When I started my journey into becoming a full-time photographer and girl boss in training, I thought my world and my time would finally be free. Free from the chains of punching in and out, set lunch breaks and someone else setting my work schedule. I could do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. Not once did I think about implementing my own routine. I saw other photographers and business owners talk about balancing life and work and I thought, “That’s great for them, they are so busy but I’ll never get that busy so why do I have to worry about balancing?”

I’ll be the first to admit when I’m wrong and oh boy, was I wrong about routines. Within the first couple months of going full-time, I became busy with things I did not even plan for. I worked around the clock to meet deadlines for my clients. I would edit late into the night and send emails at all hours. I would spend Sundays prepping my blog and not spending time with family. I would schedule photo shoots every day of the week, never giving myself a break. My business was succeeding, but I was running my personal life into the ground.

I knew I wanted my life back. A life full of lingering coffee dates with friends, Sunday brunching with family, baking cookies for no reason; a life full of intentional living. I realized my life and my business could not continue the way I was going. I made some quick decisions and started implementing a daily routine to get my life back. Here’s how I stopped letting work control me and started balancing my life.

I realized I was most productive in the morning.
That’s right. I’m a morning person. Even without coffee, I’m bright eyed and bushy tailed. Because I know I’m more motivated in the morning, I decided to tackle my toughest projects in the early hours. I always feel better when I know I completed my most daunting tasks right away, then I can let my brain relax for the rest of the day and work on more fun things. So most mornings, I work on responding to emails, paying bills, budgeting, or scheduling shoots.

I do not wake up and go straight to the phone or computer anymore.
How many of you were like me and as soon as you wake up, you check your social media on your phone then head straight to the computer? That was ME! Before my eyes were even all the way open, I was scrolling away on Facebook and Instagram. Immediately, I would stress about what everyone else was doing and felt like I was already behind in my day. No one should start their day like that! The way you start your day can determine the way you feel the rest of the day. Now I take the first 30 minutes of each morning for myself. I wake up, stretch, put on one of my favorite records, make coffee, feed the cats, water my plants, make breakfast, and sing along to whatever song is playing. As soon as I’m feeling refreshed and ready, I hit the work day hard.

I was least productive after 2pm.
When the afternoon hits, I’m ready for a good book and a nap. I save my “fun” tasks for this time. In the afternoon, I usually do not want to do anything but I’m more likely to do something I enjoy than something I do not. During this time I like to edit, write new posts for the blog, or prep social media posts. I always try to exercise before 2pm too, to add a little boost for my afternoon work self.

I set “work hours” and avoided distractions during those times.
Because I actually wanted to spend time doing other things besides working, I set work hours and MADE myself stick to them. This one was really hard for me. I set my work hours from 8am-6pm and made sure I worked my butt off during that time. In the mornings, when I worked on my hardest projects, I put my phone in the other room so it would not tempt me to check social media. Knowing that I only had these set times to work on everything, made me work even harder. I also stopped sending emails after 7pm. I had to quiet that nagging part of my brain that needs to constantly please everyone. No one wants late night emails anyway. Even though this was difficult for me to stick to, I found that when I did, I actually had FREE time to spend with the people I love. That made everything worth it!

I made daily To-Do Lists.
I have always done this. I am an avid list maker. I like to use my Day Designer (it makes list making and goal setting so much easier) to make my lists but you can use whatever you want. I made a list everyday of what I needed to accomplish in that day, that week, that month. Each time I crossed something off, I celebrated that victory. My To-Do Lists helped me keep track of what was important to finish in that day. It can become overwhelming when you think about all you have to finish. Just break it down, one day at a time.

I got out and MOVED!
This part is a little embarrassing for me to admit, but I stopped moving when I went full-time. When I worked full-time at other jobs, I was always standing. In the 11 years of working, I never once sat at a desk. I either worked retail or in shipping or building so I was on my feet at least 9 hours a day. So when I started spending a lot of time in my home office, staring at a computer for 10 hours a day, I wondered why I felt so sluggish and why I had gained 10 pounds! The answer was so clear! I NEEDED to move. You need to move, too! We all do! Sitting at our desks all day is doing nothing for us. I scheduled movement into my daily life. After each hour of work, I make myself get up and stretch for five minutes. I took it a step further and carved out at least one hour a day where I’m actually exercising. Whether I’m practicing yoga, going for a walk, or making my muscles shake like crazy at Pure Barre, I’m MOVING. Not only did I notice improvements in my body and mind, but I realized by stepping away from the computer, I could open myself up to be inspired. Some of my best ideas came while I was working out.

I actually PLANNED my days off!
Whether it was one weekend a month or a Sunday afternoon, I started picking my days off. Days where I did not touch a camera or a computer at all. I marked the days in my calendar months in advance. I had to physically write “DAY OFF” on my planner because if I saw that day was open, I would try to fill it with work. Two things happened when I started planning days off – 1. I actually had time to spend with my friends and family and 2. I felt energized after my day off and was ready to tackle a new day of work.

I know setting a routine can feel like a daunting task. If you are struggling with balance and do not know where to start, here’s my daily work routine. Use it to help yourself implement your own routine to be the best YOU possible.

7:00am – Wake Up: Put on the coffee, sing some songs, play with the cats, make breakfast
7:30am – Go over my To-Do list for the day, start mapping out plans to accomplish my list
8:00am-12:00pm – Answer emails, publish blog posts, plan shoots, pay bills
12:00pm – Move! Pure Barre class, yoga, or walking
1:00pm – Lunch
1:30pm-3:30pm – Back to work: editing, blogging, writing
3:30pm – Break to do something fun for myself
4:00pm-6:00pm – Power through the last few hours of my work day!
6:00pm – End of work day
6:00pm-9:30pm – Make dinner, spend time with family or friends, watch a good show, work on DIY project
9:30pm – Write anything (I like to scribble down ideas at this time when my brain is relaxed)
10:30pm – Climb into bed with a good book

Still struggling? Comment below with your issues or questions and I’ll do my best to answer each one and help. Everyone deserves to be successful and still live a fulfilled life outside of work!