Routines Keep Me More Productive
[by Rosh Sillars]
If you are an independent photographer, routine may not be in your vocabulary. I enjoy my freedom. To me, the word routine conjures up images of restrictive cubicles, repetitive tasks and stressful commutes.
But, in order to keep my life on target I employ what I call my mini-routine. It contains specific action items I do every business day. Each of these actions only takes 10-20 minutes. My goal is to accomplish these tasks in the morning.
Each day is different and I need to be flexible. My only personal mandate is that each item in my routine be completed by end of day. My list contains the same six to eight things every day. Every few months I reevaluate the mini-routine and make adjustments where they are necessary.
What is on my routine list? Everything that I traditionally don’t like or let slip away as a best practice: exercise, accounting, sending thank you notes and home repairs.
The idea is to prevent small things from turning into big problems or projects. In the past I’ve left my accounting unreconciled for months. By spending just minutes each day on minimal tasks I stay on top of the game.
If you like exercise and find it to be a favorite pastime, then it doesn’t belong on your list. If you’re really good at keeping on top of your accounting — find something else to put in your routine.
I know that if I don’t eat a good breakfast each morning I’m not as productive during the day. Sometimes I need to put eating in my routine just to keep on the right path.
What are five or six things you don’t like or avoid that affects your business success or quality of life? If you create a mini-routine you will find it ultimately relieves stress, improves productivity and life harmony.
5 Responses to 'Routines Keep Me More Productive'
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I couldn’t agree more. I have worked independently (as a geophysicist, not a photographer, yet) for the last 10 years and learned early that a routine of doing the little accounting tasks each day prevents a really big job at year end. Month end is still a 4 hour day, but it is a smaller headache if I keep track of what I did each day. Hopefully it will continue as I morph into a photography career.
Great post–with working independently, it can be real easy to let the little things slip—there’s so much to remember. You’re not only a photographer, but also a book-keeper, agent, customer service rep, driver, computer tech and so on..making a routine helps me get everything done and helps keep me motivated.
Using the Get Things Done type of system and Omnifocus on my iphone/mac, I’ve set up repeating tasks of the same type of things that I have to do every day.
I think the satisfaction of ticking things off a list makes these types of mudane tasks seem much less than they used to. Like you’ve said the jobs don’t pile up and they just become part of your day after awhile.
Excellent comments.
This method really has worked well for me. I must concede I get off track once in a while, but because I have a solid foundation – it’s easy to get back on the right path.
Rosh
I don’t get it