We all strive for it – balance. It never seems to truly exist. But, you can get pretty damn close! I work really hard to maintain a sense of balance between all the areas of my life – running a photography business, being a teacher, creating time for my husband and I, and just taking care of ME. I wear a lot of “hats.” It can be really overwhelming sometimes, but I’ve noticed that when I employ two strategies, balancing a growing photography business and my teaching career seems more manageable.
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Boundaries.
Do NOT do work for your business while at your full time job, and don’t do work for your full time job while working on your business. Keeping these two SEPARATE means you’re more efficient and focused on the tasks at hand. Let’s be honest, whatever job you’re in deserves 100% of your attention. When I ONLY do school work at school and ONLY do photography stuff at home, it makes it easier for me to make the shift mentally to prepare myself for the task at hand. It also reduces the amount of resentment that starts to build up when you’re trying to do everything all at once, all the time.
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On a similar note.
Appreciate and fall in like with your job. I read this somewhere about a year ago and it’s stuck with me ever since. My full time job still supports my family while my business grows. If I didn’t have it, I think I’d be more stressed trying to make ends meet. When you’re ready to take your business full time, you’ll appreciate all that your full time job was able to do for you.
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Schedule.
In your planner/phone/calendar, literally schedule when you’re working on which job. From 7am-4pm Monday-Friday for the majority of the year, it is strictly devoted to my teaching career. I don’t work on my business EVERY day. It’s important to take a break and create time and space for your personal life. I will schedule into my planner the days I plan to blog, edit, and shoot. That creates a clear distinction for me to see when I should be working on my business.
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