Balance is hard!

I want to do all the things and accomplish all the goals, but it ain’t easy. Balance is the key to a healthy, happy life. I’m trying to work on my balance. So I established some rules and found some tools to help me B A L A N C E.

December 16, 2017 was the best day of my life because Trevor became my husband. We said the vows, took the pictures, cut the cake and danced the night away (literally) thanks to DJ Sal for KILLING IT with the jams. We stopped for Taco Bell before heading to the hotel, and took off for Hawaii the next day. It was the most perfect day!

One of the things we talked about a lot even before we were married, was how I was going to start balancing both my jobs and our relationship, because I literally work ALL. THE. TIME. When I was single and my business was newer, I didn’t have much to balance because I wasn’t so busy, and you know, I was living the single life so I only had to worry about me and Fitz. (If you don’t know who Fitz is, go follow me on Instagram because he frequently pops up in my stories)

Balance wasn’t a priority when I only booked one or two sessions a month because that was totally do-able without feeling overwhelmed. Now, I’m booked out 3-4 months in advanced I’ve got sessions coming out my ears. Ok, not really, but it’s a lot to take on while still holding down a full time job. I work during the day and when I get home. When I’m not at the office, I’m at home editing pictures, or taking pictures. When I’m at work, I’m working, e-mailing, planning safety training, prepping for food safety audits (and occasionally day dreaming about things I can do for my business – don’t tell my boss). I work work work, and forget to make time for anything else. I love both my jobs, I love my husband, but if I don’t actually schedule free time, I won’t have any time that’s free. I struggle with balancing things, which is why I’m sharing this with you today.

I like being busy – most of the time. But this fall, I have one free weekend. August 11 through November 18. ONE. FREE. WEEKEND. And really, it’s not totally free because I have an engagement session that Sunday.

I know, I know – you made the schedule Megan, it’s your own fault you’re so busy. I get it, so that’s why I’ve decided to make some decisions to prioritize my family, (Fitz) and my health.

I started implementing many of them earlier in the year to help me with balancing life, work and marriage. I made these decisions because I want to work smarter, not harder. Although apparently everyone wanted to get married between August and November, so those weekends are pretty packed! Haha!

 

 

Two Weekends a Month

When it’s not the busy wedding season, I book sessions two weekends a month. That’s it. All my sessions will fit into those two weekends. Slots fill quicker, but I have to make some time for my husband, our fur babies and my family and friends. That does’t mean I’m not working the other weekends during the month, because those weekends are usually reserved for my family, and finishing edits, delivering galleries, replying to e-mails, scheduling blog posts, and everything else I have to do for my business.

 

Sundays Only

For general sessions, because my Saturdays are typically booked with weddings, Sundays are the weekend days I reserve for regular sessions. Since I only book 2 weekends a month, those days book quickly, and I typically book 3 months out for regular sessions. Sundays are usually the days Trevor and I run errands, get groceries, wash the cars or clean up around the house. Sometimes they’re our day to relax at home with Colt (he loves having his people at home with him all day). Or it’s the day we go see my parents or visit my in-laws.

 

Honeybook

I’m sure you’ve heard me mention over on the gram that Honeybook has changed the game for me. In the past 9 months, I’ve more than tripled my photography income while working LESS and providing a smoother experience for my clients. I can keep track of all our e-mails, send contracts, collect payments, send files, e-mail pre-session questionnaires, and set up automated e-mails for each specific session so you never miss a detail or forget something.

This is my first year with Honeybook, and I have to say, I am so impressed. It’s literally saved me so much time, and is worth the investment. As creative business owners, we fight tooth and nail to encourage clients to see the value in our work. Why not apply the same principle to your own business investments? And guess what! For my friends, Honeybook is offering a FREE trial and 50% off your first years subscription.

 

Summer Week Nights

During the summer time, we have so much daylight to work with and it’s so much fun! Yeah, ok the heat kinda sucks sometimes, but it’s SUMMER! So during the summer, I opened up my schedule for sessions after work. Some sessions were boudoir sessions at the studio, others were making mud pies down by the river. Summer week nights were an awesome way to continue booking clients, while offering a discount to my normal rates since the weekdays are typically less in demand, so I can offer these awesome deals for my clients.

If you’re interested in booking a Summer Nights session, I have decided to extend them through September. Contact me for details!

 

Dinners with SunBasket

I recently signed up with Sun Basket because I was looking for Paelo recipes that were easy. I actually think I straight up googled “Easy Paleo Meals” and Sun Basket popped up. I had tried a couple other meal delivery services but the amount of packaging that was used to ship them and keep them cold was insane and I couldn’t justify the expense for ok food.

Well, I decided to give Sun Basket a try after reading their website and learning more about the company. They really pride themselves on sustainability, and as an agriculturalist by trade, this is so important to me. I’ve worked with so many farmers, both organic and conventional, and regardless of what you farm, sustainability has to be a priority.

Sun Basket’s recipes are pretty awesome. Some of them are a little too adventurous for me, but there are so many options each week and so far, Trevor has liked all of them. Tonight, we’re having Lamb Burgers and I literally cannot wait to get home and start cooking.

My favorite thing is the recipes are super easy to follow, you get all the ingredients you need to cook it, and they’re quick. With both my jobs, I need quick and easy.

I know, it might sound too good to be true, but check it out. You’ll be impressed! Plus if you click here you can save $40 off your first order!

 

Outsourcing

Part of being a smart business owner is knowing when to outsource certain tasks. For some, that’s photo editing. Others, it’s social media management or designing things. However you decide to manage your business is up to you, as long as the quality of your work remains consistent, and your passion doesn’t fade.

I started to feel overwhelmed. I started to feel like I was going to burn out doing so much with work and photography, so I figured out places where I could outsource certain tasks. One of those big tasks was my website re-brand and design. I hired a web designer to do this for me, and it was SO WORTH IT! I’ve experimented with trying out photo editors, but editing is still one of the creative aspects I love about photography so I’m leery on that front still.

 

I’m no expert on balance, and nowhere near perfect at it. Don’t read this and think I’ve got all the answers, because I don’t have all the answers. What I do know is balance matters. I always strive to provide my clients with the best experience possible, and with these “rules” I created for myself, I’m allowing me the chance to not only give 100% to my clients and their families, but focus on my life as well.