Today we want to chat about something we rarely talk about, but are intimately familiar with. Each and every one of us. Distractions are all around us. Literally everywhere you turn in this digital age, you can be distracted by something… 

There you are, minding your own business, working on your listings and trying to crack that whole focus keyoword thing (it’s pretty straight forward, but you’d like to beat it over the head) when, DING. A pop up on your phone. Jane just posted on Instagram about her oatmeal! You’ve gotta see that, cause, who wants to miss those oats?! So off you go to see what topping Jane decided to use on her oatmeal this morning. 

1.) Social media…

Once you’re there, you discover that Suzy just got a new puppy! What the?! How stinkin’ cute is that little fur ball? And Alice just got engaged…haven’t they been dating like two weeks… Also, you’re pretty sure Jon and his wife have a new baby, but what the heck did they name her?? Wait, wait…who said what about the newest trend on Etsy?? What are they talking about?! You’ve NEVER used Marmalead like that before…have you been doing it wrong all along? And who is this person anyway….what is going on? By this point, you’re pretty dang far down that rabbit hole, wondering how the heck you got there and what you need to do in order to come back to reality, cause this is a seriously bad trip!

The Good.

The thing is, social media can be an AWESOME way to promote your products, connect with your buyers, learn more about Etsy SEO and find common ground with other Etsy sellers. This is SUCH a positive way to use it and will benefit you greatly. I know many sellers personally who hardly pay for marketing because they’re using Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook to their advantage. This is basically where it’s at, plus, there are all those cute puppy/baby photos too. Bonus!

The Bad.

With all the great benefits social media platforms have to offer, they can also be a HUGE distraction when not used properly. I’m speaking from first hand experience over here. How often do I hop on our Marmalead instagram page to post a story or photo and then, instead of being efficient and quick will find myself ten pages deep into looking at silver starfish necklaces! Ha…well, maybe not silver starfish necklaces exactly, but you get the point. Before I know it, fifteen minutes will have slipped by and while that may not seem like a ton of time, when done often, it can be a ginormous time suck! Plus, who wants to stare at a screen constantly?! I don’t. I’d rather engage in the world around me. So, instead of allowing it to suck my time away, having a plan of exactly what I want to do before I even login on to my account is a great way to stay focused and accomplish what I set out to do. Also, deciding on an amount of time I’m allowed to remain on the account and then holding myself accountable is very helpful. 

The ugly.

Beyond being a time suck, social media can often times lend itself to being negative in the worst sort of way. I can’t tell you how discouraging it is to hop onto a forum and find post after post, conversation after conversation of pure negativity. Is it hard to be a successful Etsy seller? Heck yeah it is! Running any sort of business is no walk in the park! It takes dedication, a willingness to fall down and get back up, to learn from past mistakes. But, never is this hard thing made easier by reading someone else complain about how hard it is for them.

You and I literally do not have time for that! It’s bad enough to become distracted and have our time slip by on social media. But it’s really ugly to have that time sucked away by a negativity monster. Instead, we’d highly suggest staying away from forums where you’re running into a lot of this sort of talk. You want to remain as positive as you can! Read things that lift you up, that make you want to tackle running your shop with gusto and enthusiasm instead of making you wonder if you can even do it to begin with. Cause we’re here to tell you, you 100% can do this thing!

2.) Trying to be just like your competition. 

It’s a great thing to research your friendly competition. Know where you fit in to the space you’ve chosen to occupy with your Etsy shop and definitely check out where your competition is priced and what they’re doing. However, don’t become caught up with BEING your competition. That’s not what you’re here on Etsy to do. You are unique and you have a unique story to tell and communicate through your brand and products. If you obsess over doing what your competition is doing, you’ll lose this amazing opportunity to be filling the needs of your own audience. Find your niche and where you fit in, then run with it! 

3.) Becoming distracted by your competition’s sales.

Guys. Seriously. We cannot stress this enough. Stop doing this. It does no good. This will not help you and it certainly won’t help your sales to go up. It literally does not matter how many sales so and so has. What matters is what you’re doing to increase YOUR sales. And the main way to accomplish this is by being authentic to who you are, researching who your target audience is, and giving the people what they want. That’s literally ALL you need to be focusing on when it comes to numbers. Leave the comparison and frustration over those numbers in someone else’s shop outside and get busy with making your shop shine from the inside out. Don’t waste time in worrying over numbers you literally cannot control.

4.) Becoming distracted with imposteritis. 

You know what this is. It’s that voice that creeps in when you see another shop that’s blowing it out of the water and whispers that you’re a fraud and you’ll never make it. I wish I knew how to tell you the secret to silencing this voice, but I struggle with it CONSTANTLY. Having chosen a very subjective career path, literally everything I put out into the world can be hated by some or loved by others. But, when I see someone else who I think is WAY better than I’ll ever be, I’ll start to wonder why I’m even doing any of this to begin with. The best thing I can tell you to do about this aggravating voice is to ignore it. Know that the truth of the matter is you have every right to be creating and putting your awesomeness out into the world, just as much as anyone else. So stand strong and solider forward because it’s 100% worth it when you love what you do, no matter what the imposteritis voice happens to be saying.

“So this, I believe, is the central question upon which all creative living hinges: Do you have the courage to bring forth the treasures that are hidden within you?”

Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic

5.) Becoming distracted by an unorganized work space. 

I don’t know about you, but I literally cannot focus when things are chaotic and a crazy mess around me! I’ll spend precious time looking for that one dang piece of paper. Or worse yet, I’ll have to go searching after that one folder that I put somewhere in the depths of my computer and now can’t seem to locate. Whether you have a literal desk/studio with physical paper and supplies or a digital “desk” in your computer where things become a wreck, make an effort to get this organized. There are literally studies upon studies that you will find with a simple Google search, proving that there is a direct correlation between a messy desk and productivity. And none of the studies say it’s a good thing to be messy. 

Did any of these points resonate with you? What are some ways you keep from being distracted during your work day?