How to Balance a Photography Business with Being a Mom

When you are a mom, you already have a full-time job. Taking care of your children is your first priority so how can you possibly balance maintaining and even growing your photography business? It might take some time to find the right balance, and what works best for one mom may not work best for another, but it is completely possible to have the best of both worlds. If you are struggling to find the work-life balance that will allow you to be the mom you want to be while also pursuing your passion as a photographer then you might find these tips helpful.

1.  Prioritize

When it comes to juggling your family life and your business you need to sit down and think about where you need to focus your attention. Your business should be something that brings you joy as well as an income so make a list of the top tasks you need to do to ensure you are bringing in enough money while also loving what you do. This may mean having to say no to every offer you get. If you take on every client then you won't have much time left for your family, if you turn down too many offers than you won't have enough of an income to be able to enjoy time with your family since you will be stressing over the lack of income. Take the time to prioritize what will make you income and will leave you with time to be a mom.  It might even mean raising your prices in your photograph business. 

2.  Be Present

Whether you are working or playing with your kids you want to be present in the moment. It can be a challenge to have boundaries where you strictly focus on work without being interrupted with the kids. It can be just as much of a challenge to spend time with your kids when you are trying to answer emails or worry about images you have left to edit. Get into the habit of staying present and focus on what you are doing. Setting up work times and scheduled family times is a great way to balance your time between the two. You also need to ensure that everyone understands that when you sit down to work, that's what you need to do without interruption.  Setting aside at least one day a week to "not" work on your business and be present with your family can be rejuvenating.  You will be not only be refreshed and ready to get back to work after your day off but you will not carry around the guilt from not spending enough time with your family. 

3.  Self-care

When you're a mom you often forget to take care of yourself. When you're a mom running her own photography business self-care is even easier to forget about. While you want to take care of your family and watch your business grow you need to make time for just yourself. Spending some alone time or doing something just for you will allow you to relax, reboot, and make it easier for your to juggle everything else. If you don't take care of yourself and your health, you will easily become run down, frustrated and overwhelmed. Don't think of it as something selfish, consider your self-care your way of bettering yourself so you can better be there for your kids as well as your clients.