Working with Technology as a Small Business Owner: Getting Back to Your Craft Through Freeing Your Relationship with Time 

Believe me, I understand burnout. 

In my early days as an independent designer, I found myself desperate for something outrageous—an eighth day of the week. That’s right, I wanted an entire extra day just to keep up with everything I had going on. My business was taking off, and while it was exciting and full of promise, it was also overwhelming and exhausting. I wasn’t about to quit, so I did something radical—I broke time. 

After my years as a pastry chef, I was no stranger to early mornings and fragmented sleep. So I stretched time by working six hours, sleeping two, and repeating. I manufactured that eighth day, and it worked—until it didn’t. I got the work done, but I also burned out in such a profound way that I blew up my whole life. I don’t recommend it. 

That experience shaped everything I now teach and coach. It’s why I’ve rebuilt my business around balance, sustainability, and joy. I’ve learned to use the powerful tools available to small business owners today—tools that didn’t exist back then—to support my workflow, not dominate my life. I can finally get back to being an artist and a human being. My productivity is higher than ever, but so is my peace. And yes, I still have my late-night ADHD creative sprints, but now I know how to find my off-switch too. 

My hope is that my story helps you avoid the same painful detour. That you can build a business and a life that feeds your nervous system, not depletes it. That your entrepreneurial dream doesn’t come at the cost of your well-being. Let’s dive into how you can use technology not to steal your time—but to give it back to you.

Step 1: See Technology as a Creative Ally 

If technology feels like a chore, it will drain your energy. But when you choose the right tools, tech becomes a supportive assistant—freeing you to do what you love. 

Start by:  

  • Auditing your tools — Which apps help you? Which ones feel like digital clutter?  
  • Choosing systems that serve your craft, not distract from it.  

Here are a few examples:  

  • HoneyBook – Manage client contracts, scheduling, and payments all in one place.  
  • Notion – Organize your thoughts, projects, and ideas in a flexible digital workspace.  
  • Canva – Create content easily without needing a graphic designer.  

When your tech stack supports your creativity, you can spend more time designing, making, writing, or sewing—and less time on admin.  

Step 2: Rebuild Your Relationship with Time 

One of the biggest causes of burnout is the belief that there’s never enough time. That thought alone creates urgency, rushing, and overwhelm. But what if time isn’t your enemy? 

Instead of chasing time, try creating space for it to flow.  

  • Time blocking – Schedule sacred creative time. Don’t let emails steal it.  
  • Rituals – Light a candle, stretch, or play music to signal it’s time for joyful work.  

Tools that help:

  • Focusmate – Virtual coworking that keeps you accountable.  
  • Pomofocus – Time yourself in focused work sprints that honor your brain’s rhythm.  

You deserve unhurried time for your craft. You deserve to enjoy the process again.  

Step 3: Design Your Life for Harmony 

Too many entrepreneurs sacrifice their lives for their work. But that’s not why you started this journey. You started it to live.  

  • Create boundaries around your work hours. Even if you’re your own boss, clock out.  
  • Make joy a priority. Nature walks, movement, connection, rest—schedule them like your life depends on it (because it does).  
  • Price your work to support your life. You can charge sustainably and have free time.  

Helpful resource: Launch Grow Joy’s handmade pricing guide Your business should support your quality of life—not consume it.

Step 4: Automate, Delegate, and Simplify 

Let go of the idea that you have to do everything yourself. You’re not a robot—you’re a human being with a creative gift. Free your bandwidth so you can actually enjoy your life and work.  

  • Zapier – Automate repetitive tasks across platforms.  
  • Belay or Fiverr – Hire virtual assistants for customer service, emails, or bookkeeping.  
  • Set boundaries with auto-responses – It’s okay not to be always on.  

Your time is precious. Protect it like the sacred resource it is.

Step 5: Use Technology Mindfully 

Not all tech is helpful. Some of it just creates noise. The key is mindful use—choosing when and how tech shows up in your life.  

  • Turn off non-essential notifications.  
  • Set tech-free hours for uninterrupted creativity.  
  • Use apps like Freedom to block distractions when you’re in your zone.  

When you use tech to support flow, not interrupt it, your work becomes art—and your life becomes more peaceful.

Your Dream Business Should Support Your Dream Life Technology, when approached intentionally, is a powerful tool for reclaiming your craft, your time, and your joy. Success isn’t just about making money or being constantly productive. It’s about building a life where you’re free to create, rest, enjoy your family, make good money, and still feel like yourself.  

  • Choose tools that support your creativity.  
  • Design your days around balance.  
  • Build your business to uplift your life—not swallow it.  

You didn’t start this journey to lose your joy, your flow, or your freedom. 

You started it to live your dreams—to choose happiness on your own terms, to create a life you love, and to share your gifts with the world. 

So let’s do that. Let’s reclaim the power of our creativity while building businesses—and lives—that reflect balance, purpose, and harmony. 

At the heart of it all, it’s about love. Loving ourselves enough to honor every part of who we are. 

Respecting our time, our energy, our well-being. 

Recognizing that the businesses we build don’t just sustain us—they shape our communities and our world. 

When we choose to live and work in alignment, that ripple of harmony spreads outward. 

It starts with us, and it changes everything.

Let’s build from that place. 

***Printed products with this image:

Mug

https://merakieclecticdesign.etsy.com/listing/4300202510

Zipper Pouch:

https://merakieclecticdesign.etsy.com/listing/4300215083

Works Cited 

Freedom. “Block Distractions.” Freedom, https://freedom.to/. 

Focusmate. “Accountability through Virtual Coworking.” Focusmate, https://www.focusmate.com/. 

HoneyBook. “Client Management Software.” HoneyBook, https://www.honeybook.com/. 

Launch Grow Joy. “Handmade Pricing Formula.” Launch Grow Joy, https://www.launchgrowjoy.com/handmade-pricing-formula/. 

Notion. “Your Connected Workspace for Wiki, Docs & Projects.” Notion, https://www.notion.so/.

Pomofocus. “Pomodoro Timer.” Pomofocus, https://pomofocus.io/. 

Zapier. “Automation for Busy People.” Zapier, https://zapier.com/. Canva. “Online Design Tool.”

Canva, https://www.canva.com/. 

Belay Solutions. “Virtual Assistants for Small Businesses.” Belay, https://belaysolutions.com/.

Fiverr. “Freelance Services Marketplace.” Fiverr, https://www.fiverr.com/.