Maintaining a Work-Life Balance is something that I think most small business owners struggle with and I’m no different! In fact, I think it’s a bit of a lie that we tell ourselves that we have to achieve one that I’m not sure is totally achievable! I think that more often than not, we are in seasons where one of those takes a little bit more of a demand in our life than the other. I am always feeling the pull of one of these…if I’m in the tank for my business, then I usually feel some sort of pull from my family, church etc obligations and vise versa…it’s the never ending struggle. But lately I’ve been working at trying to even these out a bit and here are some tips that I’m implementing in my life…hope you get some thing from them!
Outsource As Much As you Can: You can’t do it ALL…you just can’t and still maintain sanity or a successful business, so outsource the things that you can or that drain you!
Arm Yourself with the Right Tools: I can’t stress this enough! I use to design all my albums in photoshop, layer by layer, image by image, but I soon discovered some software that will help me do that so easily. So while it was an investment, the ease of the task, the time saved was so worth that investment. In addition, our booking system was one that you filled out a form, then it went to Amy, then she entered it etc…I knew my studio management program had a platform to integrate all of that…I can’t tell you how much easier things are that we did that. Yes it was a full day of trying to figure it out, but in the long run our systems work better and smoother! There is a wealth of tools, apps, software and even individuals that can help you maximize your time! Utilize them!
Build a Team: This is my current task right now! Our studio has Amy (studio manager and she’s amazing) but we are in the process of hiring an associate and an accountant! I need to empower others to do things in the studio that will help us move forward and grow, at the same time, help me to focus on the things that I do best.
Wherever You are Be Extremely Present! I mean, if you are with your family, don’t be “dual tasking” be present and 100% with your family. They will recognize it and it will be more meaningful. If you are vacationing…be 100% in that, so that you are not fragmented. Try to compartmentalize as much as you can, try to focus on the people in front of you and be present in their lives. You know your friends and family can tell when you aren’t concentrating on them. I recently had coffee with another business owner….she was working on some things when I arrived. I started chatting and about 7 min in she said “what…what did you say” I realized that she was totally focused on something and it wasn’t me. (which is okay) but it did leave me feeling like ..I’m not important and I would never want my friends, family or clients to feel that way! Be Present!
Rest Well: I am learning that sleep has so much to do with my productivity and my ability to meet the needs in all the areas of my life. When I’m exhausted and not sleeping well, or staying up late editing or driving, then I’m not able to give to my family, to my business as I would like or need to! Part of balance is learning that sleep is a MUST in that equation. We all have our “must need hours” most of us shave about 1 hour off what we really need. I encourage you to make sleep a priority! I promise it will help tremendously!
I hope a few of these tips will help you…no matter if you are a mom who’s trying to manage your busy family or if you are an entrapenures who is struggling with balance, just try to implement one or two of the above!
This sweet family is one of my favorites for sure! I’ve been photographing them since their oldest was a newborn! Then their sweet Levi made his arrival to complete their family and we’ve had so much fun working with them again! Little Levi is a great baby with such a sweet personality! He did great for his 6month session at Atlantic Beach. As always with milestone sessions, I try to grab a few family ones too…and this beautiful family always rocks their session!
