How to Improve Productivity in Your Photography Business
In a world where everything is fighting for our attention, it’s no wonder it’s becoming harder to stay focused and productive throughout the workday. Our attention spans are shrinking, notifications are going off left and right, and in case you need the reminder, no— the world will not end if you wait 5 minutes to answer (but I know it feels like it will.)
As much as it freaks me out, 2023 is right around the corner and a new year brings new opportunities for business growth and development. Whether you’re looking for some 2023 resolution inspo (and no, you don’t have to wait until January to start) or are ready to ditch procrastination and gain your productivity back, this blog post is for you.
I firmly believe that if you read this blog post with an open mind and put these pieces of advice into practice, your photography business and work/life balance is going to improve significantly. Ready to dive in?
There are two main resources in business: time and money.
You NEED time in order to MAKE money. So, how do you carve out time to do this when you’re already balancing a full-time job, university classes, taking care of kids, or showing up for the long list of other commitments?
Your plate is full— and I get it. Once upon a time, I was working a full-time job, a part-time job, going to university, and volunteering on the weekends and even some weeknights. The only time I had to work on social media was during a bathroom break, lunch break, or standing in line at the grocery store.
It was a lot— but you know what I *somehow* always had the time for?
Scrolling through Instagram. *rolls eyes*
I know, I know.
But I want you to listen— because many of you are not going to like what I’m about to share, but this can drastically impact your productivity with your photography business.
Why do we tend to feel unproductive in the first place? One of the reasons may be that you’re still treating your business like a hobby. Yep, I said it— if you are looking for a sign to turn your photography passion into a profiting photography business, this is it.
It’s time to switch your mindset from passion to profit.
What tends to happen is that when you post your photography work on Instagram but you're scrolling for personal use, the line continues to blur and photography remains a passion rather than a job. In addition, it’s easier to experience burnout if you’re on social media during the day.
No wonder that when it comes time for you to post, interact with followers, and answer DMs, you’re exhausted, unproductive, and feel sluggish.
HINT: it’s because you’ve already been on the app for hours or you’ve opened it up *at least* 10-20 times that day.
See if any of this sounds familiar…
You've scrolled through other photographers' work and subconsciously judged and compared yourself.
You’ve felt FOMO after seeing photos of your friends grabbing drinks at a rooftop bar downtown while you were working two jobs.
You’re used to feeling stimulated by comparison, both in your personal and professional life.
This all starts to change when you’re able to log into Instagram for business purposes only. You’ll be able to eliminate so much of that subconscious and comparison and start to create boundaries for yourself and your photography business. This mindset shift is the foundation for productivity and will help you gain so much of your time back.
How to use social media as personal time to unplug
In 2020, I found myself overstimulated by work. In the mornings, on walks, and during breaks, I was listening to business-related podcasts instead of actually relaxing and giving my mind a break. The only time I was truly shutting off was during my night routine. Turns out, this kind of behavior was straight out of Photography Burnout for Dummies.
The key is balance. Most of the time, listening to a business podcast before you even start your day is a lot— it’s overstimulating.
I know that for some of us, early mornings and late evenings may be the only time we have to work on our business, but I still want you to take this piece of advice and apply it to your life.
I always felt like I had to be productive— whether that was listening to a podcast or reading an article that was adding to my skill set— but in the long run, all it left me was feeling drained and burned out in my business and personal life.
Combine that with social media usage and BAM, you see where this is going.
Here is one thing I’ve found that has *actually* enriched my life:
I’ve started listening to audiobooks instead of business-related podcasts. If you still want to feel like you are learning something, you could listen to a biography or autobiography, memoir, or historical fiction. Try implementing this into your morning routine, walks around the neighborhood, or commute to work.
Here’s what this all comes down to— the most productive thing that you can do is slowly detach yourself from your phone.
Let’s walk through some practical ways to do so, from easy to challenging:
1) Turn off social media notifications.
2) Delete any social media apps from your phone that you can easily access and use on a desktop computer.
With this step, I’m thinking about Twitter and Pinterest in particular. Chances are, you’re not on these quite as often as you are on Instagram and TikTok and they are easily accessed via desktop. So, delete them from your phone (bye, Felicia). If you’re feeling extra ambitious and are ready to go all in, I would recommend deleting Facebook as well.
3) Remove (don’t delete) Instagram from your home screen and your recent searches
In order to set this up, simply navigate to your settings app, find Siri & Search, and then scroll down until you find the Instagram app. Click Instagram and then you toggle off everything under “While Searching” and “Suggestions.” This now means that in order to open up Instagram, you’ll have to go into the app store, type in “Instagram” and click “open.”
This helps reduce that impulsive habit of opening up Instagram and scrolling because it’s now going to require a few more steps to even open up the app at all.
4) Turn off text message notifications in the morning and the evening
This way, the only time you are going to see your text message notifications is during the day when you are working.
5) Remove email from your phone
While this seems like the most unrealistic piece of advice on this list, listen up. If you aren’t able to remove all emails from your phone, remove your personal inbox or every inbox except your business one. I personally do not have email on my phone because it’s something I can easily access on the computer.
6) Sleep with your phone in another room
Instead of using your phone as your alarm, buy an old-school alarm clock. However, you might find that it’s easier to sleep with your phone next to you because you've deleted all your social media apps.
Routines
I recommend getting started by picking one or two steps and integrating them into your morning or evening routine. As an example, maybe one of those steps is to turn off text message notifications from your phone. Attaching these steps to part of your routine is essential because routines are formed in baby steps and they are so important for those working from home.
For me personally, I focus on having an evening routine because my morning varies so much. I also know that setting an unrealistic morning routine and not being able to fulfill it would cause a lot of self-criticism.
My evening routine helps me unwind from work and shut myself down for the night. Usually, my workday ends with cleaning off my desk and going to a workout class.
I remove my notebooks, pencils, hard drives, etc. but keep them close by so they’re easy to pull out the next day. I find that the physical act of cleaning off my desk helps me shut down for the workday.
Afterward, I go and change into my workout clothes, grab my water bottle that I've pre-filled, and go to a workout class. Obviously, working out is only one of many options. It can be as simple as taking a five-minute shower to decompress your body.
At this point in the evening, I’ve disconnected from my phone. I’ve done all I need to on Instagram, with text messages, etc.
It’s important to take physical action with your body in order to separate work from life. Because I’ve made this physical separation with my routine, it's easier for my brain to ease into unwinding and unplugging from my phone. I've also been able to recognize that my iPhone is simply a tool for my business.
3 Book Recommendations
This is a list of books I recommend rather than those business-related podcast episodes. Instead of having to buy the books, check out the free Libby app, sign up for a library card, and instantly borrow a huge selection of audiobooks and ebooks.
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
This is a great list of books to read or listen to instead of those business podcasts, but they will still 100% sharpen your skill set.
I know that was a lot, so take a deep breath with me. I believe in you and I believe in your photography business, and I’ll see you in my next blog post!
Resources:
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If you like what I teach on YouTube and in blog posts, chances are you'll love my Photography Business Basics course where I share the 8 essential steps to build your photography business and make it bloom. Start your business off on the right foot in a way that is *actually* clear, concise, and easy to understand. Learn more here!
