Having a Routine

Four months ago, I moved into photography as my full-time profession. While it’s been a great experience (and slightly scary with the slow winter season), it’s been difficult to keep a regular and consistent schedule. Days have gotten somewhat lopsided, which has been inevitable, due somewhat long travel times and random hours of events or sessions.

Additionally, I find it hard as a night owl, to wake up early. I wake up with my wife very early in the morning and keep her company before she goes to work. However, after she leaves, and if there’s not work that requires immediate attention, it’s easy to catch up on some more sleep and lose hours of productivity. While I could make up for the lost productivity by working late in the evenings (which I often do), I’d rather spend that time with my wife, and also my future daughter~

On days I don’t have paid photography sessions, it’s important for me to stay productive. Blogging, exercising, tutoring, and writing a book has been what I spend most of my days doing if I’m not shooting photography. However, I’ve decided it’s time to make a schedule for myself in order to maximize what I can get out of everyday. While every day isn’t wasted, it sure could get put to better use. It’s amazing to think about how much time we waste when we don’t put a time frame on our activities.

I usually hate schedules and planning. I like to keep my time flexible and allow myself to do more of what I “feel like doing.” While it sounds like a better idea internally, it rarely produces good results. We can’t wait and sit around for motivation to come to us before we begin something. Sometimes we just need to make that step forward. Creating a schedule in which you allow yourself to do something for a certain amount of time allows for productivity.

When I made my schedule, I decided to prioritize what the most important things are in my life and also think about long term goals. Then I began to think about what small amount I could do everyday in order to make those things happen for long-term results. Goals are much less scary and intimidating when we break them into small, consistent daily activities. We allow ourselves to become better without overwhelming ourselves.

It’s amazing how much progress you can make by putting in just 30 minutes to an hour everyday towards an activity. It’s great to start with one goal – success brings and an appetite for more success. Get the ball rolling and start exploring your talents.

Having a definite goal in mind is not always possible, but it is extremely helpful is having the satisfaction of reaching a definite endpoint. “I want to learn how to play my favorite song on the guitar” is more effective and obtainable than saying “I want to be better on the guitar.” The more details, the better!

For further related reading, please check out: Nerves When Starting Something New.