The Rolling To-Do List
I'm a single dad of three kids, work a full-time job, and love spending time with the people I love.
One of my biggest frustrations in life is a lack of time.
So many people to talk with, so many projects to undertake, so many ideas to make real, so much art to make, so many artists to help, so many books to read, so many blog posts to write, so many e-mails to send, so many games to play, so many movies and YouTube videos and music videos and CreativeLive courses to watch...
The math equation to determine your level of frustration is:
Ambition X Busyness
And don't forget to carry the "I have barely enough energy to scroll through Instagram..."
I've written before about essentialism - the art of doing the most important work first. And I've written a series on time management and prioritization and motivation.
I'm re-reading the book Scrum by Jeff Sutherland, and here's just one trick from that powerful organizational system:
The Rolling To-do List
(or Backlog, in Scrumspeak)
Emma has two boys, both under the age of 3 - both are napping less and less as they get older, which is leaving Emma hurting for time to work on her photography business.
She e-mailed me recently asking the ultimate time management question: how do I get more done in less time?
Particularly when that time isn't consistent...15 minutes here, 2 hours there...
I'm a big fan of time blocking: scheduling chunks of time, usually 90 minutes, to deep dive into the Next Steps work of your art and business. But that won't work if you have woeful little control over your free time. (I'm trying to get this e-mail out in the next 16 minutes before I need to wake up my youngest from her nap and fetch the eldest from her color guard practice.)
I'm compelled to turn this post into a 10-page course on Scrum Lite For Photographers, but let me focus on the rolling to-do list.
- Step 1: Create your backlog. List every to-do list item you could possibly dream of here. Nothing is too big or too small.
- Step 2: Roughly prioritize this list by putting the most important stuff at the top. (no perfection here, you can change it later)
- Step 3: Break down your top 3-5 to-do list items into baby steps: the smallest bite-sized, doable version of Next Steps to complete and achieve arguable success with that project or action item.
- Step 4: Anytime you have time, from 5 minutes to 90 or beyond, just bring up your list and start working on Item #1. Don't think about it, don't ponder the perfection of it, just Do The Work. If Item #1 is a beast that you can make no tangible progress on in 5 minutes, and you only have 5 minutes, grab the highest-level item that you CAN make progress on in the time you have.
- [Advanced: Next to each item, assign a Fibonacci number equal to the item's perceived requirement of effort: 1 for fast and easy (a 1-5 minute task), 2 for harder, 3, 5, 8, 13 for the ugliest frogs to swallow. Or, if you prefer, rate by dog: Chihuaha, Shih Tzu, French Bulldog....to Great Dane.]
Test this for 30 days. See if you're not making more progress with what little time you have on the most important actions that will move you forward in your art and business.
Then, change anything and everything about this system you want, to make it work FOR YOU. Have the confidence that you're smart enough to see what is and isn't working, and to change things and test them to see how to make it work better.
And, yes, this does mean you have permission to go out and buy a bunch of colorful sticky notes and turn your wall into a makeshift Running To-do List or Scrum board.
Have fun. :)
What's your biggest hesitation to testing this system? What is and isn't working for you in time management? E-mail me and let me know.
James Michael Taylor
www.parttimephoto.com
Read this if you're socially anxious
I’m not going to tell you to get over it. To just brave up and get outside your comfort zone. Nor to accept defeat.
If you suffer from severe social anxiety, it’s a non-starter to suggest you start cold calling potential co-op partners or approaching strangers at Starbucks. I encourage this kind of direct engagement because it gets you booked solid faster.
But it’s not the only path to success.
I have a lot of heart for my fellow artist-entrepreneurs who suffer from social anxiety. How to grow your art and business when so many ‘normal’ social interactions are anywhere from hard to impossible?
It’s okay. Your path just looks different.
Your path is more passive. Your path is more digital. Your path is slower, but equally persistent, with just as much hustle, and potential.
I know you’re not using social anxiety as an excuse to be lazy, or to not ‘brave up.’ I know that just answering the phone or being the first to reach out by text or e-mail is a BIG deal, with powerful physical and emotional reactions.
Some of us are in wheelchairs. Some of us have weird senses of humor. Some of us are almost blind. Some of us are socially anxious.
- Step 1: Give yourself grace, and let go of the sense that you even need allowance or forgiveness for your social anxiety. It’s just a reality, one ingredient in the recipe that makes you the unique artist and person you are.
- Step 2: Let go of all the BS stories that make you feel bad for how you are, that make you feel unworthy or incapable of success. If you wouldn’t tell someone in a wheelchair or with no hair or with a lisp that they can’t be a professional photographer because of how they are, then stop telling yourself the same.
- Step 3: Let’s brainstorm. If you accept your social anxiety and stop feeling bad about it, if you let it be okay, what are the new rules of your game as an entrepreneur? How are you going to rewrite your story and game plan and road map as a professional photographer to work with your social anxiety instead of through or around it?
Take this idea as far as you can for now. Then start executing on it.
Stuck here? Not sure how to untie this knot? E-mail me and let me know, and we’ll work on it together.
James Michael Taylor
www.parttimephoto.com
P.S. I have a book in the hopper on how to deploy my Freemium Photography business model specifically for those with social anxiety. Would you like to see me move that book up in my writing queue? Drop me a line and let me know!
What's my professional photography niche again?
A conundrum:
One of the fastest ways to gain traction as an early-stage professional photographer is to tighten your niche: who specifically do you serve, and in what unique way?
But...how do you know what niche you want to serve if you haven't worked with enough clients?
Coaches of coaches Greg Faxon and Toku McCree were talking authentic sales and marketing last week, and Greg brought up the concept of the niche spiral:
Instead of looking at choosing your niche as a final and inflexible sentence, look at the process of defining your niche as a spiral. You start on the outside with a rough idea of what kind of niche you want to serve, and as you do shoots and gather data, as you work with different kinds of clients, you begin to circle in on the kinds of clients you most love and want to serve.
Start with your obvious preferences: if you hate kids, don't be a family photographer. If you love kids, start with them. If you love moody, emotional, moving black and white relationship portraiture, make that. If you hate that moody stuff and love wild colors and pillow fights and big laughter, well...make that.
If you have no clue, try this:
1. What kind of photos are you drawn to? If multiple kinds or styles, how could you synthesize and remix those styles together for your own vibe?
2. Think back to a time when you experienced and overcame a hardship. How can you connect that experience, those emotions, to the kinds of clients you might like to serve? This offers built-in empathy and understanding with your clientele.
3. What are your hobbies and interests outside of photography? What's your best friend's personality like? Where does he or she shop or hang out? Build an avatar of your ideal client from the people you most like to spend time with.
From here, make something up and test it. Form a thesis: "I like portraits of kids having fun being kids, with lots of color. I remember being the nerdy but creative theater kid, and what that was like in school. I love music and video games. My best friend and I love to crack wit, solve problems, and talk about health and fitness. We shop or hang out at Starbucks, Vitamin Shoppe, Planet Fitness, Barnes and Noble, and Texas Roadhouse."
That paints a pretty vivid picture of a niche to test, right?
Do what works for you to get some clarity:
- Mind map these words and ideas, see how it all connects for you;
- Print out a bunch of images that represent these truths for you, lay them out on the table or floor, and start moving things around to see the relationships;
- Talk this out with a good friend and see what they see that you can't see clearly.
Once you have a grasp on the niche you want to serve, just keep that front and center: make sure your art communicates your love for that niche; also your portfolio, your web site, your blog and e-mail newsletter, your business cards, the places you advertise and leave your flyers and volunteer.
Test for 3-6 months. See what hits, what misses. Iterate.
And when and if you want, change it all up. Remember, this is your business: you can change anything and everything you want, anytime. Test. Learn. Adjust. Pivot. Grow. Change.
Your niche is a direction, a focus, a love letter. It's neither a cage nor a death sentence. It's a way of telling yourself, and your market, "FOR NOW, this is who I serve, why I serve them, and how I am the uniquely right photographer for them."
What's the biggest challenge holding you back today? E-mail me and and let me know.
James Michael Taylor
www.parttimephoto.com
What excuse do your clients have to be photographed?
A big sale.
A smart promotion.
A themed mini-shoot.
A tight niche.
A charitable event.
A fun social experience.
A feeling of family.
A feeling of fun.
A feeling of beauty.
What are the GREAT excuses you are giving your potential clients to say YES to a photo shoot with you?
Different clients have different wants, need, interests, pains, desires.
How are you varying your marketing efforts to give each of those clients - all within your tight, targeted niche - to say YES to a photo shoot?
Which of the triggers of sales influence - scarcity, reciprocity, social proof, etc. - are you employing to compassionately help the RIGHT people say YES to a photo shoot that would bless them?
If your answer is “I’m not,” or “I don’t know,” drop me an e-mail at james@banderaoutlaw.com and let me know where you’re struggling.
Fair warning: my first question in response will probably be, “Why is that?”
Within your answer to that question is probably the solution you’re looking for.
James Michael Taylor
www.parttimephoto.com
A photo party makes a great consolation prize
Reader Emma recently hosted a giveaway contest to grow her e-mail newsletter list (a great idea!). But she wasn't sure what to offer as a thank-you to those who didn't win:
---
I also want to send a welcome/thank you email to all the people who subscribed to newsletter to enter the giveaway contest, but not sure what to include in it yet (was thinking I’d offer the discount but now not...)
---
She and I talked a bit about discounting before. I'm not a fan of devaluing your work, but definitely a fan of creative barter, such as for video testimonials or introductions to referrals.
For a consolation prize, a photo party is not a bad idea:
* One hour
* Location of your choosing (the park, or wherever you have good light)
* Serve some light refreshments (bonus if homemade)
* Make mini-shoot portraits of everyone who attends (if they entered your giveaway, they're hot leads, right?)
* Do it all for free. They only have to RSVP.
Then send reminders out the week and day before the party.
For whoever shows up (whether that's one person or a dozen), give them the red carpet treatment for that hour. Laugh, ask questions, be curious, get to know them, make it social and fun and light, no sales pitch; just a really nice, good experience for all.
That way you're not lowering the value of your work - you're giving a red carpet VIP experience, and getting invaluable face time with people who could be your next ideal clients.
Are you booked solid for the next 13 weeks with a waiting list forming? If not, drop me an e-mail at james@banderaoutlaw.com and let's talk about ideas.
James Michael Taylor
www.parttimephoto.com
What to ask your photography clients for a great testimonial
Let this percolate in your imagination...and then go do it:
[After your in-person sales / proofing session...]
Listen [name], I really, really enjoyed working with you / your family on this photo shoot. I love your [personality trait, etc.], and I'd love to work with more clients like you...
Would you mind if I do a quick 'interview' with you for a testimonial?
Would you mind if I record the interview for later when I compile my notes?
Would you mind if I share the recording with other people? People love video, and it makes for the best testimonials. [many will say 'no thank you' to this, and that's okay - not many folks like being on video, but the few who say yes will be powerful social proof for you]
How do you feel about the photos we made together?
Which photo was your favorite, and why?
What did you enjoy about your experience with me as your photographer?
Would you recommend me to your friends? Why?
What could I have done to make your experience better?
Will you use me again for your professional photography needs? Why?
Can we go ahead and book your next shoot? Do you want to shoot again in three months, six months, or a year?
Who do you know who would be blessed with a photo shoot like yours? Could you share their contact information with me? Would you be willing to introduce me to your friend over lunch or coffee, my treat? Could we tentatively set that up now?
[protip: ask your client to sign a model release, so there's never any question whether or not you have permission to use their photos, name, and testimonial]
Harvesting and deploying social capital is one of the catalysts to success as a professional photographer. Don't be afraid to ask your client to spend a few minutes after the sale to help you reach more people like them and bless them with your art.
Need some help with your process to harvest social capital like this? Drop me an e-mail at james@banderaoutlaw.com and let me know what's holding you back.
- James Michael
Of Dungeons and Dragons and Professional Photography
Don’t worry.
Whatever you’re doing right now to make better art and be a better professional, even if it feels like you're spinning your wheels, is forward momentum.
Steve Arensberg and I were talking recently about that hard, frustrating, slow “grind work” when you’re slogging through a motivational dip, and compared it to “killing rats for experience points in Dungeons and Dragons.”
Keep that in mind when you’re clumsily playing with Manual settings, practicing depth of field work, and photographing your kid/friend/cat for the 316th time.
You’re killing rats for experience points.
It all adds up.
What's the biggest challenge holding you back today? E-mail me and let me know.
- James Michael