Setting Priorities & Managing Procrastination for Wedding Photographers
How to decide what to do and when to do it //
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Free Online Workshop: Book More Weddings in 2024 | Tuesday, February 13, 2024 at noon EST
As small business owners our responsibilities and to-dos at times feel endless. And to top it off, even if we have set goals and plans already put in place, at times external factors can lead us to reassess our priorities and change direction.
In this article, I will discuss how you can go about determining your priorities as a wedding photographer and I will provide a guideline to help you figure out which tasks you can postpone to a later date.
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 56
The word procrastinate usually has a negative connotation. We often associate it with laziness and a lack of motivation to do something. This may be true at times, but there are also circumstances when it is wise to push certain tasks or projects to a later date. In a previous article “The #1 Gamechanger Time-Saving Tip for Wedding Photographers“, I made a lot of references to the book by Rory Vaden “Procrastinate on Purpose – 5 Permissions to Multiply Your Time” (Amazon Affiliate Link). I spoke about how photographers can save time by using his principles. Today, I will touch on the value of procrastinating on purpose. Read his book to fully understand his concepts. I have just taken what I have learned in general and put it into context for wedding photographers.
First, I would like to start by talking about setting priorities as wedding photographers. We all have limited time and yet so much to do. And sometimes figuring out the right things to do right now can be overwhelming. Therefore, having a few guidelines can be helpful.
HOW TO DETERMINE WHAT TO PRIORITISE?
I. VALUES
Be clear on your values in life and business. Make sure that you don’t lose sight of what is most important to you. Allow your values to lead your decisions and include them in setting your priorities.
II. URGENCY
At times, there are things that need to be done within a given timeframe. For example, for those of us particularly living in Europe and North America, it is the high booking season right now for the summer months. It makes sense that we focus our attention on filling up our wedding calendar.
III. IMPACT
Assess what sort of impact completing the task will have on your business. For example, if something comes up that could negatively affect the experience your client is having, I would recommend taking care of it quickly.
HOW TO DETERMINE WHAT TO PROCRASTINATE?
I. NOT TIME-SENSITIVE
If we would let it, our to-do list can just keep on growing. It is important to filter-out the tasks that can wait and schedule them for a point in time when you have more capacity to get to them.
II. NO SIGNIFICANT CONSEQUENCES
In the same token, not doing some tasks may not result in such a negative outcome. For example, there may be updates to your website that you would like to do, but it is not a must at the moment.
III. NOT WORTH IT
Similar to the above point, there are some tasks that require way more effort in relation to the reward. If it is not worth it, don’t do it – or at least don’t do it when you are already busy.
HERE ARE THREE MAIN TAKEAWAYS
I. Regularly review and reassess your goals in order to set your priorities.
II. De-prioritize tasks when necessary in order to focus on your true priorities.
III. Always be adaptable and don’t feel bad when your priorities change.
Remember, you do not need to do everything in your business – there are a lot of things that you can either automate or delegate. To dive deeper into this topic, go back and listen to Episode 55. The #1 Gamechanger Time-Saving Tip for Wedding Photographers.
I would also like to take this time to invite you to a free online workshop that I am hosting alongside Leslie Vega, a very talented brand and web designer. It is called Book More Weddings in 2024. We already did one last year, and are back with another edition. I will be focusing on how you can generate more inquiries organically, particularly by leveraging SEO. And Leslie will talk about how you can optimize your website and brand for more inquiries. The link to sign-up is in the show note. It will take place via Zoom on Tuesday, February 13th at noon EST. It will go on for about an hour and we will open the floor for Q&A.
If you found this episode to be helpful, I would love for you to recommend it to a friend. And if you are feeling extra spicy, please hop on over to iTunes and write me a review. This will not only let me know that you are loving what I am putting out, but it will also help the show get discovered by other photographers.
If you have any questions or comments, just hit me up on Instagram @aidaglowik
Cheering you on,
Aida