It’s funny that being self employed usually gives this impression of freedom, working the hours that you wish, having lots of spare time, eating out with the girls and spending time with family.
However for me the reality has sometimes been quite different.. don’t get me wrong I absolutely love what I do and I really wouldn’t change it for anything.. but I have decided that I need to make some changes here and there.
My diary has always been a little crazy as I photograph newborn babies, and as we all know they will make an appearance when they are ready.. and so this means that I have to be very flexible and have room to change session dates around if needed. Unfortunately this does mean that my days off are often now spent working.
Over the next couple of weeks I will be sitting down and working out exactly what hours and days I am going to work, and which days are going to be spent catching up on other things and time with family.
The way that my working hours have been so up and down is purely down to me.. this is no one else’s fault.
But it is because of the passion that I have, that I have not been able to switch off at night, constantly writing notes as ideas come into my mind, editing through to the early hours of the morning.. and I need a little bit more organisation in my life to have dedicated time for work and dedicated time for fun.
The evenings that I’d usually spend with my husband in the past are now spent with my face in my laptop, the days where I should be marketing and catching up on admin are spent shooting, and the days where I’d usually see friends are now spent editing.
I’d like my diary to look a little more organised like this:
Monday 10am - 6pm
Shoot & Edit
Tuesday 10am - 6pm
Shoot & Edit
Wednesday 10am - 6pm
Shoot & Edit
Thursday 10am - 6pm
Shoot & Admin
Friday 10am - 6pm
Admin & Marketing
Saturday
Time with family & friends
Sunday
Time with family & friends
This way when I am working I can focus, and then when I have had a couple of days rest I can come back on the Monday ready and refreshed.
Delivering an amazing service and beautiful images to my customers from start to finish has always been my main goal.. however I am still human and need time to come up for air.. it has just taken me a while to realise that I can have both 😊
Being self employed is an amazing thing and I am so lucky to love what I do.. and it is possible to get the best out of both worlds.
If you have a business and feel that you spend every minute of the day working then you too need to set yourself some time to fix that diary and get a good schedule going. Finding this balance can be very difficult but it is very necessary for both you and your business.
Annie x
Photo sessions covering Bagshot, Camberley, Frimley, Aldershot, Farnham, Farnborough, Bracknell, Egham, Windsor, Reading, Guildford and other surrounding areas.