It’s a big word on my dream board for this year – Balance!
There are things that give you energy and there are things that are requiring a bit more effort. Now why they are requiring more effort is a whole other story and we will leave that for another time. But you want to achieve your goals, so you still want to do those things even if they require effort.
To keep yourself from running low on energy, try to balance those activities in your days and weeks. Know which activities recharge you and which activities drain your energy.
How to find out the activities that give you energy
If you have no idea, start here:
☑Have a notepad where you work.
☑ After each thing you do, write down a number between 1 and 10 on how you feel. 1 being exhausted & drained, 10 being on top of the world energized.
☑Also, list every morning how much you slept and take note of what you eat and drink… you will quickly see a correlation there ;-)
☑After 30 days, review your list. This will give you huge insights into the things that come more naturally to you. The things that require less effort and the things that drain you. Reflect back on your activities, were you procrastinating on some of the activities? Were there activities that totally recharged you? i.e. working out or meditation?
☑Make an action plan for next month. See if you can outsource some draining activities and plan for a good balance of the other activities. Plan your recharging activities as well.
Not enough to create balance? Are you still wondering how else to balance your work life and personal life? Here are 8 more tips to find and create balance in your life.
Unplug
How many times do you check your phone in the evening? Feels like you can’t turn it off because you are a business owner? Try this balancing tip:
– Set up an autoresponder that your clients get when they inquire about your services through your website. They will get a response and know you have received their request. You can honor your free time by answering in the morning.
A lot of website forms like the WordPress plugin Contact Form 7 and many more offer this possibility.
Daily
Rethink your daily activities. Which ones give you joy? Which ones do you hate so much? Try to rebalance those. Maybe you can barter with your partner or neighbor. You do the shopping and he does the cooking? Or you do the cooking while they babysit your kid during that time. That might be a huge win-win. Cooking without anyone around to distract me is one of my joys. I would happily cook for more people in exchange.
Say ‘No’
If you don’t want to do something, say ‘no’ for a change. See what happens.
Focus your time and energy on the things that you value the most in order to be the best person you can be.
It may sound selfish, but if we can’t take care of ourselves, how can we ever take care of someone else?
Self Care
How often do you make real self-care a priority? Like exercise, meditation, sleep, or healthy eating? We always stress about taking care of our client’s needs, but a lot of people are not making their own self-care needs a priority.
Prioritize your daily moment of self-care, here are some ideas to plan in your day:
– 10 min meditation, listening to sounds and your breathing
– take a walk outside, actively noticing your surroundings
– 7-min workout (lots of apps for that)
– increase your sleeping hours if needed
– take time to prepare a healthy lunch, or prepare some lunches ahead of time
– drink 2 liters of water a day
– go for a run when it is sunny outside
– guided meditation with the @headspace app or the Insight timer app.
– take a nap during the daytime, set your timer for 15 minutes
– practice your handstand and send me the pictures ;-) I’ll send you my efforts back.
Incorporate as many as you can in your daily schedule and watch how your productivity and mood improve!
Begin
Want to get more balance in your life by meditating or working out? Start small and make it consistent.
Meditating 5 minutes a day is great if you can keep at it for 30 days. It will be so much easier to build on something once you made it a habit. You can make the time longer and longer as soon as it no longer requires effort to start!
Just begin today. If meditating for 10 minutes scares you, start with 5 or even 1 minute. Just begin.
Free Time
Do you ever give yourself a planned day off?
There is nothing so unrewarding as finding yourself procrastinating and distracting yourself throughout the day and feeling like you haven’t accomplished anything. Makes you feel guilty (not necessary!!) and not deserving of free time.
However, maybe it is a sign you need a real day off. Reward yourself regularly by planning the day off. Invite friends for coffee, or shopping, or watching Netflix during the day, or just spend it all by yourself. Whatever is your way to recharge.
You will notice that you are more productive the rest of the week, and you will enjoy this day so much more than the days were you unintentionally did nothing!
To help you start your free day straight away, why don’t you check out ShootZilla? By subscribing to ShootZilla services, you will have more free time for yourself and your loved ones.
Unplug Pt. 2
Ever had an unplugged weekend?
If you think that is not possible, you should definitely try it. You will suddenly appreciate the little things so much more.
If you want to be available for emergencies, give your phone to someone you trust to keep an eye on it. Maybe even switch phones with your partner. Glancing at your partner’s phone is not nearly as satisfying as your own. ;-)
Let go
Sometimes enough is enough. Ever heard of the 80-20 rule? 80% of the time is spent on 20% of the work. For photographers who have a tendency to be perfectionists, that can be tough. However, remember that your clients will not see the difference between your 80% and your 100%. Finish editing that photoshoot now! ;-)
Let go of perfectionism and get things done faster!
Want to know how to maximize the balance in your life?
Check out ShootZilla. Grow your business with fun and workflows!
These tips were shared on ShootZilla’s Instagram account in the month of June. Follow us on Instagram for daily tips for photographers!