Struggling to be productive and make sales?

If you can’t seem to be productive in a way that actually brings in sales, we’re going to fix that.

You might be stuck using a system that’s secretly holding you back.

I used to juggle all the popular project management tools, but nothing really worked. I stayed busy, but the sales didn’t reflect it.

Then I found a system that did work and it takes just 3 minutes a day!

That tiny shift helped me build a jewelry business that now makes $176,000 per year in revenue. And that’s just from one of the five businesses I run.

Today, I’m going to share with you exactly how that system works, so you can start spending your time more efficiently and finally focus on what actually grows your creative business.

Why To-Do Lists Fail

Let’s start with this: if you’re always writing to-do lists but never seem to finish them or worse, you finish them and still don’t feel like you made progress, you’re not alone.

It’s totally normal to leave half your list unchecked. 

But what if the problem isn’t you… what if it’s the daily to-do list itself?

Seriously.

From everything I’ve experienced (and learned the hard way), daily planning systems just don’t work well for creative business owners. And here’s why.

Back in the early days of my polymer clay jewelry business, I was obsessed with planning my entire day. 

I’d wake up, write out an ambitious list of ten tasks, and by the end of the day? I’d maybe finish one. And feel completely defeated.

One Thursday, I planned to knock out a big wholesale order, just me, some clay, and a full day of charm-making. 

But then I got an unexpected email from the wardrobe stylist for Parks and Recreation. She wanted to overnight a bunch of my pieces to her.

Obviously, I dropped everything to figure it out… and the rest of the day? Gone.

Now, don’t get me wrong. That was a good problem. But this kind of thing happens all the time. 

Good surprises, bad surprises, days where I was just too tired, or I got sick, or I just wasn’t feeling it creatively.

Add to that the fact that I’m a multi-hyphenate creative juggling multiple businesses and big ideas, and there was always something unexpected pulling me off track.

I’m not a parent, but I imagine a lot of parents reading this can relate to that feeling like your day just never goes how you planned it.

Here’s what I’ve learned. Daily to-do lists don’t work for most creatives for three big reasons:

1. They don’t account for the unpredictable nature of life, creativity, or business.
   You can’t plan for surprise emails from stylists, toddler meltdowns, or random inspiration strikes.
   
2. They create artificial time constraints that stifle creativity.
   When you’re watching the clock or cramming in tasks, you kill the space creative work actually needs.
   
3. They focus on quantity, not impact.
   Checking off 8 small tasks might feel productive, but if none of them move the needle, what’s the point?
   

Daily lists give the illusion of control, but creative work doesn’t follow a straight line. 

So when your day doesn’t go to plan, you feel behind, even when something amazing (like a dream opportunity!) popped up instead.

The truth is, we still need structure. But we also need flow.

That’s where weekly planning comes in.

It gives you a clearer picture of your priorities, space to roll with life’s surprises, and enough flexibility to follow your creativity instead of constantly wrestling it into a 24-hour schedule.

And once I made this shift? Everything got easier and way more effective.

The Weekly Planning System

What if you could reduce the time you spend planning, actually grow your business in a meaningful way, and still have the freedom to go with the flow?

That’s exactly what this weekly planning system does and it takes just three minutes to set up each week.

This simple shift has been the foundation of how I built multiple 6-7 figures per year businesses, while maintaining my creativity, sustaining my energy  and avoiding burnout. 

I didn’t invent this system. I actually learned it from my longtime friend, Stacey Trock. 

She used to run an adorable and super successful amigurumi business called Fresh Stitches. 

These days, she’s a single parent, gets more done than just about anyone I know, and runs a great YouTube channel called Travel with Stacey.

Years ago, we were in a mastermind together, and I asked her how she got so much done.

I was expecting some kind of fancy planner or productivity app.

She said she doesn’t do daily planning, she focuses on weekly planning instead.

And that was the moment I realized I had been doing it all wrong.

So, instead of planning each day, I would plan just once for the entire week, at the start of the week. 

On Monday morning, I would sit down with a blank sheet of paper and list only the highest-impact tasks I needed to accomplish that week. 

I would purposely use a smaller notebook sized paper so I didn’t overload the list with too many things. 

And I didn’t assign specific days to each task, I just committed to completing them sometime during the week.

The difference was instant and honestly, kind of life-changing. 

The beauty of this weekly planning system is that it’s just so easy to stick to. When unexpected things pop up, I don’t spiral. 

I have the flexibility to say “yes” to big opportunities without feeling like I’ve blown up my whole schedule.

And that really matters for me because, fun fact, I’m also an actor here in Los Angeles. 

Auditions happen all the time, and when they do, they usually come with a tight 48-hour turnaround. 

When something like that hits my inbox, it becomes my top priority.

But here’s the game-changer: if I spend two days working on an audition, I still have the rest of the week, three solid days, five if you count the weekend to knock out everything else on my list. 

Because my tasks don’t have specific deadlines attached to certain days, I don’t end the week feeling like I’ve failed. Instead, I feel accomplished.

Most weeks, I knock out the bulk of my list on Monday and Tuesday. 

Then I use Wednesday and Thursday to rest a bit or catch up if I need to. 

Friday is usually a second round of deep work. And if I want to use the weekend, it’s there but no pressure.

So, how do you actually do this weekly planning thing? It’s super simple…

1. Choose one day a week to plan.

Pick a consistent time, like Sunday night or Monday morning. 

Personally, I go for Monday mornings because planning feels like work to me, and I like to protect my weekends (even though I do sometimes end up working a bit).

2. Grab a small sheet of paper or your planner.

Not a giant notebook. Just something small enough to keep your list focused. I use a page that fits around 13 tasks. 

It’s enough to get meaningful work done without feeling like I’ve set myself up to fail.

3. Write down 7–10 high-impact tasks.

These should be the big things. The ones that move your business forward. 

Not random admin stuff or things that feel productive but aren’t. Be selective. Less is more here.

4. Don’t assign specific days yet.

At the start of the week, just focus on what needs to get done, not when. 

Once you get a feel for your energy and how the week is shaping up, then you can start plugging tasks into specific days if you want to.

5. Each morning, choose your task(s) for the day.

Just glance at your weekly list and ask yourself: “What makes sense for me to tackle today?” 

Some days you’ll have more focus, other days more chaos, this system adapts to you.

6. At the end of the week, check what’s left.

If something didn’t get done, no big deal.  Just carry it over to next week and ask yourself why it didn’t happen. 

Were you overbooked? Was the task too vague? Did it just not feel important after all? That reflection is key.

The real magic of this system is that it blends structure with flexibility. 

You’re still focused and committed to what matters, but you get to work with your energy, your life, and your creative flow. 

And the best part? No more guilt from falling behind on rigid daily plans. Just steady, consistent progress that actually feels good.

Identifying High-Impact Tasks

Here’s the thing most creatives don’t realize: the real secret to building multiple successful online businesses isn’t just using a weekly planning system, it’s making sure you’re filling it with the right tasks.

Most creatives spend 80% of their time on stuff that only brings in 20% of their results. 

But what if you could flip that and focus primarily on the 20% of tasks that deliver 80% of your success?

I got so good at this that now I can feel when I’m slipping into busy work. I’m basically allergic to it. 

And that shift? That’s what made my business take off.

This mindset is exactly what we’re all about in the Nerdy Creatives Club. We focus on low-hanging fruit, the simple stuff that makes a big difference. 

Things that help you multiply sales, boost profits, and work less.

Our members are seeing incredible results: doubling their sales in just a few months, landing bigger orders, and finally breaking past plateaus. 

So if you’re making a sale here and there and you’re ready to level up, check out the Nerdy Creatives Club.

Just click this link: https://tinyurl.com/y2zsj8yr

Now, let’s talk about how to figure out which tasks actually belong on your list. 

In my early years of going full-time with my business, I was doing all the things. 

I was creating nonstop, posting on social media multiple times a day across different platforms, constantly tweaking my website, and hustling to get into every “good” craft fair I could find.

I was clocking in over 60 hours a week… and making less than $3 an hour.

I was venting to my husband, who, at the time, was grinding away at a corporate job that was totally draining his soul. 

He looked at me, exhausted from his own long day, and asked me one simple question:

“What are you doing?”

That question hit me like a truck. At first, I felt ashamed. Guilty. Like I had let him down. 

I was working constantly, but had so little to show for it after an entire year.

But once I got past that initial gut punch, I started looking honestly at how I was spending my time.

And that’s when I saw it: most of my actual sales hadn’t come from social media or craft fairs or website tweaks.  They had come from media outreach from getting featured in magazines, blogs, and other people’s platforms.

That’s what had actually moved the needle. All the rest? It was sucking up my time and giving me very little in return.

So I made a bold decision: I cut the fluff and focused solely on media outreach.

That one shift changed everything. Over the next few years, my part-time income turned into $200,000 in annual sales. All because I finally stopped chasing busy work and started doubling down on what really worked.

So, here’s exactly how you can start identifying those high-impact tasks in your own business:

1. Start by looking at your last 10–20 sales and trace them back to where they came from.

Was it a referral? A blog feature? An email you sent? Dig into it.

2. Look for patterns in what’s actually bringing in revenue.

You’re not just trying to guess here. You’re looking for solid proof of what’s working.

3. Group your activities into two categories:

• High-impact: These are the things that directly lead to sales and don’t take up a ridiculous amount of time.
  
• Low-impact: These are time-sucking tasks that don’t actually convert into much revenue.
  

4. Now here’s the hard part: be ruthless about cutting back the low-impact stuff.

Yes, even if it feels productive. Just because you’re comfortable doing it doesn’t mean it’s effective. 

Sometimes we stick with tasks that make us feel in control, even when they’re not actually doing much.

For most creative business owners, high-impact tasks usually fall into a few key buckets:

• Direct marketing, like email marketing or pitching your products to the media
• Product optimization (think improving listings, packaging, or bundles)
• Building systems that save you time (automation, batching, templates)
• Strategies that create leveraged income, money that keeps coming in without constant effort
• Evergreen content creation, like YouTube videos or blog posts that work for you long-term
  

You’ll notice I didn’t say social media. 

Social media can support your brand, but it’s rarely the main driver of consistent, scalable income, especially for handmade businesses.

If you’re curious about what does work, like how to do media outreach or actually get results from email marketing, I dive into that in more depth in my free workshop.

Click the link if you want to join: https://tinyurl.com/muubbmhu

Once you start seeing the patterns, weekly planning becomes so much easier. 

Some weeks, I can knock mine out in 3 minutes flat.

The key is getting real with yourself: What’s actually driving your results? And what’s just keeping you busy?

Handling Task Resistance

You know that task that keeps showing up on your weekly to-do list… week after week… because it never actually gets done? Annoying, right?

But here’s the thing: that pattern is trying to tell you something important about your business and yourself.

When I finally learned how to pay attention to why I was avoiding certain tasks, it completely changed the way I work.

I stopped beating myself up for procrastinating and started using that resistance as a clue.

Let me give you a real-life example.

Last year, I was working with a photographer for my jewelry business. 

She’d been with me for a while, super independent, and didn’t need much hand-holding which, as a busy business owner, I loved.

But lately, the shoots weren’t quite landing. I knew we needed to have a sit-down meeting to realign. 

So, I added “Schedule meeting with photographer” to my to-do list.

And then… I ignored it. For weeks.

Every Monday, I’d move it to the next week, then the next. Eventually, I had to ask myself: Why am I avoiding this so hard?

Turned out, it wasn’t the meeting itself, it was everything around the meeting.

It felt like too big of a task. There were actually a few steps I needed to take first: figure out exactly what wasn’t working, gather inspiration for what I did want, and create a loose agenda so we weren’t just winging it.

And honestly? I was avoiding those steps because I didn’t want to make the wrong call. 

Perfectionism and overthinking were in the way.

So I broke it down. I stopped trying to “figure it all out” in one sitting. Instead, I spent a few minutes on Pinterest grabbing a few inspo images. 

That gave me clarity on the direction I wanted. Then I jotted down a simple agenda.  That’s when I finally felt ready and the meeting happened without a hitch.

Here’s the takeaway: If you’re resisting a task, it’s not laziness. It’s usually that the task is too vague, too big, or tangled up with fear. Break it down. Get specific. And be honest with yourself about what’s really going on.

That insight alone can save you weeks of dragging your feet.

And if this happens to you, here’s how to handle task resistance in your weekly planning system:

1. Pause when a task carries over 2–3 weeks.
That’s your cue to stop and reflect instead of moving it to yet another week.

2. Ask yourself: What am I resisting here?
Understanding why you’re avoiding something helps you figure out what to do next.

3. Consider these common reasons for resistance:

• The task is actually too big and needs to be broken down.
• You don’t yet have the skills or resources to do it.
• Deep down, you don’t believe it’s important (in which case… why is it still on your list?).
  You’re afraid of failing, doing it wrong, or just not being ready.

4. Based on your answer, choose your next move:

• Break the task into smaller, clearer steps.
• Delegate or outsource it if that’s an option.
• Replace it with something else that meets the same goal.
• Remove it entirely if it doesn’t really matter.
• Or have an honest chat with yourself about what fear is holding you back and how to move through it.

And remember: Task resistance isn’t a flaw. It’s not laziness. 

It’s actually helpful feedback. The more aware you become of it, the easier it is to plan your week in a way that feels focused and doable.

The Big-picture Benefit

Weekly planning isn’t just about productivity. It’s about perspective.

When I switched from planning my days to planning my weeks, I didn’t expect it to change so much. 

But it did, especially when it came to making more money.

Here’s what happened: Once I started looking at my time in bigger chunks, I naturally started thinking about my business in bigger chunks too.

Instead of obsessing over the tiny stuff like which trending audio to use on a reel or whether my email font should be navy or black, I started asking myself real questions like:

• Is this product line even working?
• Should I focus more on wholesale or retail?
• What do I need to pivot in my marketing to actually see results?

These were the kinds of big questions that led to driving my business in the right direction.

And weekly planning gave me the space to ask them regularly, without getting buried in the weeds of daily busywork.

If you feel like you’re stuck spinning your wheels, overwhelmed by small stuff, try zooming out. 

Weekly planning actually helps you think differently and that shift can completely transform your business.

Here’s how it keeps you focused on what really matters:

1. It gives you a rhythm for strategic thinking.

You’re not just reacting to what’s urgent, you’re actively choosing tasks that align with your bigger goals.

2. It keeps you from drowning in the small stuff.

It’s so easy to spend hours tweaking fonts or reels. But weekly planning pulls you out of the weeds so you can spot patterns and opportunities you’d otherwise miss.

3. It creates space for creativity.

When your brain isn’t in constant firefighting mode, it can actually think. 

This is where your best ideas come from, when you give yourself space to see the possibilities.

So to get the most out of this system:

• Don’t just list tasks, reflect on what worked (and what didn’t) last week.
  
• Ask yourself, “Are these tasks aligned with the business I want to build?”
  
• Pay attention to how your work feels. Which tasks drain you? Which ones light you up? That’s important data.

When you are constantly putting yourself in a position to think bigger, your business will evolve in big ways too.

Now that you’ve got this system in place, you might be wondering: “Okay… but what exactly should I be working on every week?”

There are only four major skills that separate six-figure creative businesses from the ones that stay stuck and most artists waste way too much time on tasks that don’t actually move the needle.

Once I figured out what those four skills were? Everything changed.

I went from working 60+ hours a week making a few thousand dollars to part-time hours and seven figures in annual revenue across multiple businesses.

If you want to know what those four skills are, click here to read all about it: https://tinyurl.com/y4s6bx3r

I’ll break down each skill and show you exactly how to develop them so you can finally build the profitable creative business you’ve been dreaming of.

So, if you’ve made it this far, maybe a part of you is already ready for a different way, something gentler, more aligned, more you. 

At the end of the day, your business should feel like it fits you, not like a never-ending to-do list that’s constantly getting the best of you. 

The simple, three-minute weekly system might just be the quiet power move you’ve been looking for.

It’s built for creatives like us who need structure and freedom. 

Try it for a month. You might be surprised by just how far it takes you.