Oh, What to Do?

For those people that know me, I am all about deadlines. I have created deadlines all of my life because I tend to overextend myself and it is the easiest way for me to stay focused and organized. Having deadlines doesn’t mean that I still don’t procrastinate or that I am not up late at night before a project is due. Sometimes, I don’t get a creative impetus until I know that something is due.

Because I use deadlines, I am tethered to my calendar and its electronic versions. I am always syncing my Treo with my laptop, office desktop and home desktop. I have even put automatic reminders in my calendar to remind me to eat breakfast and lunch.

This holiday season, I have scheduled out most of my weeks so that I can meet all of my commitments to my clients, my office and craft fairs. Because of the overwhelming number of holiday orders, I had to stop taking orders on November 30. I sent out reminders to everyone on two separate occasions: the first week of November and just before Thanksgiving. I explained that even though many people weren’t thinking about Christmas yet I needed to gauge interest in handmade items for the holidays so I could allocate my time.

Well, unfortunately, several previous clients did not heed to my call. Now, they are crying for help and last minute requests. Oh, what to do!