As both a photographer and a mom, you may feel pressure to “do it all.” You attempt to keep up with all the hard work that goes into building a photography business while being fully present with your family. Finding that balance is not always easy, but below is some advice to help you discover yours.
Top Tips for Finding Your Balance
Learn To Set Boundaries
Some find the idea of setting boundaries with both their clients and family scary or harsh. But boundaries are not rude. They are put into place to protect your time, energy, and sanity while cutting down on guilt. They will help you reach your goals for your photography business.
One helpful boundary you can try is setting specific hours for work and family and not letting them cross. When you are in work mode, your family should know not to interrupt your flow. When you’re spending time with family, you should manage the expectations of your clients that you are off the clock and will respond to any messages when you return to work.
Remember to block time in your calendar for holidays and special events with your family and friends. When the busy season arrives, you don’t want to be scheduling photography sessions over a family wedding or your kid’s holiday concert. Mark off dates as soon as you know about them to avoid missing out.
Schedule Tasks And Stick To It
All mothers are multitaskers. However, multitasking mom duties while running your photography business may lead to you getting less done and feeling more overwhelmed. Avoid multitasking by creating a schedule that prioritizes tasks and allows enough time for each.
Having a set schedule or even a daily to-do list to check off can add structure to your day and make you feel more accomplished. If your children have regular daily or weekly activities where they will not need your attention, try to take advantage of that time. Assigning specific tasks to certain days may be helpful to make it easier to remember. For example, say Tuesdays and Thursdays are for editing, while Mondays are for marketing your photography business.
Unplug During The Off Hours
When you’re with your family and not working on your photography business, schedule some time to put the phone away and unplug. This rule does not mean you can’t enjoy some downtime on your phone when you’re not at work, but try setting aside time to stay off social media and avoid checking messages.
Think about making unplugged family time a regular event. This time can be over dinners together, regular movie or game nights, or simply reconnecting before bed.
Start Delegating
The truth is, you don’t have to do it all. As a mom and small business owner, outsourcing and delegating tasks can make both your work and home life much easier. Consider outsourcing the tasks you struggle with or those you don’t enjoy as much. You can hire professionals to take over accounting, social media marketing, or web design. This decision will allow you to focus your time and energy on the big-picture tasks and to have more time with your family.
If you look at your regular workload, both at home and for your business, and find that you enjoy handling everything related to your photography business, consider outsourcing other responsibilities in your life. For example, you could hire someone to clean your house. Or, if grocery shopping is a chore you dread, consider grocery delivery instead. You can hire a babysitter a few hours a week to free up more time.
To cut down on the tasks you don’t enjoy handling, you can often find someone willing to trade their services, such as childcare or cleaning, for your photography skills. You get to focus on your fulfilling work without the cash outlay.
Find Your Community
Having a supportive network of people around you can help prop you up when things get tough or overwhelming. Balancing a photography business with parenting is a lot of work. No matter where your business is, whether just starting or growing, there will be times when you feel the struggle.
While family and friends can be helpful and supportive, reaching out to other creative professionals who understand the challenges of running a business while caring for children is also important. Consider joining local networking events, online groups, and social media pages. Or sign up for educational programs such as a workshop or photography business course to find your people. Continue reading about the importance of finding your community and some more tips here.
Don’t Forget About You
Be careful not to focus all your energy on your business and children. You are also important. While it can be challenging for moms, ignoring self-care can lead to burnout.
Self-care looks different for everyone. Think about the things that make you happy and recharge your battery. You may need a solo walk around the block, a Netflix binge, or a weekend away once in a while. You, your photography business, and your family will all benefit when you invest in yourself.
As a mother and a photography business owner, there is always much to juggle. While it can be overwhelming, by setting boundaries, creating and sticking to a schedule, delegating tasks, leaning on your community, and taking care of yourself, you can manage the workload better and hopefully still have time to breathe. Like most things, “doing it all” is about finding the right balance that works for you.