Pre-Fall Preparations

August brought about a few changes including my own birthday and PMInc celebrating 16 years of service. It also brought about the fact that I need surgery for Carpal Tunnel syndrome and moving a client’s hosting company, while adding a new shipping method to a Shopify site that we maintain.

Turning 52 was pretty awesome, I spent time with my Dad and my kids. I was treated to a perfectly cooked hamburger steak and homemade gluten-free fried fish. Because yes, being allergic to gluten changes a lot of things but still can be adjusted around. Finding out I had to have surgery, not a complete shocker … and could be daunting but that is where being prepared comes in. Moving a client’s hosting company (including all the various files) can also be daunting as well, yet having done this for 16 years now, I knew to be prepared in advance. While adding a new shipping method to Shopify seemed to be the most frustrating part, but in reality, it’s more about understanding what addons work and what don’t.

So how are these things the same other than taking place in the same month? Preparation!

I have always kept a record of what I do in a daily basis, this is for record keeping but also to show me where I spend the most time. I am now also adding in notes for the person we are using to do the work that I won’t be able to between the surgeries. Which one would think is a lot but it really isn’t. I can do most of the editing with one hand, I use note takers for meetings, and automation is really your friend.

Moving the websites, now those take a bit more than preparation, they also take understanding. You not only need to have a backup of any pages or posts, but also media files, tags, categories, users, navigations and more. Then you need to understand that just because your computer can handle one large download it does not mean that your hosting company can. It’s better to download in parts and then take the time to upload them individually. That takes major preparation, including but not limited to time allotments. Especially when you have a website that is YEARS old. WordPress may be great for having an online presence, but it can be frustrating especially when cleaning it up.

So, what are am I getting at? 

Preparations including planning, understanding, and then organization. If you do not plan everything out, then you will find yourself either procrastinating until the point you can only work on that one problem and potentially falling behind on others. Or that you may end up making more mistakes and errors trying to fight one problem using the same methods over and over … which if it did not work the first time, it’s probably not going to the next one either.

Understand that sometimes you need to take a break… understand that sometimes you need help… also understand that things especially I.T. does not always work as fast as you want. Being organized is a huge key to making and keeping to your plan. Take time to organize folders so that way when you get started on your list (Yup I have a written list) you do not have to continually hunt the next item on your list.

Preparations are also a part of my tip for this month … if you have not already began planning your holiday marketing… Now is the time! It’s September, it’s time to plan on Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, … Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Gift Giving, Family Time, Kids at home, the weather is also changing which means your followers activity on social networks (FB, IG, TikTok …etc.) has also began to change. Take notice and start shifting your posts around when they are there to see them.

Happy Pre-Fall,
Dee