Look at your current schedule. Are you behind or overwhelmed by all your responsibilities? Do tasks keep appearing on your plate, creating business bottlenecks, and stopping you from focusing on success photography business items because you have no time to work on them? These business bottlenecks can range from administrative duties, to blogging, to email organization, to anything else which takes you too long to accomplish.
Success Photography Tips
How can you create a simple business workflow which allows you to accomplish more in less time, giving you more time for things you enjoy? In our Online Training: 10 Must-Have Business Hacks with Bryan Caporicci, he discussed simple tips to help you gain control of your life and take ownership of your time. Here are the top 5 tips for business workflow hacks to help you learn how to be a successful photographer who accomplishes your goals.
1. Become Aware of Time Spent
When you finish up a day of work, whether you spent your time adding artistic edits to your images or creating blog posts for your past weddings, have you ever felt like you accomplished nothing at all? Gaining awareness of what you are doing on a daily basis gives insight into tasks which are holding up your process. Bryan suggests interrupting automatic behaviors, such as checking your email on your phone when you first get up in the morning.
Tip: RescueTime is an app which monitors everything you do on your computer. At the end of the day, week, and month, the app will show you exactly what you are spending your time working on. When you are aware of the tasks where you should be spending your time, you can focus on more important tasks which help you increase the profit in your business.
2. Create Time Allotments for Tasks
Since you juggle the responsibilities of being the artist and the owner, there are multiple areas you must focus on within your business. Since it can be impossible to work on everything at once, dedicate allotted time to each area. When you are in shooting mode, work on shooting stunning images for your clients. If you are working on administrative tasks, focus on tasks within that area.
So you can get accurate benchmarks to allot your time, write down how long every task takes you. If blogging takes you 65 minutes, you know how much time you should place aside for a day of work in that area. Once you set time aside, and notice you may need more or less, make adjustments as necessary. This will help you find out how to become a successful photographer who spends your time on the most important areas of your business.
3. Place Priority on Important Tasks
In your business, there are always opportunities to meet a new vendor or client. New projects and tasks can also be distracting and take up more of your time. Because your time is limited, become selective about what projects you take on and which you say no to.
“No matter what you’re doing in your business, no matter what you’re saying yes to, you’re always saying no to something.” – Bryan Caporicci
One place to start in prioritizing is differentiating the time between your work and your personal life. When it is time for work, stay focused on your specific tasks for that day. Once work is over, and it is time to do things outside of your business, put the phone away. Delete your email app, or your project management app, and spend the time you have on what you love to do (outside of photography).
4. Outsource Non-Profit Generating Tasks
As you continue to grow your business, placing your focus on tasks that are profit-generating is a must. Outsourcing non-profit generating (or busy) tasks allows you to focus on what you do best. These tasks can include trusting a specialist to take care of your wedding photo editing or quickly designing your wedding albums.
With the time you get back from outsourcing your tasks, make that time count by focusing on profit-generating tasks. If you do not make use of the extra time you have in your schedule, outsourcing becomes an unnecessary expense. These are tips for running a photography business that can keep you focused on what matters most.
Related: One industry expert did 3 months’ worth of research to find the best photo editing service. Curious who came out on top? Read the in-depth review to find out!
5. Maintain Focus on One Task
When you are at your busiest, how many times do you try working on multiple projects at once? The problem with multi-tasking is it forces you to split your energy between projects, meaning you are only giving each task part of your time and focus. For you to fully commit to each project, create a distraction-free environment where only your time allotted activities can be worked on.
Tip: In addition to the successful photography business tips Brian provided, he also mentioned how music is a valuable resource for focus and productivity. Use the Focus@Will app, which features music created to help you stay focused and in the zone.
Say, for instance, you are in your administrative tasks and you are checking email. When you open an email that requires you to switch focuses, write down exactly what you need to do when you move over to that area of your business. Maintaining focus on one project at a time ensures you will work at your fastest and most efficiently.
To continue your education on how to effectively manage your business workflow, Bryan Caporicci has an all-in-one system specifically for photographers. Sprout Studio provides you with tools to help you eliminate busyness and streamline your photography business. Click here to learn more about redefining busy for your business.
When you utilize workflow hacks for your business, you take the steps to understand how to become a successful wedding photographer. Plus, you can spend less time on busy tasks which do not immediately increase your overall profit. Understanding exactly what projects you need to work on assists you in growing your business and reaching your goals each year. Find out how you can continue to implement hacks and systems into your business with our Guide, 27 Simple Hacks to Transform your Wedding Photography Business!
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