The #1 Gamechanger Time-Saving Tip for Wedding Photographers
Time-Management Tools for Wedding Photographers //
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Having a wedding photography business requires managing all aspects of running a small business, which often keeps photographers working overtime to keep up with all their to-dos. Therefore, any and all sorts of time-saving tools and techniques need to be considered to lighten the load so that you can enjoy your life and your business.
In this article, I will introduce you to a whole new way of looking at time-management and I will provide suggestions as to how you can make tweaks and changes to how you run your business.
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 55
I recently read a book by Rory Vaden, author of “Procrastinate on Purpose – 5 Permissions to Multiply Your Time” (Amazon Affiliate Link). Even though this book came out a few years ago, the concepts are very much relevant today. What he is saying is not necessarily revolutionary, but he has explained it and built a framework around it which makes it revolutionary.
What I have done is taken his principles and insights, and made it applicable to wedding photographers.
If you are at all familiar with my content, I am usually sharing what I have learned about productivity strategies with you as a way to reduce the overwhelm that comes along with doing life, building a brand and running a business.
Mostly the focus is on learning how to prioritize important tasks and becoming more efficient.
Rory argues that these approaches do not create more time! And the good news is, we are able to actually create more free time in our lives!! So let’s get into it!
So, often when we tackle our to-do list, we think about what needs to be done first, what is urgent? Or how important is it?
Rory encourages us to think about the Significance of the task in terms of how long does it matter? By investing time today in doing something, will it be able to save us more time tomorrow, and the day after etc? That is how we should approach time-saving opportunities!
In his words “You multiply your time by spending time on things today that will give you more time tomorrow.”
He has also created The Focus Funnel that comprises three main parts: Eliminate, Automate and Delegate. I won’t go into too much detail here, and I encourage you to read the book to dive deeper into his concepts.
1. ELIMINATE
It is important for us as wedding photographers and small business owners to think about what we can eliminate from our to-do list. So basically, we need to find out what we need to stop doing.
As Rory puts it, “If we multiply our time by spending time on things today that will create more time tomorrow, then there isn’t a faster way to create more margin tomorrow than spending our time today just wiping out, deleting or removing some of the things that we’re involved in that we would be doing tomorrow.”
The trick is to focus on the results. Because as Rory explains it “Sometimes we engage in completing trivial tasks just to satisfy our need to feel accomplishment. Those are the first sets of activities that we can get rid of.”
AS WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS, WHAT CAN WE STOP DOING?
I. STOP pursuing busy work
In other words, stop engaging in low-value work that doesn’t move the needle in your business. Find out which tasks you are spending an unreasonable amount of time on which can otherwise be streamlined or left not done.
For example, if you are always creating a unique and complex digital file structure for every single photo shoot, create a repeatable, simple system once – this way, you will not constantly be wasting your time.
And while we are at it, you should stop constantly multitasking when the work you are doing needs your undivided attention – or as Rory puts it, avoid intermittent change between activities. This goes to encourage focused work and batch-working (which I have talked a lot about in previous episodes).
II. STOP reinventing the wheel
Find those repeatable tasks and create templates, guides and even presets for them. You can always personalize them when necessary, but by doing this, it not only saves you time, but helps you avoid mistakes and stay on brand.
Templates
Quotes/proposals, contracts, invoices, client communication/emails etc…
Guides
Wedding Guide, Engagement Session Guide, Pricing Guide, Location Guide, Album Design Guide etc…
Custom profiles
And nowadays, beyond using your presets, you can use AI softwares to help edit your images.
I personally use Aftershoot and whole-heartedly recommend it. You can create custom profiles, which is pretty much the way you edit using your presets, and then run your raw images to get not only edited, but also culled through the program.
And since how we edit changes a little bit depending on the location, light and time of year, you are able to create various custom profiles and use them as needed.
Aftershoot: You can get 15% off a paid plan when you use my affiliate code AIDAGLOWIK and link: https://aftershoot.com/friends/?ref=aidaglowik
III. STOP always saying YES
Resist the temptation to always say yes to everything that comes across your desk. Be discerning about opportunities that are aligned with your goals. This is a tricky one, especially if you are a people-pleaser. I personally have come to learn that by saying no to unimportant things today, I am able to say yes to important things tomorrow.
2. AUTOMATE
Technology enables us to automate so many tasks instead of having to do them manually. I am an advocate of taking advantage of softwares and apps that help us save time and energy.
Rory explains that “Every moment that passes that you don’t automate something that could be, you are exponentially losing future time.”
AS WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS, WHAT SORTS OF AUTOMATION CAN WE SET UP?
I. Set up a CRM Program
A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) allows you to use software for the entire client journey including: client communication, appointment scheduling, managing contracts and invoices, as well as handling payment reminders.
There are advanced CRM programs on the market like Dubsado and HoneyBook.
Or a more simplified version like the one offered by the Unscripted – it is not only a posing and prompting app, but also has a full client management system integrated in it. And they also have launched a web platform.
Unscripted: You can get $20 off a paid plan when you use my affiliate code AIDA20.
II. Set up an All-in-One Solution for delivering images and selling prints
Once you have digitally delivered a wedding gallery to your clients, it makes sense making the process of selling prints (including albums) as simple and frictionless as possible.
I personally use Pic-Time, which is fantastic for setting up a sales automation system which enables you to create online marketing campaigns. And since it has a print store connected to the gallery, it gives your clients the option to order by themselves.
Pic-Time: You can earn 1 month free when you upgrade to a paid plan when you use my affiliate code AIDA.
III. Set up social media scheduling
If you feel like you are spending way too much time posting on social media, think about batch-working your social media posts for two-weeks or a month at a time, and then schedule them to get posted.
Yes, there are third-party apps, like Hootsuite, that you can use to plan your content and schedule your posts, but there are rumors that these social media apps prefer it when you use their integrated scheduling systems.
Scheduling your posts is also beneficial because it enables you to become more consistent and you are able to select the optimal time for your posts to go live, which helps with the algorithm. Use your analytics to see which time of day you usually get the most engagement on your posts.
3. DELEGATE
Are there aspects of our business that you can hand off to someone else?
I know that delegating is hard and many of us feel a resistance towards it.
Rory points out that the main two reasons people are hesitant to delegate or outsource is because of money and perfectionism. I personally want to add one more thing to the list: privacy! If you feel this way, you are not alone. But if you are able to overcome these hurdles, let’s look at which areas of your business and personal life you can get some external help with.
AS WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS, WHO CAN WE HIRE?
I. Hire people for your business
E.g. VA / Assistant, accountant, bookkeeper, editor, social media manager etc…
II. Hire people for your personal life
E.g. House cleaner, gardener, grocery shopper
III. Hire a business coach/mentor
This one is an eye-opener! I absolutely love how Rory explains that it allows you to: learn from their mistakes, profit from the time they took to filter through the most valuable personal development content, have someone to hold you accountable and push you to the next level; as well as use their advice to help you avoid doing something foolish.
Wow! I hope that you got some really valuable insights from today’s article!
My advice to you is to set aside time to audit your business to figure out which tasks you can eliminate, automate and delegate! It is definitely going to be worth your time – and I think that it is fair to say that your future self will thank you!!
If you have any questions or comments, just hit me up on Instagram @aidaglowik
Cheering you on,
Aida