Business Lessons: Taking Time Off

A little blogkeeping: For me, some of the most interesting posts on other photographers' blogs are the ones about things they've learned while running a business. I get business questions from time to time and I thought I'd start another series to address some of my "aha" moments. I'll keep my FAQ posts strictly about photography and Business Lessons will be about ... business! :) Feel free to e-mail me questions at any time (lane@lanebaldwinphotography.com). My perspective obviously isn't the only one or the right one, but hopefully I can help at least one person along the way. Having worked in an office for the first five years of my professional life, I got pretty used to structure. I had a structured work day, I knew I had weekends off and I had a certain number of PTO hours set aside for my pre-planned vacations. There was not a lot of spontaneity in office life.

Figuring out a work-life balance in this new season of my life is probably my biggest struggle in self-employment ... as you can probably tell because I talk about it all the time! It's really, really hard for me to take a whole day off because my office is in my house and it's SO easy for me to pop in and check my e-mail or look at my business Facebook page on my phone. Plus I feel like I need to be doing things constantly or I'll get behind.

It's taken me a year to realize that this is not healthy. Or maybe it's just taken me a year to burn out from always being plugged in. Being plugged in all the time doesn't make me better at my job. In fact, I get less and less productive the longer I work without a full day off ... completely off, no thinking about photography. Because even though I love photography and it's my passion, it's still work.

It's been increasingly important for me to schedule my work day into chunks of time and stay super focused during my scheduled work hours (see an example schedule here). Then when my schedule says to close my office door, it's super important for me to listen and go do something completely unrelated to work.

And you know what I've realized recently? I can be spontaneous and take a random weekday off if I schedule my days on in the right way. It feels really good, especially when these two are waiting to hang out with me all day ... without a camera in front of my face. :)

Making the Most of your Schedule

The other night, while Nathan and I were watching Downton Abbey (new favorite show!), I decided to paint my nails. And then I needed a snack. And my e-mail! It needed to be checked. And then I remembered that I had to put together a timeline for an upcoming wedding. Meanwhile, I was asking Nathan, "What just happened??" because I didn't catch the last ... oh ... 20 minutes of the show. I have this problem. I always have to be doing something. And while I'm doing that something, I have to be doing something else. It's why I had three jobs last year, because I liked them all and I couldn't say no! Even for my own sanity.

But that crazy season in my life did help me realize one thing: I wasn't living in the moment. I was always stressed out, thinking three steps ahead and forgetting stuff along the way. I wasn't paying attention to things that really mattered: my family, my friends, my faith.

I'm still trying to find a good balance between work and play and everything else, and sometimes I fail (see first paragraph above). But the last few months I've really tried to make some changes. And because I hope that this will help at least one person, I'm sharing them here:

1. Don't bite off more than you can chew. I love my to do list, but it does not always love me. I think I can get 10 things done in a day when realistically I can only do three. I used to write all 10 of those things down and then get so frustrated when I'd fail ... miserably. Now, I keep a master list of everything running through my head and pick only three things to add to my daily to do list. If I can get more than three things done, great. But I won't set my self up for failure at the beginning.

2. Set boundaries. This might sound insanely controlling but it works for me: I schedule my day out so I can stay on track and have time for play later in the evening. My typical day looks something like this:

6-8 a.m.: Work on photography (I have a couple action-oriented tasks set aside for this time)

8 a.m.-noon: Start my full-time job (I work from home and it's incredibly easy to get off task. So, I schedule every hour of my day [i.e., 8-9 a.m.: Check e-mail, 9-10:30 a.m.: Work on the Annual Report,10:30 a.m.-noon: Check communication plan and create applicable e-mails, etc., etc.])

Noon-1 p.m.: Take a lunch break (Typically during my lunch break I try to work out because the farther into the evening it gets, the more unlikely I am to do it. Getting it done midday helps set the tone for the rest of my day. I know not everyone has the luxury of working out at noon, but doing it the morning is just as good)

1-5 p.m.: Work my full-time job (Again, the afternoon is scheduled like the morning)

5-6 p.m.: Eat dinner with Nathan

6-8 p.m.: Work on more photography stuff or tackle other items on my personal to do list

8-10:30 p.m.: Relax with Nathan!

3. Allow yourself a treat. Yeah, that schedule up there gets daunting, and if I feel myself getting off track, I'll take a break to get some Starbucks or 10 minutes to read a favorite blog. If I don't allow myself that distraction, even if it's only for a little bit, the rest of the day will be looooong.

4. Keep a clean space. My mom can attest to my messy room in high school, but I like to think that since then I've become better about picking up after myself. I definitely still have a (small) pile of clothes on the dresser that I have to put away every few days, but I try to keep cleaning manageable. Because I get overwhelmed cleaning our ENTIRE house at once, I (or Nathan) clean one room a day. That's half an hour a day that makes me feel organized and on top of things. And I never have to spend the entire day cleaning and de-cluttering. It's all about small steps!

5. Be in the moment. This is the most important one for me and something I'm continually working on. When I'm talking to Nathan or on the phone with a friend, it's NOT OK for me to be "multitasking" at the same time. I can't give my full attention to either thing, so why do it subpar?

When I find myself overwhelmed and uninspired, I like to revisit The Challenge by Making Things Happen. While I don't follow each of these steps in the exact order or way they're outlined, it definitely helps me to recenter and focus.

Now. How do YOU make the most of your schedule? I'd love to hear some of your tips and tricks.

Thoughts: Living Wholly

A few months ago, I subscribed to a magazine called "Whole Living" because, well, it wasn't expensive and I thought I might learn a thing or two about being healthier in a natural sort of way. Turns out that most of the recipes are way too fancy (shiitake mushrooms and brown rice en papillote ... I couldn't even begin to guess what that last part means) or a little too "natural" (roasted beets with edamame and arugula ... I like cookies) for me. There is, however, a great section in the back called "10 Thoughts on Whole Living" that I think makes the subscription worth it. Each issue, the editors present you with 10 one-sentence, thought-provoking ideas. I literally sit staring at that page for an awkwardly long amount of time while I think through each one. Here's one of my favorite's from the January/February 2012 issue:

"The new year isn't a do-over; it's an opportunity to take your next big step."

What an awesome reminder. You know that I love lists, which means that I like clean slates and tying stuff up in a neat and tidy way. If I'm going to eat healthier, I'm going to start on Sunday. And if I'm going to suddenly be the type of person who always keeps her Inbox cleaned out, I'm going to start on Jan. 1. But ... that's just not always realistic. I know this, yet I struggle with this control issue every day.

So, this year, I decided I wasn't going to make resolutions (does anyone actually keep their resolution for the entire year?? Seriously, if you do, I want to meet you!), I was going to make goals. I wasn't going to magically start over on Jan. 1 and suddenly become the person I've always wanted to be, I was going to place hurdles in front of myself so that I could slowly and realistically move forward.

This type of moving forward has never been so apparent to me as it is in my new photography world. I'm fairly new to this gig and I want everything to be done NOW. But ... that's just not realistic. I can't update my website, write a blog post, order business cards and become better at Photoshop in one day because, well, I have another job! And I have to work within my means. But I will get there, and I so, so, so appreciate my 2012 couples for placing their faith in me and cheering me on. I had absolutely NO expectations when I started down this path, but just 2.5 months after telling the whole World Wide Web that I was a photographer and hoping for the best, you all proved to me that I can do this, even if I have to take it one hurdle at a time. Thank you.

This year, I hope you too find a balance between work, family and "you" time. Whether you're flying by in the fast lane or hopping hurdles with me in the slow lane, I hope 2012 is one of your best.