At the end of the day, I still have a lot of todos on my list…
Sounds familiar?
I have heard it many times. Photographers often have many ideas they want to pursue. Ideas for free creative photography work, ideas for blogs, ideas for new website themes or features, ideas for new products or type of shoots they want to offer, marketing ideas, sales promotion ideas… the list goes on and on.
But at the end of the day… time’s up!!
And all they did that day was respond to their to-do list with an editing of sessions, responding to emails, sending contracts and invoices… All the necessary stuff!
What if I told you there are hidden hours in the day that you can count on?
And what if there were some efficiency boosters that would decrease the amount of time spent on different tasks?
Last, what if you could actually spend time on new things?
So I present to you the 12 efficiency boosters for photographers. Try them on for size and let me know how you get along together!
Timer
First among the list of efficiency boosters is setting time. Do you know how much time it takes you to edit the images of one shoot? Or of one wedding? You probably have a rough idea.
Next time you sit down for an edit session, estimate how long you want to spend on it. And set a timer (I use the iPhone app Sand Timer since I like the visual reminder that time is passing) to be able to stay within that time.
Create a log of your tasks and timer records.
Next time you do the same task, try to get your time down. You will be surprised at how much faster you can do the same task now!
Beat yourself in your own efficiency game.
Break
Feeling sleepy after lunch? Or just not as motivated?
Try to take regular breaks. Some say working for 90 minutes in one sitting works, others do the Pomodoro technique and work 25 minutes with a 5-minute break. Do what works for you but do take breaks!
When you have walked around and looked around, your creative juices will flow more. You will easily get more done in less time with regular breaks. That’s why this is one of the efficiency boosters for photographers.
Here are some energizing ideas for your next break:
- do a handstand
- do a small yoga sequence
- throw balls like a jongleur
- breath and turn inward
- lay flat on the ground
- turn up the volume and dance
- run outside and take a portrait of the first person you see
- play an instrument
- take a nap (my favorite! I always set a timer for 10 minutes)
What’s your favorite break? Add it in the comment!
Snack
Check in with yourself. Are you thirsty? Hungry?
Right now when I’m typing this, I feel a dry throat… reality check ;-)
For the highest productivity and efficiency, make sure you give yourself the right snacks during the day.
Everything processed with sugar will give you a dip in energy. Stick with veggies, nuts, and other healthy stuff ;-)
And make it easy. On my desk is a big jar of raw nuts with coconut flakes.
Find
Today is a declutter day!
A huge efficiency win can be made by getting rid of clutter in your workplace and putting all your stuff where it belongs.
Golden rule: touch everything once.
Make a decision for each item:
- toss it
- archive it (find a good permanent place for it if you don’t have it already)
- take action on it (if the action takes longer than 2 minutes, put it in an action box)
You will save so much energy and time by knowing where everything is from now on!
Energy
You can create a routine, so it will not cost you too much energy to do certain things a certain way.
Let’s say, editing.
- If you get editing done more focused in the morning, decide to do all your edit work early in the morning.
- Pick the music that allows you to work with more focus (I like focusatwill).
- Put on headphones to block out distraction.
- Close your FB and email tabs (or better all unnecessary programs and browser).
- And then…. start.
By taking all the other steps first, you create a little routine for yourself that gets you in the mode of working without distraction to get it done, fast.
Share this blog with 3 people who take more than 4 hours to edit a wedding?
Todo
As a photographer, you have an endless list of todos. As soon as you are finished with one shoot, two more are underway.
One step forward, two steps back LOL.
- Don’t get overwhelmed with this fact of #photographylife.
- Make sure you have a system that tells you when you are done. So you will also enjoy your much deserved free time. That’s why you became a photographer right? The freedom to plan your work and free time in your own manner.
- So make sure you not only plan your work but also your free time.
ShootZilla is a tool that can help you with that. The easy indicators will tell you when your work is done!
Plan ahead
Efficient people plan ahead.
Whenever they have a bigger project ahead, they will take action like the steps below so it will become a reality.
When is your next big project like changing your website, doing a styled shoot or doing a giveaway on your blog?
- Make space today to plan it. Plan 30 minutes in your calendar to plan this project.
- Set a deadline when you would like to have it accomplished.
- Break it up into little tasks.
- Plan the tasks in your calendar.
- Commit to it.
It takes a little time, but now you are sure it is on your calendar and it will not be easily postponed till next month… ;-) Tell me in the comments, what great things are you planning?
Leverage
Take a critical look at your work. How much time do you spend on $10 an hour work? Like creating blog graphics or editing your blog post?
What could you accomplish if you spend that time on $100 an hour work, like:
- writing a few blog posts in advance
- planning out a marketing campaign
- getting out of the house or office and making new connections with vendors
How would that grow your business?
Try to focus on your higher leverage tasks and see if you can outsource your other work.
Improve
How many times did you get an extra question from your clients? Make it your highest priority to improve your systems to avoid getting that same question again.
You could solve the question by:
- adding extra information in your email templates
- creating an extra step in your workflow to give them a call
Being proactive towards your clients will make you look like the expert that you are in their eyes. Not to mention they will feel treated like VIPs since you always are a step ahead of them.
Do this for a few months and your business is running smoothly as can be and referrals will be pouring in.
Share the blog with 2 colleagues to start an improvement challenge. Improve something weekly and keep each other accountable.
One thing
Today make one thing a priority. What would you be most proud of if you have finished it today? Make that your number one thing for today.
We all think we are great at multitasking but getting Facebook or Insta alerts on your phone and web browser can be super distracting.
Turn that off when you focus on your one thing today.
Focus
When you constantly switch between tasks A, B, and C, you will take longer to finish A than when you first focus all your attention on A, then B, then C.
The extra benefit is that the quality of your work will be higher too.
Experiment with a single focus day and spend the hour that you finish earlier in the pub. Yay!
Or do an extra workout, or read a book, or take a bath, or… Netflix!! ;-)
Routine
One of the most important efficiency boosters is to create standard routines for things you do daily or regularly.
This will free up a lot of headspace since you don’t have to think about every step.
For example:
- When editing photos always, always keep the same order in how you do things.
- Don’t get sidetracked and start working on one particular image. Before you know it, you will be posting it as a sneak preview on Facebook and you are down the rabbit hole of distraction while the whole shoot still needs to be culled.
- Instead for example: Do culling first until you have the number of images that you want, and then touch every image only once. No going back and forth. In the end, look at the overview and check if your white balance and exposure are consistent throughout the series. Only adjust from grid mode.
- Done.
Want to be even more efficient?
Check out ShootZilla. Grow your business with fun and workflows!
These tips were shared on ShootZilla’s Instagram account in the month of April.
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