Shop Talk : Organizing Vintage Inventory Resources

I have a few goals for my business I would like to accomplish over the next couple months. And when I say a few, I mean the few I have made myself narrow down to out of the overwhelming 435,765 I have written down. OK, it may not be that many, but it certainly sometimes feels that way. I have found I do much better by focusing on one project at a time, instead of trying to accomplish a ton of things all at once. It helps me stay calm, be thorough and see measured success from each step. I figured as I worked on each goal I would share the resources with you I've found helpful, in case anyone is going down the same path or working on a similar project.

The first goal I'll be sharing with you for my business will be organizing. As some of you know, I run an online vintage shop out of my home, with around 1000 pieces and growing. This means that in addition to my already full house, I have all those pieces to organize and clean as well. Luckily, we are living in a fairly large space right now where I have room for an office and storage space, so it is totally doable. But if I don't stay on top of my system every day, or at the very least every few days, I am left with piles and piles of vintage with no home and a messy looking home space for my husband and I.

My mom is an expert organizer, and has been a huge help in streamlining my inventory and my office space. We have gotten it down to a pretty good system, but it still needs some major tweaks, which brings me to my resource list as of late:

Goal #1: Organize my inventory so my shop and home life run as smoothly as possible.

1. The Life Changing Power of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

If you haven't heard the praises of this book sung by someone you know by now, I'm sure you will soon. I just ordered this book on Amazon to read on my beach vacation next week. 

2. Inventory Tracking by Design Sponge

This part will take me a little more time to figure out how to apply it to my business. As most vintage items are one of a kind, inventory management is a little different, but it will be good to get a start on brainstorming.

3. Closet Organizing Checklist by Real Simple

Meant for your home closet organization, but good tips for clothing inventory storage as well!

4. 53 Seriously Life Changing Clothing Organizational Tips by Buzzfeed

Again, meant for your home closet, but has some unique tips and visual inspiration. 

5. Pinterest

Pretty straightforward. If you are a visual person like me, seeing how other people organize things really gets me motivated. Search for "organization", "clothing" and "closet" to see how some super organized heroes have done it.

If you have any more you'd like to share with me, I would love to hear them!

Morning Affirmations

I have been waking up a lot the past couple weeks in an anxious state of mind. As soon as I open my eyes I start thinking about all the things I need to get done that day, about all the things I didn't get done the day before, and then get frustrated at myself that I didn't wake up earlier to get started. This has happened to me once in awhile when I have let my life get out of balance, most notably one winter when I was managing a busy restaurant. I had just been given a second restaurant to manage out of the blue, and the same day my assistant manager broke his leg in a skiing accident. I spent the next few months just holding it together, and I would wake up in the middle of the night suddenly in a panic with something I forgot to do or felt needed to be done and would have to write it down immediately.

I am nowhere near that now, but needless to say, this is no way to wake up regardless! Like I said a while back in this post, I have been reading a book that promotes positive, "prosperous" thinking as a way to bring the best into your life. One way I am going to start doing this is with a morning affirmation. Probably half of you are out there nodding your head and saying DUH Kristin, we all do this, you are way late to the whole morning game here you dum-dum. But I am giving it a try! There are a TON if ideas for affirmations to choose from online, but my favorite were these from Prolific Living.

8 Affirmations to Say Every Morning before Getting Up

1. I am feeling healthy and strong today.

2. I have all that I need to make this a great day of my life.

3. I have all the information I need to solve any challenges that come up today.

4. I have the knowledge to make smart decisions for myself today.

5. I make the right choices all day using my inner wisdom.

6. I am happy and content with my life.

7. I am patient and calm and greet the day with ease.

8. I am filled with gratitude and kindness for another day on this earth.

I'm going to print them out and put them by my bathroom mirror so I see them first thing every morning. If anyone has had success with these let me know, I am excited to try it out. Hopefully it turns out like THIS haha.

2015 Summer Goals

Today I put together a list of goals I'd like to work on this summer. Nothing mind blowingly different than everyone else's, but there is a much better chance of me sticking to them if I write them down somewhere I can look back at and check in on. I did it for my New Years resolutions and it definitely kept me motivated. Am I the only crazy list maker out there or does this method work for anyone else? I'd love to hear what your goals for this summer are!