One of my biggest struggles at the beginning of 2016 was productivity. I would wake up in the morning with every intention of tackling my to-do list, conquering the world and getting stuff done. But then I’d get distracted, end up lost on where to begin and never achieve anything during the day. It was a horrible cycle that was driving me crazy (AND costing me time in my business)! So, I made some huge changes to my schedule, organization and workflows in order to increase my productivity, improve my time management and make more money by getting things done!

Since I made those changes, I have seen HUGE improvements in my life. I get more things done, I tackle tasks one-by-one, am able to have time to blog and share my life online, I can maintain my business better AND have time for tasks that push my business forward! I think my biggest problem was that I’d have SO many overwhelming tasks to complete, that I wouldn’t know where to start. Instead of organizing them and just STARTING, I’d get too stressed out and wouldn’t work on any of my tasks I needed to get done. So, here are 3 changes I made last year to increase my productivity:

1. Set specific task days

At the beginning of last year, I would start my weeks with very little structure. I knew what things were on my calendar, but I had a long to-do list of regular tasks that needed to be completed with no schedule for when they’d get done. So, now I set specific days each week for certain tasks that need to be completed. For example, Mondays are my blog days. I type, prepare, schedule and set all of my blog posts (and coordinating social media) for the entire week on Mondays. I don’t schedule anything else or work on any other tasks that day each week. Look at your calendar and set specific days each week for the tasks you need to complete and STICK with it! Get into a routine!

2. Outsource the things taking up the MOST time

I know I’ve mentioned this quite a few times…but one of the BEST things I did for my business in 2016 was outsource! The largest task I outsourced was my editing, and it freed up HOURS of my time to work on other things and projects to grow my business further. Edit Source is an incredible resource (created by my editor, Marissa!) to find a private editor for your photography business! Analyze the areas of the business where you are spending the most time. Are these areas that someone else could be doing for you and maybe even doing BETTER? If so, consider outsourcing this year!

3. Use a business management software

How are you handling your client experience right now? Contracts, invoices, calendars, inquiries, bookings, proposals, questionnaires, packages, vendor recommendations? What if I told you that you could do ALL of this in one place online? Well, Honeybook offers JUST that! Honeybook changed my life last year when I switched to using their program for my business management and I’ve been obsessed with them ever since! Not only do they offer services that keep me organized and save me time, they also have a world class customer service team behind them. Consider using a service like Honeybook to change the face of your business and client experience for 2017!

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