Fight burnout & Learning to say no.
Raise your hand if you’re suffering from burnout.
The work-til-you-drop mindset is RAMPANT in the photography industry. That drive to get as many sessions as you can so you can label yourself successful is not where it's at, friends. It's high time we redefine success itself if we're sacrificing our wellbeing along the way. No amount of money, prestige, number of followers, and imagined Instagram fame will keep you from burnout, so we have to be careful how we use our time if we want our business to be successful long term.
Here are some ways to start:
1. Remove yourself from the job. Block off one day a week where you don't touch your email, your computer, your photos, or your correspondence. You're officially out of office, and you don't have to feel guilty for it!
2. It's okay to be picky! Don't take every session that comes your way. If someone is inquiring about the Friday after Thanksgiving...guess what? You don't HAVE to take that. If you want to be with family and friends and cozy at home, there is nothing stopping you from doing that except yourself. Tell the client that you're unavailable, and keep on rolling.
3. Create a schedule and then stick to it. Are you stuffing your weekend days with sessions and you're slowly going crazy from it? You can stop. Put boundaries on your time. Move your sessions to Saturday mornings instead of monopolizing your Saturday afternoons and evenings. Put a cap on how many sessions you'll take in a day.
4. Hold fast to your new boundaries. Remember that you control your own calendar, and you can be unavailable for a session anytime you want. If someone really wants to work with you, they'll wait until you ARE available.
Protect your sanity. Learn to say no. Create a culture within your own business of healthy busy-ness, not soulcrushing busy-ness.
