I have friends, clients, and peers ask me all the time, “How do you juggle it all?” Yes, I’m a mom, a photographer, a military spouse, a student (not for much longer before I certify!),a volunteer and so much more! I have many demands placed on my time by family and work, and most of my “office” work is done from my home. I could have opened a studio/office, but why pass on unnecessary expenses to myself and my clients? I didn’t see the sense in it. So I had to find a system to make it work. Anyway, I thought I’d share a few tips for my fellow moms and photogs who also work from home, or just struggle to find a balance between career and family.

#1. Set designated work hours and stick to them. I admit, especially during my busy season, I have been guilty of breaking this rule, but mostly, I follow it. If you were working in a “regular” office, you’d be able to walk away at 5:01 p.m. and let it wait for the next business day (most of the time!) Why should your self-employment be any different? I set specific hours and it helps me transition between work and home, despite my office being a mere 10 second walk from my kitchen.  It will also help your family transition. If you respect your work hour boundaries, they will recognize it as well. If that means you need to have your husband get the kids of out the house during those hours, or you hire a mother’s helper, just do it. You’ll find yourself more productive in those established hours than in a whole week of grabbing 10 minutes of work time here and there. Trust me.

#2. This goes hand in hand with #1: establish a workspace. I highly recommend people don’t try to work from their couch or bed, even if you have the ability. A designated workspace will also help with that psychological transition into your workday. It’s shown to improve productivity, and focus. It’s also a place I can retreat to, and escape the noise, the mess, the chaos.

#3. Communicate clearly to your clients or customers. Make sure they know what they can expect from you, especially when it comes to when they can expect a response or to receive product/galleries, etc. It helps to create an auto-reponder for your email. Mine includes my office hours, as well as my average turnaround times, so that a new or existing client has an idea when they can expect my response. Occasionally, I will respond to an email outside of my business hours, but usually it will wait until I return to the “office” the next day.

#4. Speaking of which, do not obsessively check your work email, especially when you are off the clock. You will drive yourself and your family crazy.  Enough said.

#5. More about email (and voicemails): set a time limit each day for you to read and respond to them. If you constantly check them throughout the day, you won’t be able to focus on the work you should be doing. I typically check my email and Facebook when I get to the office in the morning, again near lunch, and then one last check in the afternoon.  Most of the time, I will return calls in the afternoon or right after lunch.

#6. Be realistic in your expectations. If you know that your family has a busy schedule, don’t overextend yourself. Be honest with yourself in how many and what type of commitments you can take on. This has played a large role in my business plan for 2013. Just be honest with yourself.

#7. Continue to streamline your workflow .  Find ways to eliminate unnecessary steps, or outsource work if possible. For my fellow photogs, consider outsourcing your editing, or taking a class on workflow.  It will change your life!

#8. Don’t be afraid to say NO! This can mean not taking on a project or client, or it can simply mean calling it a day early, turning off the computer, and spending some quality time with your family. Chances are, you started working from home as a way to improve quality of life for you, your spouse, and your children. I imagine that isn’t happening if you’re spending 80 hours a week working.  Don’t be afraid to take an afternoon off. Yes, you might have to make up for it later, but you deserve it.

#9. Be sure to manage your stress. There’s a good chance that you’re stressed from time to time, just as you would be in any other job or career. The big difference: you probably don’t have co-workers to blow off steam with or talk about it. Many of us may “vent” to our spouses when things get a little stressful. This is fine, but make sure it’s not affecting your relationship, or your interactions with your children. If needed, refer to #8 above, and just step away for the rest of the day.

#10. HAVE FUN! To get the most from these crazy, amazing careers we’ve chosen, we must enjoy it! I cannot stress that enough. Do what you love. Love what you do. If you don’t love it, leave it!

I hope that someone finds those tips helpful. I wish someone had let me in on these when I was getting started. I was transitioning from a high-pressure, fast-paced corporate environment, and I brought a lot of that same stress into my self-employed work ethic. Never again!! And when the going gets tough, take a deep breath, and set some boundaries.

It wouldn’t be a blog post if I didn’t post some peeks. Enjoy some from S+C’s session with their furbabies. Love these guys!!