Being Productive in busy season || Charlottesville and Lynchburg Wedding Photographer

It's officially busy season here in Central Virginia and I love it! Every single weekend I'm doing what I absolutely love and getting to celebrate with amazing couples! But, along with busy season means having A LOT more things to do, but less time to do it! Even when I'm shooting multiple weddings in a weekend, family sessions on the weekdays, I still want to maintain my client experience and produce images as soon as possible! 

The number one adjustment I've made this year to ensure that items on my to-do list are getting done, is scheduling an "Office Day" for myself.  And yes, I actually write it in my planner, and then put in my tasks in a block scheduling format on my iCalendar.  I refuse to do ANYTHING else on my Office Day other than be in my office. I won't volunteer in Emmie's classroom, meet anyone for lunch, schedule client meetings, or photo sessions on this day.  It is a day that I fully dedicate to tackling my workflow for the day.  If I have a double-header weekend where I'm shooting two weddings, I will make sure to block of, you guessed it, two office days.  

It's a simple solution that has helped me make huge strides in tackling my to-do list and staying productive during my busiest season! What simple changes have you made that have shown huge improvement? 

---

Ashley Eiban is a wedding and portrait photographer based in Central Virginia.  Serving Charlottesville, Lynchburg, Farmville, Richmond, Roanoke, and surrounding areas.  Available for travel world-wide.  

Ashley is passionate about chasing your dreams and doing what you truly love. Because of this, she has been serving couples for over five years and is incredibly thankful for each and every client.  Currently booking a limited number of wedding and portrait sessions for 2016 and 2017. Contact Ashley today for additional information.    

Taking Time Off: For Small Business owners || Lynchburg Wedding Photographer

Happy Friday Friends!! We are so excited for this weekend- and not just because this Saturday calls for 60 degrees! YES- you read that right!! I'm so excited because I have the weekend off- no babies to photograph at the hospital, no photoshoots or client meetings scheduled- just two entire days of no working! I'm so excited to be spending time with my family! This is going to be one of the last free weekends I have until after Easter, so to say I'm excited is a bit of an understatement! ;) Oh, but don't be too jealous- there's already talk of more snow next week. sigh. :/ 

Taking time off when you own your own business can be so difficult, but it's so important to take some time for yourself- and most importantly to me, for your family! I'm going to try my very best to unplug (haha easier said than done on my part!!) and enjoy this early Spring weather we're going to get! One of my big goals for 2016 is to schedule days off- and stick to it. This is one of the negatives that people don't really think about when they think of people owning their own businesses.  When you work a typical 9-5 job, you get to clock out, head home, and not think about the work needing to be done when you get back in the office on Monday morning.  A lot of times, I find myself using these "days off" to catch up on work, but for 2016 I'm going to be serious about recharging to avoid burnout! I know I'm not the only creative & small business owner that over-extends myself, says yes to way too many things, & stays up late when the creativity and motivation hits! I know, you guys, it's so difficult to take days off- to tell a client no, you don't have that day available- but I know in the long run, I will be so thankful for that scheduled time off! 

Taking these breaks will make me a better photographer, friend, wife, and mom.  I never want to look back at my life and be thinking about how often I worked and how much of her little life that I missed.   So, dear fellow small business owner, I want to encourage you to take some time off! Schedule some unplugged, planned days off to spend with your friends and family. I promise you- you will not regret it!! And please, help keep me accountable too!! I know I'm going to need that accountability! 

And, because I know that was a lot of words, here are some of my favorite photos from our family session with Lindsey Hinkley this past November.  (I know- shame on me for not sharing until now!!) 

---

Ashley Eiban Photography is a Wedding & Portrait Photographer based in Central Virginia- serving Lynchburg, Wintergreen, Charlottesville, Richmond, Roanoke, and surrounding areas. Available for travel world-wide- we LOVE destination weddings! Ashley Eiban is currently booking weddings and portrait sessions for 2016 and 2017 weddings.  Contact us today for additional information!