Hey before we get started, if you’ve found this podcast helpful for your business, would you hit pause & take 2 minutes to leave a rating & review wherever you listen? It helps so much with getting the word out about what we are trying to do here - create a better situation for all of us, pushing you to build a more profitable, productive & purposeful business so that you can spend more time doing what you love with the ones you love.

Because you guys are so awesome, I’m going to be doing some giveaways for those reviews left in March & April. Is it gonna be you? I sure hope so!

Let’s do some announcements real quick. Business After Hours is going great! I am loving the conversations we are having in those! If you don’t know what the heck I’m talking about, Business After Hours is just me and a few of you guys sitting down to talk business, whatever is going on, whatever you’re having a problem with. There’s no charge for it. It’s just us hanging out together & me coaching you through an issue.

If that sounds like something you might be interested in & you’d like an invitation to grab a seat at the table, let me know at www.seniorstudiosuccess.com/afterhours.

I love getting to talk one on one with you guys. It makes me feel like I’m not here just talking into this microphone alone. So, if you have signed up, thank you and I can’t wait to hang out with you soon!

Ok, it’s time to brag on a few of my students inside Studio Secrets. They are doing big things and I am so proud of them!

On Fridays I ask them to post some of their wins (personal and business) in our private facebook group and I want to share a few of those here today. These screenshots are always in the show notes if you wanna take a look or get any of the links I mention in the show. You can do that at www.seniorstudiosuccess.com/podcast.

I love hearing all of their wins each week. I tell them over and over again that they may seem small, but they add up. And when we are up against those big things in life and business, these are a great reminder that we can do big things. I would encourage you to create your own weekly wins journal & celebrate the big & small victories.

If you wanna grow your business, get your systems in place & celebrate your wins with a group of your biggest fans who won’t let you fail, be sure you’re on the wait list for Studio Secrets so you can join the next round. You need to be in there.

You can join the waitlist at www.seniorstudiosuccess.com/studiosecrets.

Ok, let’s get to today’s episode. It’s all about avoiding burnout. I have to tell you guys a story. We plan these topics out way in advance, so I honestly forget what I am going to record on until it’s time to start drafting something. Well, when I looked at the production schedule & saw the title for this one, I just laughed. And then a little Alananis Morriset started playing in my head . . . . Isn’t it ironic? Don’t ya think?

Not while I certainly haven’t hit the point of burnout, I will be honest & tell you that I am tired. The time of year ramps up for us, closing out one graduating class and marketing like crazy for another one. Studio Secrets coaching is going strong, their businesses are getting busier.

I’m taking a course and I signed up for a challenge with Sam Marvin, which is awesome, btw. I almost didn’t do it, but I wanted to. Even when you teach, you still want to learn. So I sent Sam a message that said “hey, would it be weird if I signed up for your challenge?” and if you know Sam, you know his answer. He welcomed me with open arms & we have just had the best time together. That wasn’t an easy message to send because we are technically competition in the business coaching world, but we are also friends.

And here’s the thing, if you think you know it all, you don’t. So I would challenge you guys to always be learning and growing, not just in business, in your personal lives too. Take a cooking class. Take a dancing class. Learn a new language. Just do something for you. It shouldn’t be all business all the time. We were meant for lots more than what we do in our businesses.

Thanks for letting me ramble on a little bit there. I just thought it was super funny when I saw the title for today’s show, and thought “what in the world am I gonna tell these people?”. I almost changed it, pushed this one to a different date, but it’s funny. Sometimes the things we teach are the things we need to learn. So, this one is a message to myself as much as it is for you.

It’s no secret that I’m an overachiever. I love to work. It doesn’t even feel like work to me. And I’m not talking just about the shooting. I love the business side and could talk about it and do it for hours and hours and hours without it affecting me at all. This is a problem though. I don’t realize how much I’m working because I enjoy it. So time doesn’t drag by, it actually kind flies when I sit down in work mode.

Sometimes I don’t realize it until it’s too late, until I hit a brick wall. Anybody else do that? We are immediately friends now.

I have learned some hard lessons over the last 17 years of being in this industry & have hit complete burnout multiple times. You would think that I would learn my lesson, right?! I do. I really do. And then I forget it. Haha!

But seriously, I do want to give you guys some tips on how to not get to that place where you can’t even normally function in life without tons of caffeine, where you are stressed beyond stressed, where you can’t enjoy your family because of the pressure of delivering for your clients, where your health is in jeopardy. Or the worst yet, it all comes crashing down when your kiddo looks at you for the 10th time and asks you with tears in his eyes when you are going to get off the computer. Yeah, I’ve been there. It’s not a fun place to be.

How to avoid burnout in your senior photography business

1. Control your schedule

I’ve learned to be a very strict guardian of my time and calendar. This is where burnout starts - not controlling what gets put on your calendar. Worse yet, doing things and saying yes to things not on your calendar, really leads to burnout. We love shiny objects. We get pulled in so many directions in this digital world. It’s full of this and that wanting our attention. And when we don’t have the discipline to say “no” or “not right now” or to turn our notifications off, then we fall prey to all of those distractions. And it could be really good stuff - a workshop on this, a book club, a group zoom call, a “working” lunch. Hey, I am not immune to any of that! But if it’s not on the calendar, then whatever was there, is no longer getting done.

I am such a big stickler for planning my week. Every single Sunday I sit down & plan everything out. If I’m gonna be on a zoom call, I block that time off. If I need to pay bills, I block that time off. Returning client calls & emails gets blocked off. Social media time gets blocked off.

When everything you do has a place on your calendar, it’s really easy to actually see what you have time to say yes and no to when a shiny thing comes your way.

Your session availability should also be on your calendar. Meetings too, like sales and consults. When you know your capacity, you are less likely to say yes to all these things that will ultimately lead you towards this path to burnout.

2. Set your boundaries

I admit that I was terrible at this early in my career. I would answer the phone late at night, answer emails and texts too. I would take weekend sessions or evening ordering appointments. You name it, I did it. Yes, I was popular with my clients. But this took a toll on our family. I now have very strict boundaries.

Work texts, phone calls & emails get handled the next business day during business hours. I only take a certain number of clients each month because I know what I can and can't handle.

This goes for family life too. I only allow a certain number of sleepovers and don't make it to every big family outing. And sometimes I have to say no to cool things for the kids sometimes because we just really need dinner around the table together. It’s even harder now that I’m divorced. Time with the kids is precious and it’s going by way too fast. So, know what your priorities are and sit down to set some boundaries that will keep them on the top of your list.

3. Don’t Blur Your Personal and Family Time

This is kinda related to the boundaries issue too. You have to be able to shut down. This means your mind and your electronics. Some examples: dinner out at a restaurant with your family but answering work emails on your phone (or lets maybe call it what it is . . . scrolling Facebook haha). Or at the park with your kids but taking a "quick" call. We all know how those go!

Work time is work time. Family time is family time. By combining the two, neither get your full attention. And they both deserve it, just at separate times. When you don’t shut down, you are working all the time. No wonder we are burning out!

Do you remember life before the iPhone? The time when you had to physically be at your computer to deal with work. It can still be that way! I purposely don't have notifications on for my email (or social media) because I seriously don't want to be distracted by it all day long. Ok, that was off topic, but still . . . We do not have to be connected to the outside world 24-7!

Schedule time to just walk away, put your phone on silent or do not disturb and just enjoy life around you. Go for a walk. Play in the yard with your kids. Finish a project in the house you've been meaning to get around to. We need that time. It's still there, just like it used to be. We just have to be willing to unplug. For real, schedule it! Make yourself unavailable on your calendar & just do it.

4. It’s ok to say no

What is it about us photographers that makes it so difficult to say no? I was in a Facebook group yesterday, and there was an amazing photographer in there who posted some images from a recent session. But the caption said “first of 15 sessions in the next 2 weeks while working a full time job.” Bless her sweet heart. She couldn’t say no, and my heart immediately broke for this amazing, hard working woman. I wanted to reach through my computer, grab her shoulders and give her a little shake. Then a hug and then some help editing because oh my gosh, I can’t even imagine what the next 2 weeks are going to be like for her.

What’s that famous saying? “A lack of planning on your part doesn’t constitute an emergency on my part.” I looked for who originally said that and got several answers. But whoever said it first, thank you.

Just because a parent chooses to wait until the last minute, doesn’t mean you have to stop your world and give up time with your family to do what she needs done. There. I said it. Now, someone will. But it doesn’t have to be you. And only you can be the judge of what you can handle. Just don’t let the fear of losing a client make this decision for you. Fear is the worst business advisor ever.

5. Set goals and remind yourself of them often

If you don't know what your goals are for your business, your home, your family or personal life, then you are just going to be running in circles. Take time to write them down. This doesn’t have to be a January 1st thing. You can and should revisit your goals often. If you do that, if you remind yourself of your goals and why you are doing the things you are doing, it’s really easy to control your schedule and to say no. But if you just write them down & only take them seriously for a week in January, you will be floundering around all year long, completely exhausted and wondering why in the world you didn’t get the things accomplished that you wanted to next January.

6. Understand that sometimes good enough is good enough

Now, I do not live by this motto. But I have learned in business, that yeah, sometimes good enough is good enough, especially when it comes to social media. Your audience isn’t going to remember 90% of the content that you put out there. You’ll hit it out of the park on some things and others not so much. But don’t let perfectionism keep you from using your voice and getting something out into the world. Turn it in and get the B-. That’s way better than not turning it in at all.

7. Educate your audience to book early

If you listened to last week’s episode on getting prepared for quarter two, you know I touched on this a little bit. We can’t sit back and wait for clients to book us. We have to constantly be educating them to book early. If you want to fill your summer calendar, you better be talking about those dates in the early spring. Ok? :)

8. Charge more for premium dates

Here’s an even easier way to fix the issue of last minute bookings. Charge more for your premium dates. This doesn’t mean you are discounting the other dates now. This means you are getting more dollars for the dates you would rather not shoot.

Hotels do this all the time. Guess when the room rates are higher? On the weekends. Why? Because there is more demand for those dates. They are premium dates.

If you don’t want to shoot on the weekends, double your session fee for those dates.

If you struggle with zero sessions in May but have 30 in June, now you know what to do. Raise your summer session fees. And not just by $25 or $50. Make it hurt. Make it worth it to your potential clients to book their session in May instead of waiting until the summer. When you partner this with educating your audience more to book early, your schedule will become a little more balanced.

9. Raise your prices

If you are booked solid, if you book every who calls you, those are sure signs that you are priced way too low. You should have people who tell you no. If you don’t, the ones you are booking know they are getting a bargain. And it’s coming at your detriment. Yes, I know you love what you do and everyone deserves to have beautiful images, but at what cost to yourself, to your family, to your health, to your future? If you are scared to do that, let’s talk. I will help you. I work with photographers every single day. One of my Studio Secrets students, Julie, just sent me a FB message. She said “omgosh I’m crying!” She had just had a $6300 sale. Julie used to be shoot and burn, making a couple hundred bucks per client. She won’t mind me telling you this because she would tell you that it is so doable and so worth getting over the fear of asking for more. She doesn’t have to work nearly as hard as she used to and now she actually does have time for her family.

10. Exercise and eat well.

Ok, I’m going to end on this one because it’s probably the most important one and the one we give the least attention to. So I’m hoping by putting it last here, that it will stick in your heads.

So, I can tell when I haven't been eating right or when I've gone a few days without a good workout or run. I feel sluggish & beat down. And that's just about the time for another meltdown. When I take care of myself, I get so much more accomplished, and I'm in such a better mood.

I won’t go on a long health rant because we all know what we need to do - plan meals ahead of time, meal prep, less sugar and processed foods, more exercise.

Take 30 minutes a day to do something for yourself! It’s not selfish. I used to think it was to take time for myself. But I've learned that we have to take care of ourselves in order to take care of our businesses and families.

So, there you go. Definitely some things that we can do to avoid the burnout so common in this industry. I had to take a step back this week and reevaluate some things for myself after having a little "moment". So I hope this helps you avoid one of your own this week!

I wanna know what you think about today's episode. Send me a DM on Instagram. And let me know you're listening! The podcast stats are pitiful so I don't know unless you tell me. Take a screenshot, post it & tag me in your stories so we can connect!

And if you really wanna connect, join me in the next Business After Hours. You can find links to all the things I talk about here on the podcast in the show notes at www.seniorstudiosuccess.com/podcast.

Ok. let’s continue the conversation over in the Senior Studio Success Facebook Group. I’m always up for a good business chat. Or you can find me over on Instagram. Send me a DM there. Have a great week y’all!