leisure versus lazy | work-life balance as a mama photographer

Ever been rushing around the house like a mad-woman, camera bag in one hand, dolly, blanket, baby bottle, one shoe and a half eaten apple in the other, trying to convince your sweet child that dolly doesn't need her own bear and we really should be going... And then your day off comes (which to schedule and observe is an accomplishment in and of itself if you're a freelancer). A beautiful 1 hour chunk of time to do whatever you want with no interruption and you snuggle up with a book, window open: pure leisure. Five minutes in, your mind starts to think about all the little things that you could be doing. "Think of all the emails and edits you could get done in this hour... but instead you're resting and refreshing your mind? Whose whacky idea was that? I'm surprised you can focus with the dishes in the sink and that laundry really should be going... You lazy BUM!" Those sweet precious moments quickly become a guilt-ridden shaming session of not checking things off of your to-do list.

Perhaps it's the idea that between the hours of 9-5, I feel I should be working. But then I see instagrams from other freelance moms with a full pot of coffee at their computers at 11pm, settling in for a full "day's" work. A tiny voice inside my head tells me that if I'm not working toward something, my time is not well spent.

Somewhere along the lines we've allowed the word leisure to conjure thoughts of laziness. In her book Overwhelmed : Work, Love and Play When No One Has the Time, Brigid Schulte suggests we take a moment to double check our vocabulary.

Leisure : inspires creativity, offers rest, refreshment, exposure to new things, health.

Lazy is not liking to work at all - doing the bare minimum with apathy about final results. We've glorified a 100-hour work week big fancy prizes (nice things) to show for all our hard work so if we don't clock those hours or have the nice swag, it's easy to say we're not working hard enough.

Schulte also emphasizes the inspires creativity portion of the definition - that leisure time should be enjoyable. Perhaps the benefits from rest and relaxation cannot be measured but they can be felt. More alert, more creative, a rejuvenated passion about the work you're doing and a renewed spirit to share with others.

How can we become more present and not feel like we're lazy bums when we take an afternoon walk or weekday brunch? Breaks are good for the mind, body, soul and creativity.

This weekend be encouraged to rest. And enjoy it. Set aside time to fill up your bucket and allow yourself to savor it. Carve out the time and protect it. Your littles will grow up seeing a healthy example of leisure and feel the benefits from a refreshed, more vibrant version of yourself.

Check out previous Mama+Photographer posts if you need some extra examples of setting up a weekly schedule based on your priorities.

organizing a daily schedule | work-life balance as a mama photographer

Last time we talked about protecting your schedule and how we can plan ahead looking at a broad calendar. Today, let's delve a little deeper with a look into my daily schedule and personal attempt at time management* (read: lessons learned after infinite failed attempts which will likely be irrelevant in one month's time due to the ever-changing schedule and preferences of a toddler).

My days are categorized as "Work Days" or "Home Days" -- I have the luxury of choosing which and how many days Ruth will attend daycare each week. Most weeks she goes at least two days 8:30-5:30pm and I can't stress the importance and value of a long, uninterrupted stretch of time to focus and get things done. I know these daycare days at least a week in advance and assign tasks for each workday ahead of time.* 
Here's a breakdown of most work-days :

Wake Up (congratulations, the hardest part of your day is behind you.)

Quiet 15 Minutes 7am | use for yoga, prayer, reading, etc. not work. I personally recommend getting out of bed or chances are, in ten minutes you start back at #1… Goal : to allow your body and mind to wake up and enter a healthy place before beginning your day. 

Baby Wakes Up 7:30 | this portion of the morning is dedicated to play, breakfast, getting ready, etc. Again, no work allowed (not even checking email - once it's on your brain you'll be disconnected from kiddo-time). Goal : quality time with Ruth. 

Drop-off Babe 8:30 | If I have important errands I'll complete those while I'm out and avoid interrupting a (potentially) successful grove later in the day. 

If it's a shoot day, I'll head to my location. If it's a home-work day, I head back home, brew a second cup of coffee and set to work on my list. A few suggestions to maximizing those precious work hours :

Clump similar tasks. i.e. edit in the morning, scheduled break for email, errands in the afternoon, submissions late afternoon, package all albums/prints/mail.
Take breaks - set alarm reminders if need-be. Your work quality, attitude and creativity are better when you take breaks. Go for a walk, do some yoga (this is my favorite yoga routine during a long day of sitting), eat healthy, take a power nap/shower/run.
Be creative. I'm quick to forget why I own my own business in the midst of frustrating paperwork and necessary accounting or tweaking a stubborn white balance. Take a moment to step away and shoot for 15 minutes or flip through that old art history book for a healthy dose of inspiration. This one is hard to do because you can't necessarily measure the results and that's important when the child-free clock is ticking and you only have so many hours to get things done. You can read more about the importance of creating for creating's sake here.

Pick up Babe 5:30pm | Play, supper and bed time - save for the occasional urgent deadline, try to remain unconnected at this time. Sometimes we both need a break - she from a full day of fun and stimulation and me from processing/problem solving. She'll often decompress and play by herself while I do the same preparing supper or we'll do a wind-down activity like play-dough or coloring. 

Baby to Bed 7:30 | Each evening of the week looks different for us. If Ben is home in time for supper, we devote the rest of the evening to hanging out. If not, I typically tidy up and make preparations for the next day or perhaps put in an extra hour of work if the following day is a play-day. Just because the time is available to work, doesn't mean that's always the right choice. Remember that rest is so important and again, crucial to your health and quality of work.

all images taken with VSCOcam in the Angeles National Forest

*I can't stress how valuable it is to have a long stretch of time in order to get work done. When we lived in Ohio I would "child-swap" with a close friend two days a week which gave both of our kiddos some play time and the mamas the aforementioned chunk of focus-time. This is a super option if you need more flexibility or can't commit to a daycare just yet. When you allow yourself this structured work time, you're freeing up your mind and body to be fully present when you're with your baby.

protecting your schedule | work+life balance as a mama photographer

As freelancers, it's tempting to take every job that comes along and let your calendar be at the mercy of your clients. But take care to let those priorities we articulated last time be the determining factor when organizing your schedule. And what better time to take a look at our calendars than at the beginning of the year?!

Believe me, if I had my way I'd have awards for the most fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants gal around. Spontaneity excites me and timelines often terrify me. But once little Ruthie girl came along I knew that if I wanted to get anything done, it was necessary to have a schedule in place. Keeping a daily agenda allows me to enjoy that spontaneous spirit with my little girl when we decide to rush off to the carousel just in time for the last ride of the day.

Because an entire calendar year can be intimidating, let's break it down to the following : 

Yearly: Block of birthday, anniversary and holiday weekends and be strong when it's tempting to compromise. Be mindful as you book back-to-back work, keeping one weekend a month off-limits for rest and recreation -- whether you're able to get away for two nights and unplug or just camp out with some puzzles and pizzas at home. You'll be grateful when that weekend off comes around and offers a reprieve. (For example, when possible I block off one weekend for every 6-8 weddings.) If we don't protect these on the front end, it's easy to become bitter at your work when special events roll around but there's no time to celebrate. 

Monthly : When Ben is in production our Saturday and Sunday real estate becomes priceless. While the majority of my shoots take place on Saturday, we try to keep our Sunday's hands-off and reserve the time for family/close friends only -- filled with things that refresh. Plug in repeated activities such as weekly library story times, exercise classes, flea markets, free museum days, etc so they don't sneak up on you! During busy season when weekends tend to fill up, be extra mindful to schedule rest during the week when able.

 
Weekly : Clumping like-tasks together yield efficient and quality work results. I try to reserve one entire day for emails and editing (Monday is ideal as I can catch up from the weekend and give a sneak peek to clients); one weekday for potential shoots, another for errands and home/work things that Ruth and I can do together (grocery, farmers market, post office), and a final day blocked off just for mama-baby time. It's so easy for work to creep into that last one so I try to find activities for us outside of the house -- and if I have the flexibility to choose which day of the week this is, I consult my monthly calendar to look for the museum or library days already plugged in! While you're here, take a look at your evenings and take care not to fill up every single one -- a break for supper and bedtime stories does the heart and family good. 

Daily : One of my favorite things about having a kiddo is the omission of an alarm clock. She's guaranteed to be up by 7am and therefore so am I. But I've noticed that when I have even just 15 minutes by myself or with Ben before she wakes up, our mornings are smoother and sweeter. These extra minutes offer a chance to wake up, focus, spend time reading, etc. As a parent it doesn't take long to feel like your every minute is dedicated to another human being and on the long days, this can lead to a feeling of bitterness. An extra 10 minutes in the morning can help prevent that. (I try not to use this time for work as once I'm in that mode it's very hard for me to get out.) We'll dive deeper into a daily schedule next time.
 

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