How to Stay on Track with Personal Goals as a Wedding Photographer
It is SO possible!
All you gotta do is prep ahead, because when you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
For many of us wedding photographers, it’s now the calm before the storm. Speaking from experience, I know how easy it is to lose sight of taking care of our mind, body and soul during wedding season. Time and time again I have put my own personal needs on the back burner and I let the busy-ness of work take over. It’s been 8 consistent years of that and it’s not ok! The compound effect is real. That’s 8 whole years of my life that have gone by in a flash because I didn’t consciously choose to slow down and listen to what I needed, and it definitely leads to feeling less fulfilled.
It’s easy to say right now, in this moment, that this year will be different and you’ll have the perfect balance, but I have fallen victim to this fantasy in my mind too many times and I don’t want you to fall into that too!
What I’ve learned, is if you go in without a plan BEFORE you get super busy, you won’t have the mental bandwidth to get yourself out of it when you’re already sinking. So, read on for some simple actionable steps to set you up for personal success this wedding season!
Simple Actionable Steps for Achieving your Goals
Step 1 - What is important for you to have time for this season? Is it time with family + friends? Being active? Sleep? A favourite hobby that energizes you? More massages?
Step 2 - Pick three things you’re going to focus on to start. For example; Meditate 7x per week (I count it whether it’s 1 minute, 3 minutes or 10 minutes. To me it’s important that I build the habit of my mind craving that break. I use the Headspace app and freakin LOVE it), See family/friends 2x per week, 10,000 steps 5x per week.
Step 3 - Download the Loop - Habit Tracker app (it’s free and I’m OBSESSED with this app!)
Step 4 - Set up your habit goals + frequencies in the app.
Step 5 - Every night before you go to bed, give yourself check marks for all the habits you accomplished (best feeling EVER!).
Here are some screenshot examples of my Habits in the app. Look at all the beautiful stats! 😊
Don’t think you’ll have the time? Let me debunk that for you right now.
You have 168 hours in the week. Let’s estimate that the following is how much you will sleep and work just for average sake:
Sleep 8 hrs 7x/week
+ Work 60 hrs /week
= That’s a total of 116 hours (52 hours still left over!)
Well would ya look at that. We still have another 52 hours left to use! That’s an additional 7.4 hour each day! HUH!? I know it shocks me every time too. But it’s just simple math. So, there is EASILY time for you to add in some things here and there that will fill your cup.
Another tool to help you achieve your habit goals!
Get the book - Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin
This book was an eyeopening read! I never knew that there are different strategies to effectively implement new habits for different personality types! There’s no one size fits all solution. You need to find what works for YOU, and Gretchen helps you figure it out!
This is how I figured out this method for myself! Mind was blown when reading this book!
I would LOVE to know if this post helped change your perspective in a positive way! If so, feel free to DM me on Instagram, email me, or leave a comment below!
With love, Sara