.” 🙈
Everyone is setting goals right now, and I’m no exception! I’m one of those people who has a lot of goals and a real problem with procrastination. I’m an “Idea Girl,” what can I say? 😂
So this year I’m trying something new. I still have my giant list, and I will still add to it - I’m just used to using it as a big ol’ brainstorming list. But this year I have some really big projects that I want to get done for YOU, so I need to be more organized this year and less, um, procrastinatey. Yes, that’s a word…well it is now! 😂
And ya’ll know how much I love gamification, so I made another Bingo! This time, it’s Goals Bingo - and for me, it’s for my BIG goals for 2025. My Bingo card contains 25 things I plan to do to move my business and my life forward this year. These are TASK goals, so they come with deadlines and outcomes. This isn’t everything I’m doing this year; it’s just the “Top 25” that I really am committed to.
I would love to invite you to join me for Goals Bingo this year! I’ve made a FREE Bingo card for you (personal use only), along with a video on how to fill it out. It's a Google Sheet, so you just need a free Google account to access it. Click on the image to make a copy of the Google Sheet.
And click here to watch a walkthrough of Goals Bingo! It's about 25 minutes.
If a giant year-long Bingo game isn’t your thing, keep in mind that this Goals Bingo is great for ANY of your task-related goals! You could make one for 25 products you want to make, or 25 collections, or really 25 of anything!
I’ve got a couple of other freebies for you.
One-Task-A-Day Tracker: Consistency pays the bills! You’ve heard me talk about the value of consistency and how it is one of the most important aspects of being successful. I love the idea of Consistency Goals: doing that one thing (or two things) you need to do daily to move the needle forward. So the One-Task-A-Day Tracker is exactly what it sounds like: do a business task every day (okay you get weekends off - I’m not a monster! LOL). It’s a simple checkbox system; no words or written goals involved - just you committing to ticking a box every day. Click the image to make a copy of the Google Sheet!
Click here for a very short video walkthrough of the tracker!
My Daily Planning Sheet: I used this for a long time when I was starting out and my time was limited. It’s a great tool for focusing your thoughts first thing in the morning and deciding on at least 1 thing to work on. It also includes a little space to “debrief” the day and make any notes for the next day. I’ve included a single page, and one with 2 on a page. You can print them or use them digitally. Again, just click the image to grab the PDFs.
I have one last little freebie for you this month. I made a set of 10 “thank you” cliparts for you to use in your endeavors (personal or commercial). It’s just my way of saying thanks for coming along for the ride. There are high quality PNGs, sticker-style versions, and I’ve also included the SVGs in case you like that sort of thing. Just click the image to grab the clipart!
♥ That's it for January ♥
Thanks again for an amazing 2024! I can't wait to see what happens next!
Be sure to reach out if you have questions or just want to say hi!
Thanks again for an amazing 2024! I can't wait to see what happens next!
Be sure to reach out if you have questions or just want to say hi!
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