10 Habits to Embrace for a Wealthier 2024.

With 3 decades behind the lens, I've learned that the path to prosperity in photography business isn't just about shooting the perfect shot—it's about cultivating the right habits and mindset.

I'm sharing critical insights into transforming your approach to photography work and wealth. Let's dive into the 10 habits you need to incorporate for a wealthier, more successful career.

Habit 1: Shifting From Value-Based Earning Over Time-Based Billing

Shifting from time-based earning to value-based earning is about recognizing and charging for the unique value you bring to each project, not just the time it consumes.

Instead of billing hourly or daily, you assess the impact your work has on your client's goals, be it brand exposure, sales, or emotional impact in personal photography.

This approach allows you to set prices based on the significance and quality of the work, not merely the duration it took to create it.

Value-based pricing acknowledges your expertise, creativity, and the unique style you bring to the table.

Actionable Step: Identify the unique elements you bring to a project and articulate this value to your clients.

Develop pricing packages that reflect the quality and impact of your work rather than the hours spent. Charge by the project or idea, not by the hour.

Habit 2: Organizing for Success

Organizing your space is more than a tidying-up exercise; it's about creating an environment conducive to creativity and efficiency.

In a clutter-free space, your mind is less distracted and more able to think clearly and creatively.

Organizing isn't limited to physical space but extends to your digital realms as well.

Efficient file management, well-structured archives, and a streamlined workflow can significantly reduce time wasted navigating through clutter, leading to a more focused and productive creative process.

Is your workspace a shit show?

How can you have a clear focused mind if you are surrounded by distractions?

Respect yourself enough to organize the place that you work.

You’re a photographer. You are asking people to trust you with their image.

You have to be the example. Start with your workspace and your level of organization.

Actionable Step: Implement a regular cleaning schedule for your workspace.

Organize your desk space before you start to working every single time and declutter it at the end of your session.

Use digital tools to manage files and create a systematic workflow for projects.

Habit 3: Weaponizing Parkinson's Law

Parkinson's Law states that "work expands to fill the time available for its completion."

Understanding this can significantly boost your productivity by encouraging you to set tighter deadlines, thus reducing the likelihood of task bloat and procrastination.

It's about setting ambitious yet realistic deadlines that challenge you to focus and prioritize effectively.

This principle pushes you to eliminate unnecessary perfectionism and inefficiencies, leading to more decisive action and better use of your time.

Actionable Step: Break projects into smaller tasks with individual deadlines.

Use a timer to allocate specific periods for each task, avoiding unnecessary extensions.

Habit 4: Avoiding the Endless 'Paper Cuts'

Small, seemingly insignificant tasks or distractions can cumulatively sap your energy and focus.

Do you remember your last paper cut? A single paper cut is painfully irritating.

Now imagine how multiple paper cuts per day could ruin everything.

Tasks you take on that aren’t working you towards your goals are paper cuts.

This can include constantly checking emails, social media, or agreeing to minor requests that individually don't seem time-consuming but collectively impede your productivity.

Recognizing and avoiding these 'paper cut' distractions allows you to conserve energy and focus for the high-value tasks that genuinely propel your career forward.

Actionable Step: List common distractions and develop strategies to avoid them.

Use time-blocking methods and set specific periods for checking emails or social media.

Habit 5: Discipline Over Motivation

Motivation is an unreliable ally.

Motivation is often influenced by external factors and emotions, while discipline is the steadfast commitment to your craft, regardless of how you feel.

Discipline means setting a structured routine that includes all aspects of your photography business — shooting, editing, marketing, and even advancing your photography education.

It's about making a commitment to these activities and following through consistently, ensuring continual progress and refinement of your skills.

Looking outward for someone or something to get you going on something you know you need to be doing?

If this is you, likely if you can’t find motivation, you don’t act.

We have to stop looking outwards for motivation and start ruling our own destiny.

This comes from discipline.

Actionable Step: Create a detailed daily schedule that includes time for all aspects of your business.

Stick to this routine diligently, focusing on discipline as your driving force.

Habit 6: The 33% Rule

The 33% Rule suggests concentrating your efforts on a few select goals or projects to ensure meaningful progress.

By limiting your focus to up to three significant tasks or goals annually, you channel your resources and energy more effectively, ensuring each receives the attention and effort it deserves.

This focused approach prevents the dilution of your efforts and ensures each goal is a substantial step forward in your career.

You only get 24hrs in a day and you only get to access 100% of your effort.

There is no ‘giving more than you have’.

Decide what are the most important actions in your life to master in order to get to your next level.

Relating to photography specifically, focus on 3 areas of your photography business that need the most work.

Is it the work itself? Your online presence? Your marketing?

If you isolate your 3 most troubled areas and focus on them only, they quickly won’t be troubled areas anymore.

Actionable Step: At the beginning of each year, identify three major goals that will more your career forward.

Develop a plan with milestones for each goal and regularly track your progress.

Each month, identify three major goals and write down reasons why achieving them are important stepts towards your end goal.

Each day write down three tasks that you would be incredibly disappointed in yourself if you didn’t complete.

Habit 7: Share Your Goals

Sharing your goals with others creates a psychological commitment and sense of accountability.

When you vocalize your ambitions to a mentor, community, or even on social media, you're more likely to follow through due to the perceived expectation from others.

This external pressure, combined with the support and feedback from your community, can be a powerful motivator in pursuing and achieving your goals.

Keeping your goals secret ensures that there is no one asking you “how’s it going?” No one encouraging you and no one shaming you when you decide to quit.

If you’re keeping your goals secret, it means you don’t want anyone shaming you when you fail to meet them.

In fact you may believe, you’ll never meet them.

Sharing your goals publicly creates public accountability.

This makes it near impossible not to act on the things that you’ve said you’d do with your camera and your photography business.

Actionable Step: Publicly commit to your goals through social media, blog posts, or community groups.

Regularly update your network on your progress to maintain accountability.

Show, tell and share what you’re doing or trying to do.

The insight you’ll gain along the way from a community is invaluable.

Habit 8: Embrace Progress, Not Perfection

Perfectionism, while often seen as a positive trait, can actually hinder progress and growth.

It can lead to procrastination, fear of failure, and never sharing your work.

Embracing progress means understanding that every project won't be flawless and that mistakes and imperfections are valuable learning opportunities.

It's about continuous learning, adapting, and improving, rather than being paralyzed by the pursuit of the unattainable perfect image or scenario for you to start your photography business. There never will be a perfect scenario.

Actionable Step: Set realistic expectations for your projects.

After completion, reflect on what you learned and how you can apply these lessons to future work.

Habit 9: Foster Inspirational Relationships

The people around you significantly influence your outlook, creativity, and work ethic.

Surrounding yourself with ambitious, positive, and like-minded individuals can inspire and motivate you to push your boundaries.

Regularly evaluate your network and seek relationships that challenge you, offer new perspectives, and support your growth.

This might mean seeking mentors, joining creative communities, or collaborating with peers who inspire you to elevate your work.

Actionable Step: Evaluate your current network and seek out individuals who inspire you. Edit out individuals that are energy vampires or not supportive to your or your goals.

Unfollow social media accounts that don’t inspire, educate or cause you to act.

Join communities or groups where you can meet mentors and other shooters who share your aspirations.

Follow inspirational accounts and photographers that make you want to put down your phone and pick up your camera.

Habit 10: Prioritize Your 'Frogs'

The concept of 'eating the frog' means tackling the most challenging and significant tasks first.

These tasks are often the ones you're most likely to procrastinate on but are crucial for driving your business forward.

Prioritizing these tasks each morning ensures that you make meaningful progress every day.

It sets a productive tone for the day and provides a sense of accomplishment that fuels further productivity.

Actionable Step: Each morning, identify the most crucial task for the day and make it your first priority.

Then eat that frog.

Frogs aren’t tasty.

Therefore best eaten first thing in the morning.

Reward yourself upon completion to reinforce this productive behaviour.

By understanding and implementing these ten transformative habits, you're not just setting the stage for a wealthier 2024, but you're committing to a continuous journey of growth and success in your photography career.

Each habit is a step towards optimizing your workflow, enhancing your creativity, and expanding your business.

Embrace these changes, and watch as your shooting career flourishes into a more fulfilling and prosperous journey.

Here's to a transformative year ahead in your photography!

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