Working for yourself: a female viewpoint

Whole bunch of hats

Working for yourself (in my case as a photographer) means wearing at least 10 different hats at the same time :

1. photographer;
2. accountant,;
3. marketing monster;
4. social media guru;
5. administrator;
6. stylist;
7. therapist;
8. self motivator;
9. diy fundi;
10. web designer

Plus we must not forget our personal life roles including but not limited to : wife, mom, sister, friend, taxi service, personal shopper, cleaner, laundry lady, gardener, painter, pool cleaner and the list continues.

So how do we as self employed photographers keep it all together ?

Well that is a good question and I do not think there is one magical answer to this one as we all have different way of coping. But I do believe that it is by sheer determination that we keep things together and keep going.

10 Top Tips

Here are my top ten tips :

1. Write things down in one place – diary, notebook or wall mounted whiteboard. Crossing things off that list will definitely give you a sense of accomplishment.

2. Time management – find smarter ways of doing things whether this is automated social media postings or just having labelled boxes. Find your own smart ways of doing things.

3. Feeling overwhelmed ? Take a walk, take a breather and come back to your work load a little later. Better yet take a walk with your camera and take some fun shots along the way. Two birds with one stone – a rest for your brain and some stock images.

4. Water. Drink a lot of water during the day. When we are so focused on our work, we forget to hydrate. At the beginning of each new day, place a big jug of water with matching glass on your desk as a constant reminder.

Photo Credit : Jennifer Venter

5. At the beginning of each new year, buy a diary filled with beautiful images or quotes which inspires you.

6. Be electronically organised. Use labelled folders to organise your documents and images. This will save you a lot of time and ensure nothing is lost. Don’t forget to also back up your files at least monthly.

7. If you work from home, enforce working hours eg. start work at 9am and end your day at 5pm. At the end of your work day, your laptop is closed and your day is complete, so you can focus on your family or life outside.

8. Coloured pens and pencils. I know this sounds rather odd, but I love these. They make my desk look bright and breezy, and allow me to be creative with my notes.

9. Everything you use all the time, have close at hand on /in your desk. Whatever is not needed right at this moment, pack away.

10. Make sure your camera is always clean and ready for use, as you never know when creativity or a gorgeous sunset may grab you.

Your Thoughts

So now that I have shared my tips, what are you tips for a great day ? Please share them below in the comments.

Stay Fabulous!