3 Game Changer Productivity Hacks for Wedding Photographers
Productivity Tips for Wedding Photographers //
Are you struggling to get all your to-dos done in a timely, effective and efficient manner? Constantly lagging behind can leave you feeling depleted and unmotivated. If this is you, you need to remember that it is not because you are lazy, it is most likely because you don’t have the proper systems and techniques in place to help you become more productive.
Hi, I am Aida, host of My Wedding Season -The Podcast!
If you prefer listening, this blog post is also available in audio format on my podcast: Episode 22.
If you scour the internet, there are a ton of productivity tips available. What I want to share with you are 3 game changer tips that helped me tremendously and hope that they will do the same for you:
1. FIGURE OUT YOUR PEAK PRODUCTIVITY TIMES
We are all built differently. Some of us are night-owls and some of us are early-birds. The time of day that we work best varies, and if your lifestyle allows it, respecting your biological make-up will benefit you tremendously. What you don’t want to do is waste your peak-time of the day doing work that does not need much concentration – directing this energy to doing deep work that requires focus makes you more productive.
And for those who menstruate, this is another major factor to take into consideration. You might be asking yourself, what do periods have to do with productivity – and the answer is a lot.
I want to point your attention towards the results of a study published in 2019 “Productivity loss due menstruation-related symptoms” by a number of researchers. As written on the BMJ website (a global health care knowledge provider), the researchers found that “Menstrual period symptoms may be linked to nearly nine days of lost productivity every year through presenteeism.”
There is an insightful article “How to Strategically Use Your Menstrual Cycle to Boost Your Productivity” by Create & Cultivate. They start off by explaining that “Throughout the four menstrual phases, our bodies experience energy shifts, mood changes, and even different levels of creativity and cognition. Understanding these changes allows you to be empowered and in charge, rather than a victim.”
I won’t go into much detail, but it is important to note that there are four distinct phases of the menstrual cycle. I will shortly outline what they are and their implications based on the article by Healthline “How to Work with Your Period, Not Against It”:
Phase 1 (Menstruation, 3 – 7 days): This phase is from the beginning of bleeding until the end of bleeding. During this time, all the hormone levels are low, making productivity levels at the lowest.
Phase 2 (Follicular Phase, 11 – 27 days): This phase starts as soon as bleeding stops. There is a sharp rise in progesterone and estrogen – testosterone may rise at the end of this phase. This results in heightened energy levels making it a good time to work on creative projects and solve complex tasks.
Phase 3 (Ovulation Phase, approx. 24 hours): This occurs in the middle of your cycle. There are high levels of estrogen and testosterone. This makes you feel more energetic and proactive. This is a great time to schedule meetings or work in groups.
Phase 4 (Luteal Phase, 12 – 14 days): This occurs when the egg is not fertilized. Both estrogen and progesterone levels rise. You will feel more calm and less productive during this time. This is an ideal time to focus on self-care and reducing your workload. It is recommended that you focus on solo tasks and more administrative work.
2. EMPLOY BATCH WORKING TECHNIQUES
Setting aside time to do similar tasks at once is the pinnacle of productivity. This way, you are in the right headspace to focus on that specific topic, making you very efficient. The truth is, multi-tasking is a myth – focused work, where you dedicate your full-attention to the task in front of you is a skill worth developing.
I was first introduced to this concept by Jenna Kutcher, host of the Goal Digger Podcast. This is what she writes on one of her blog posts ”Batch working is highly-focused, topic-specific forms of working… It is dividing your workflow into different days/hours of ONE TOPIC instead of jumping around from task to task.” She further explains the benefits of batch working, which include: efficiency, helps create mental clarity, and gets rid of the feeling of always being behind. Head on over to her blog post to read in detail. She also provides a break-down of how she gets it done!
Another person who has nailed down the art of batch working is Tim Ferris, best known for his book “The 4-Hour Work Week”. In a YouTube video, he talks about the frequency of batching and categorizes them into daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly basis. He doesn’t recommend trying all of these at once, but rather start with trying out 1 or 2 approaches. He provides a couple of examples:
- On a daily basis, you can break-up the day into two sections: doing creative work in the morning, and then after lunch focus on administrative tasks.
- On a weekly basis, you can assign a theme to each day: e.g. a day dedicated to administrative tasks, and another day dedicated to marketing.
3. USE PROJECT MANAGEMENT TOOLS AND/OR PLANNERS
Over the years I have tried out several project management tools – they all have their benefits and downsides. For the past year, I have been using Asana, and personally this is the best one for me. I am not at all affiliated with Asana and this is not sponsored. I have just come to love how versatile Asana is. It allows me to have an overview of all my project and track them in whichever way I see fit: whether it is using boards (similar to Trello), using a checklist, or mapping them out on a calendar. They have many more features that I yet have to explore.
In conjunction with Asana I also love planners! Planners are great for having an overview of your to-dos, getting organized and improving your time-management skills.
A couple of years ago, I decided to design my own planner (My Wedding Season Planner) after searching without no avail for a planner that is tailor-made to suit the needs of wedding photographers. At the time, I created a physical planner that I got professionally printed and even started selling in my online shop within Europe. But as we all know, the pandemic hit and I put it on hold. I have now started to create a digital planner which I will be making available soon – hopefully it will be ready latest by the end of this quarter. And guess what, this 2022 version of the planner will be made available completely free! To be notified as soon as it is available, all you need to do is sign-up for my newsletter!
I am pouring my heart, time and energy into making sure that this digital planner is going to meet your needs as a wedding photographer! The main focus is to help you become organized, save time and reduce stress. It will help you stay on top of your client work, which will ultimately enhance your client experience. And furthermore, you can keep track of your goals to make sure that you are sticking to them throughout the year. You can find out more details about the planner by clicking over to: www.wedding-photography-podcast.com/planner
Well that’s all I have for you today! I really hope that there was at least one lightbulb moment that is going to help you become more productive moving forward.
If you have any questions or comments, just hit me up on Instagram @aidaglowik
Cheering you on,
Aida