There is a lot of time and effort involved in operating your own business. Sometimes it feels like too much time and effort with little reward. As much as I have grown to truly love and enjoy running my own photography business over the past year, it has had its trying and exhausting moments. These trying and exhausting moments have helped me to understand the importance of balancing business and personal life. I often hear other photographers discussing the difficulties of balancing their business and their family/personal life, especially during the first year of business. The first year of business for me consisted of many late nights, a burnt out computer, and a very burnt out photographer, business owner, full time education student, and everything else that I am!
So.....here are some tips to balancing your business and personal life!
1. Get Organized
Organize your business. Organization is a vital aspect to running a business. I will continue to say this over and over and over again, but I truly believe that the time I have spent over the past 4 months, just getting organized, has gotten me further in my business than the previous 10 months.
For more on business organization, visit the posts below.
2. Stick to a Schedule
Set a schedule everyday and stick to it! Buy a planner or create your own custom planner (Extreme Organize | Custom Planner Tutorial) and schedule your daily activities. Not only schedule your office time, but schedule your family time, your school time, or even just alone time. You need this time to rejuvenate from the exhausting responsibilities of running a business.
3. Remember Life Outside of Business
Remember that there is life outside of your business. Remember your spouse, your kids, your education (for those of you like me-still in school), and any other responsibilities that you may carry! Remember that with or without your business, life will go on. So, nurture your personal life, your relationships, your education, your hobbies, etc.
4. Don't let your Business take the place of your personal life
Be careful when allowing your business to get close to your heart. Yes, as a photographer, my business is close to my heart because I love photography. However, I have had to be careful of allowing my business get closer to my heart than my personal life. Even though I love photography and I have the privilege of making a living doing what I LOVE, it is still business.
5. Recognize your Priorities
Recognize and separate your business priorities and your family priorities. What comes first? What should come first? When spending time with your family, make that time 100% about them. Try not to allow your business to control conversations all the time, and minimize using your spouse or children as models every time you get new equipment! They grow to hate the camera :P
So, all this being said...learning to balance your business and personal life has been one of the best things that has happened for my business and personal life. I am able to complete my tasks and responsibilities as a business owner and photographer with greater accomplishment because I am not burnt out from working too much. I am also able to show my appreciation and love for just being with my family because I have learned to set business aside after 4pm, Monday - Thursday, and on the weekends.
My Other Half : )
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