Photography and Time - There's NEVER Enough!

© Elnur

​As time winds down for 2017, it's the perfect topic. Most of you have been flat out for the last few weeks dealing with the one period of real seasonality each year in imaging - the fourth quarter.

For the most part, things should be starting to slow down, and it's time to get a little balance back in your life as a business owner. Time is your most valuable commodity, and once it's gone you never get it back - so let's stop wasting it worrying about things out of your control.

Knowing no matter what you do, you're just one person and only have 24 hours in a day and seven days a week, it's time to stop killing yourself trying to multi-task. So many of us take on more than we can do and we're missing all the moments to  "smell the roses."

Here's a prime example: Years ago I realized I was becoming a slave to social media. In fact, I didn't take a real vacation and entirely unplug for over three years. We'd take long weekends here and there but never an actual vacation to fully recharge!

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Even when we were away, I spent too much time worrying about things. I was always haunted by the monkey on my back - all the things I wanted to get done. Some were procrastination projects I kept on my list while others were deadline events in the queue. As much as I write about the importance of recognizing the signs of "C&B" (Crash & Burn), I was forgetting, just like you, I'm only one person and can only do so much before I implode.

So, this morning's blog is as much personal therapy for me as it is a reminder for you. It's the day after the long Christmas weekend, and I've got a lot I want to get done. Stepping entirely away from technology I've got a good old-fashioned hand-written piece of paper with the things I want to get done today. I'm going to make it simple, and knock them off one at a time and celebrate when the "whistle" blows at the end of the day, even if I'm not done.

There's a great piece of advice a lot of people claim to have been told by a mentor about paperwork before the Internet, "Touch each piece of paper that comes across your desk only once - make the decisions it requires you to do and then move on."  Well, none of us deal in paper anymore, but it applies to every email, tweet, facebook friend, etc.  Read them once, decide on the course of action, respond and move on!

And, for those of you, like me, who often feel overwhelmed about not having enough time to get the things done you want and spend too much time worrying about it:

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"You can't change the past, but you can ruin the present by worrying about the future!"
Anon

​It's the last week of the year, and it's a short one. Make your list of what you want to accomplish and at the end of the day, give yourself a pat on the back for whatever you've finished. Send that "monkey on your back" packing and merely appreciate everything you're doing to build your reputation. A new year is just around the corner. Get ready to greet it with open arms, and recognize you're a year wiser as a business owner! What a kick!