No one cares how hard you work. No one. What they care about is your end product. Whether it takes you 1 hour or 5, couples love the beautiful photos you send them straight to their email like you’re some kind of Professor McGonagall. So, let’s get into how to work less in your photography business and still provide the same amazing services and end product! After all, that’s how you stand out in photography industry. 

How to Work Less in your Photography Business – Use a Power Schedule

We all have crazy lives and schedules that are soooo different. That’s the beauty of it. I define a power schedule as a day you can insert the following items into your work flow while optimizing the natural rhythms of your brain to maximize your productivity. The elements are active rest, creative deep thinking time, and the admin tasks. I created a power schedule for one of my coaching clients and she said that within 4 days, she was already feeling the magic. She was more productive, got done everything she wanted to, and felt rested! FUCK YES!

The Science Stuff

Let me ask you something here, I bet it’s something that has TOTALLY happened to you that will show you the power of rest. Have you ever been in the shower, or on a walk, or about to fall asleep when a BRILLIANT idea just hits you? It seems to come out of nowhere, but BLAMMO there it is?! THIS is what happens when your brain takes a rest. To get a little Ms. Frizzle on you here, this is called the Default Mode Network (aka the DMN). It’s a network of interacting brain regions that activates when the mind is at rest. This part of the brain is responsible for daydreaming, mind-wandering, creativity, ability to imagine the future, empathy and moral judgment. 

I mean WOW! Who knew that so much can be happening when our brains are at rest?! The magic of a power schedule is that it emphasizes active rest (ie, hiking, cooking, biking, walking outside, reading, etc.) in order to stimulate the deep thinking parts of your brain (the DMN) that are usually quiet when you’re actively working. I craft a power schedule that exploits the SHIIIIT out of your brain’s natural creativity outlet! This, my friends, is how to work less in your photography business.

How can rest make me more productive? 

The short answer: REST every day. When we give our brains the time to be in this quiet mode, the non-working, restful time, we’re actually priming ourselves for creativity. Just like any muscle, this part of the brain (the DMN) needs exercise and the best way to get more out of your rest time is to flex this every day. When we set aside time for rest, we can capitalize on the ability to think deeper and bring it into our work lives. 

As an athlete growing up, I saw my life and purpose based on what I could create, how “productive” I could be. This translated into my college years and into my early professional life. I felt I was most valuable when I spent a million hours in the office. Let’s get real about how society totally brainwashed us into thinking that working an 80 work week is the ultimate goal. I mean, we’ve all seen The Devil Wears Prada. It’s telling us that being stressed and overworked is just part of the job. Sanity and social life is nowhere in this equation.

This is exactly how I thought life had to be. I felt so much pressure to perform, it had me in a chokehold. It wasn’t until I started my own business and created my own schedule that I realized it wasn’t my lack of performance, it was my rigorous work schedule holding me back. I knew I needed to create a life balance that would work for me and my business. 

An example of how rest taught me how to work less in my photography business

One day, I was walking in the woods near my house. I could hear the birds, see the wind moving the trees, hear the ground under my feet, and smell that pine tree smell. I had no agenda; I was just walking. All at once, this idea just HITS me. I chase the idea – What if I could change the way my business worked and what clients I attracted by recognizing the problem every wedding couple has – that it’s stressful AF to plan a wedding.

What if I could tell couples they could have something different? What if I told them they could have something that felt more LIKE THEM?! That’s when I took the first step to shift my business into elopements. I use the same messaging years later to run my now multiple six figure elopement photography biz. Since then, I take time out of my workday every day for active rest. I became unstoppable. The BIG ideas were flowing! 

How to work less in your photography business – active rest really changed the game for me.

While it might seem counterintuitive to add something else to your plate, this really is the key on how to work less in your photography business. We can be more productive when we incorporate rest because our brains are these magical unicorns that are “working” even when we’re not. Remember, work and rest aren’t binary. Rest isn’t just the absence of work, but it’s something that stands alone for its own benefits to your working (and personal) life. 

141. Boost Your Productivity with a Power Schedule: The Secret Behind Rest and Creativity with Kelsey of Honey Bee Weddings (castos.com)

What are some examples of Active Rest?

I love active rest! Not the idle hours scrolling social media until our eyeballs fall out or taking a quiz to see which Twilight character I am. It’s more about the beautiful, empty hours that stretch out without clients, colleagues (or for parents out there) children. In his book, Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less, author Alex Soojung-Kim Pang outlines a few mentally engaging activities to restore and mentally refresh your brain.

Pssst – I always encourage you to shop small and support your independent book stores when you can!

Walking & Exercising

1. Walking: I’ve experienced this first hand how powerful walking is! Brownie points if you walk in nature! It allows your mind to wander and can lead to suuuper creative insights. Famous creatives like Charles Darwin and Virginia Woolf were known to take long walks as part of their daily routine. Does Virgina Woolf make anyone else think of Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? You should be. 

2. Exercise: Physical exercise, the ultimate form of rest and my personal favorite! Running, swimming, biking, yoga, pickleball, basketball, being a ninja – whatever gets your sexy ass moving is a great form of rest! Not only are you physically working out stress, but you’re clearing your mind and improving your mood. Hellooooo endorphins! Twin sister doctors Emily & Amelia Nagoski wrote about how exercise is a crucial step in breaking the burnout cycle. Stress activates your body’s “fight or flight” response and if you don’t find some way to actively deal with that stress (ahem, exercising), your body can just stay in that stressed-out state. My husband knows that when I start to get stressed, the best way to calm me is to exercise. As we alllll know, burnout can get in the way of our work. I really think that’s how many photography businesses fail. When you exercise, you’re giving your hot bod a way to physically process and release stress hormones – cortisol being the most likely culprit. 

Napping & The Pursuit of Hobbies

3. Napping: Short naps, especially in the early afternoon, are game changers! They can restore alertness and improve your cognitive function. Winston Churchill would take 20-minute naps every afternoon. And this was in the peak of war when he was saving his country! If this cat can take naps during the day, I think we all can manage it! Short naps are best for rejuvenation, long naps are for better problem solving. 

4. Hobbies: Pursuing hobbies like gardening, playing a musical instrument, painting, or cooking is not only restorative, it’s good for the soul. These activities allow the mind to focus on something enjoyable and creative, while also giving your brain a break! You’ll find really busy, meaningful, powerful CEOs often take part in their hobbies. Take Marissa Mayer, the former CEO of Yahoo! She has a passion for cooking that isn’t just a casual interest, but a hobby she actively chases despite her crazy high-profile career.

Meditation/Mindfulness/Vacations/Retreats

5. Meditation and Mindfulness: The ultimate zen! Practices like meditation and mindfulness help quiet the mind and reduce stress. Use these activities as ways to recharge, get your clarity, and seriously calm the fuck down.

6. Vacations and Retreats: Let’s be real, we’ve alllll experienced the benefits of taking time from work for a sweet vacaaaay! Getting out of the office regularly sparks long-term productivity and creativity! The deep relaxation and complete mental resets are so important. If I ruled the world, 3 week vacations would be mandatory and the government would pay for them! 

If you want to geek out about rest some more, I got a blog for that 😉

7 Types of Rest – and 70 Real Life Examples

How to Work Less in your Photography Business – Let’s Plan Your Power Schedule

As creative entrepreneurs, and CEOs we’re paid for our genius, our inspiration, our creativity. It’s an on-demand product, not a leisure, and definitely not a hobby. The rest we need is even more important. To be clear, rest isn’t something the world just GIVES us. It’s never been this pretty little present wrapped in a bow. It’s never something you do when you finish everything else. If you want the rest, you have to carve it out, you have to have a blackbelt in boundaries and set that time aside. Resist the urge to be busy, make time for rest and take it seriously. 

You need a system! You need a plan! I gottchu! The key is to start your day early enough so you can cash in on the deep thinking AND still have the time for active rest. Also OUTSOURCING and AUTOMATING!! Your admin time should be 2 hours a day not 6. 

Remember the three things we need for a power schedule? Active Rest, creative deep thinking time, and all the other tasks. This schedule will show you how I manage my photography business.

Morning

Mornings are the best time for creative deep thinking. Let’s talk about circadian rhymes for a second. Circadian Rhythms are the sleep-wake cycle that we have on repeat every 24 hours. Scientist Nathanial Kleitman’s studies showed that for many people, their attention, memory, and creativity peak in the morning. This is when the brain is most alert and refreshed after a good night’s sleep. You can bet that I planned out this podcast chat in the morning.

The deep thinking part of your day, the problem solving, the creativity needs to happen first thing in the morning. I use this time for creating new systems in my business, making workflows, building my associate team, editing photos, creating email funnels for sales, adding on albums to my business, rethinking my branding, etc. This is the artist time and the CEO time. When I make my intentions for the quarter, my goals, this is when I am getting those done. For instance, my 4 quarterly goals this time were launching my new website, launching another coaching course, a workflow audit, and launching the associate training guide. All of the things I gotta do to get this done happens in the morning.

Midday

After 3-4 hours of deep thinking time, you are going to be tired! Afterall, you’ve just gotten the most important work of the day done with! Now it’s time for Active Rest! Taking this rest in the middle of the day will help your productivity, creativity and it’s important to recharge those cognitive resources you just spent! It prevents burnout and helps to keep you performing at your peak! 

This is the time to restore your attention. According to Attention Restoration Theory (researched by Rachal and Stephen Kaplan), having those restful activities, particularly those that are in nature and low-stress can really help restore those depleted deep thinking resources. 

This can be a walk outside, a short nap, a hobby you enjoy, meditation, and so much more!

Afternoon

Scientist Roy Baumeister’s research on willpower and self-control found that these things have an expiration date throughout the day. As we go throughout our day, our willpower decreases. This isn’t because you’re lazy, it’s the biochemical makeup of your brain. SOOO we need to do things in the afternoon that don’t require as much willpower. We need easy tasks. This is when I process email, schedule consultation calls, work on social media, make timelines for my couples, do their location matchmaking, make wedding albums, blog, etc. 

Girl, Bye

As part of BOSS UP, my group coaching course, I encourage everyone to come up with a “GIRL BYE” ritual. As business owners who work from home, it can be hard to walk away from our desk. Establishing a ritual to get outta there will help separate your work from your personal time. My GIRL BYE ritual is: 

• Write down my to-dos for the next day
• Shut down computer
• Gratitude journal
• Literally shut the office door

How to work less in your Photography Business, My ACTUAL Schedule

We don’t gate keep here! Spend a day in the life with me. I wake up at 5am, write 10 ideas in my journal and then I am working on my big creative projects! I work undisturbed until 8:30am when I let the dogs outside, walk around a little bit, get a snack, and have coffee. 

On Wednesdays and Thursdays in the morning, I meet with industry colleagues in my field! We talk about how we can move the needle in our industry and brainstorm for our business.  

At 11am, I get out of the office! Sometimes I take a hike, sometimes I run, sometimes I play pickleball at the gym, sometimes I go swimming. After my activity, I eat a protein rich lunch. 

From 2pm-4pm I am back in the office for emails, consultation calls, admin, etc. 

At 4:30pm, I start with my Girl Bye ritual! I transfer over the tasks I need to do for the next day in their dedicated time blocks. I shut down the computer, I write in the gratitude journal, and literally shut the door. 

What is the main takeaway? 

Rest isn’t for lazy people. It’s actually essential if you want to be the BOSS you know you can be! It keeps you recharged, creative, and makes you a better decision maker. Working rest into your daily schedule is the secret sauce so you can get more done when you work less. We don’t gateway keep over here! Check out:

Weekly Planner Examples

BOSS UP! A Coaching with Kelsey, Can’t Miss Program

BOSS UP! is a 4 week group coaching program, a conscious climb to forming life changing habits and a kickass business to take you from shattered to CEO. We’re elevating your biz with scientifically tested techniques on how to make great habits, settle into the schedule where you can get more done and work less, and become the CEO your biz needs you to be. Let me, the multiple six figure biz girl with degrees in psychology, sociology and photography show you the way! Ready to for your FREE consult? Select a Date & Time.