For most of us, work can take too much from us. And the idea of designing your business to fit around your life seems impossible. There’s always more to do. In this episode, we’ll talk more about what you can do to feel less overwhelmed.

When you run your own business there’s a never-ending list of things you can – and feel like you should – do. And everything can seem equally important and you might feel overwhelmed and stressed. That’s often how I feel. 

Maybe I’ve said yes to too many things at once or things have taken longer than I thought and I’m left with too much to do. But it’s not possible to do everything at once. You can only do one thing at a time, so the thing that works for me is to write it all down, every single little thing. And from there you can do different things. 

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Episode 24

Either start with some of the small things. The things that will just take a few minutes to get out of the way to get some momentum. And then maybe you can ask yourself, out of everything on the list – if you can only do one, which will make the biggest difference in your business? Because so often we do things out of habit, without considering if they actually have a purpose. 

And so often we do client work first because it can often become a mental burden. Doing client work is of course very important. But instead of tackling that first, I recommend that you set aside specific days to deal with it and give yourself a long delivery time so that you always have time to focus on your business. 

So, take a look at your list with all the things and choose one thing to start with. And when that is done you can choose what to prioritise next. 

I’ve tried different strategies and one that’s worked very well for me, has been to write each item on a separate posit so I can only see one at a time so I won’t get distracted by seeing all the things.

Those are my main strategies when I’m in the midst of what feels very chaotic. But really, I urge you to take a step back. And start long-term planning. 

Decide on what matters most to you and structure your life (and business) around that. 

At the end of October, I’m setting up another Plan your best year yet mini workshop, where we’ll plan out 2024 together – just like we did last year. You’ll get all the details when it’s ready. 

But in the meantime, write down all your non-negotiables. Everything you can’t not do. And one thing you should count as a must is time off. Time with your family. Time just for you. Maybe you need more sleep, more time outside, more time with your kids. And that is most important. 

Because something you might notice when you start thinking about it, is that things take the time you have available. 

If you suddenly get sick or something comes up, things will still be okay. You’ll still get new clients, deliver work and the world won’t come to an end. 

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Episode 6

When I took a few months off last year, I still got new clients. I still managed to get the most important things done. And what I didn’t do was probably the things that weren’t that important. 

Right now I have so many things I want to do. But I can’t do them all so I have to choose. And most of the things I want to do, but don’t have the time for, no one knows about so it doesn’t really make a difference. Sure I still hope to get them done, but I’ve chosen to make new podcast episodes over posting daily on Instagram. I’ve chosen to set up more sessions for my group program over updating the course platform. I want to do it all, but that’s not an option right now. 

Key takeaways

Be to be ok with things not being perfect – and not being done. Because things won’t ever be perfect and there will always be more you can do. 

Want more?

Ingvild Kolnes is the host of the Sustainable Photography Podcast, an educator for photographers, and is ready to help you with your photography business. 

Join the waitlist for the Sustainable Photography Program. This program is designed to give you the knowledge and tools you need to create a thriving photography business that’s built to last. This program is designed to give you the knowledge and tools you need to create a thriving photography business that’s built to last.

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Sustainable Photography

93. Creating balance in your life and business

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