In today’s fast-paced environment, timing is everything. Whether you’re trying to prevent a backlog of orders or juggling shipping and delivery times, the tools you use and decisions you make significantly impact your business. If you’re involved in clubs or sports and you raise your hand to make your team shirts, you’ll likely look for a way to make them as efficiently as possible so you can move on to other things. If you volunteer for an organization, you might offer to make some goods for a fundraiser — under a tight deadline and with lots of third-party input, of course.
There are several strategies and products you can use when it comes to maximizing productivity. Here are some of our best tools and techniques to help you achieve higher output.
Organized workspace
Having a dedicated workspace or office can streamline your workflow and minimize distractions. If your space allows it, consider turning different areas into workstations for each process of your project. By strategically dividing your tasks across different workstations, you can simplify the process and stay organized.
Prep materials
An effective way to save time and increase productivity is to plan and organize your projects in advance. Consider preloading your materials onto multiple mats that are ready to feed into the machine. This will ensure a smooth transition between projects and maintain a steady workflow.
If needing to cut multiple colors of a material, you can save time by putting scraps on a 24×28 mat so it can cut in one go. This technique saves time by not having to load multiple mats.
Batching
Batch making is a fantastic time-saving technique when you have multiple similar items to create. Whether it’s labels, stickers, or tags, arrange as many designs as possible on a single mat or sheet of material. Koi Chavez, whose shop specializes in stickers and drinkware, uses the batching method to optimize her productivity. “If I receive numerous requests for a specific design of a glass cup or if a particular design is popular, I opt for a bulk cut approach,” says Koi. With this method, you can arrange several designs on one sheet, on one mat, in one cut.
Cricut Venture
The Cricut Venture is the game-changer cutting machine you need when batching. This machine cuts at commercial speed (25 in/sec) all while maintaining incredible precision. Dawn Peterson, another talented Cricut maker, uses the Cricut Venture for classroom projects. “I cut multiple designs for a classroom and Cricut Venture cut them faster than I could remove them from the first mat. The larger cutting surface means that you can re-arrange your larger designs and create less waste.”
Cricut Autopress
When it comes to making multiple projects using iron-on or Infusible Ink, the Cricut Autopress was built for productivity. This easy-to-use machine leaves no room for guesswork when it comes to precise pressure and temperatures. The machine opens automatically when it’s finished pressing, so you can prep and align your next press with an extra mat all while the Cricut Autopress is in progress. This efficient hands-off experience proves itself when needing to produce a stack of totes or fulfill a large t-shirt order.
Incorporating these strategies and tools into your workflow can enhance your productivity. Find a dedicated workspace, prep your materials, utilize batch processing, and invest in time-saving machines. With these techniques, you’ll be well on your way to unlocking the full potential of your business, side hustle, or hobby.
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