Right now, many of you photographers are right in the thick of busy season. Especially here in the Midwest, October is to photographers what April is to accountants. Between shoots, editing, social media, email… it’s easy to feel stretched thin. If you’re finding yourself feeling overworked and praying for the day that Thanksgiving gets here, you might be experiencing burnout. It happens to the all of us at one point or another. Here are five ways that you can combat those “not-into-it” feelings and give yourself a reset.
- Visualization – Finding yourself in a funk and that nothing feels fresh or creative? Give yourself time before each shoot to pre visualize how you want it to go. Create a map in your mind of where you would like to go during your shoot and give yourself space to try something new once you’ve gotten what you need. Finding a way to incorporate something new and exciting will keep the sessions fresh for you.
- Mindset – If you find yourself dreading heading out the door to shoot, find a new ritual to take a few minutes and set your mind before you go. It could be sitting down with a cup of coffee before you go or taking a quick walk around the block to get your blood flowing. Setting your mind to a place of happiness before you go will help you be more excited during your session.
- Outsource – Trying to do everything in both work and personal life is a guaranteed way to feeling overwhelmed. Whether its your editing, getting an intern to do blogging, house cleaning, grocery shopping, meal prep service, having someone watch the kids for a few hours so you can focus during the day… Find ways to outsource tasks so that you don’t have to do it all. You can always take on tasks again once busy season is over.
- Organization – This is a big way that you can start to take some of the stress out of your business. If you’re finding yourself forgetting tasks or losing track of what needs done next, you need a system. Try out a studio management program to help you keep track of everyday tasks and automate some of those things that take up your time: sending welcome packets, preparation pdfs, session reminders, etc. Iris Works can help you handle those tasks, and you can try it free for 30 days!
- Boundaries – Set a work schedule for yourself. Don’t stress yourself out by working into the wee hours of the night. Set expectations with your clients up front. When you tell them your typical turn around time, give yourself wiggle room so that you can under promise and over deliver without putting too much pressure on yourself.
- Find Inspiration – Whether it’s taking time to do a personal project or grabbing coffee with local friends to see what’s getting their creative juices flowing, find a way to bring inspiration to yourself. Read a book, take an quick online class… These are things that don’t necessarily have to take up much of your time, but can make a huge impact on helping your reset your creativity and push yourself again.
What’s are you doing to help combat the busy season burnout? Do you have a favorite thing to do to bring inspiration back to your work or a way to save yourself time? Let us know in the comments below!
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