The Slow Down

When this year’s calendar rolled over, I made one goal: to work less; to slow down. I have been pushing myself to grow my business, gain clients, and be a super mom, who is always available. I completely depleted myself. I am a family photographer, but I was not finding a lot of joy in my own family. I was so stressed about not doing enough, that I was doing everything poorly.

I struggle with asking for help. I truly believe that people close to me will understand that I need help and magically take over. After living this way for most of my adult life, I have decided that it is not working as well as I would like. Apparently, no one around me has mind-reading abilities. When I use my words and ask for help, people help. Shocking how that works.

I started by taking a look at the things that drained me. How can I make them enjoyable? How can I make them faster? Cleaning the bathrooms and packing lunches were at the top of my list. My husband cleans the bathrooms now. My kids pick Thursday or Friday to eat school lunch. I prep all fruits and veggies when they come in from the grocery store. It also makes dinner prep faster. Changing these small things helped make all the other mundane tasks more tolerable. Once I let in the negative, everything goes negative quickly!

I have been organizing a closet, drawer or other clutter space every week. I know it sounds like work, but I have been so stressed out by the amount of clutter and trash that is living in this house. It has cleared so much mental space to clear things out. I have more space for things that fit our life better now too.

I plan two hours every week to sit down for one hour. I can read, watch a soapy teen drama, craft, or whatever I want that is not cleaning or working. It has been amazing to carve out time for myself—to simply slow down. While it is not necessarily productive, it has helped me feel like I’m more than just the jobs I do. I have been in a better mood with my family, I feel more productive during shoots, and I enjoy my house more. I never realized how detrimental always working was for me. This still is not a significant length of time, but it’s a great start for me!

I stopped following a lot of accounts on IG, there were some that made me feel like a total failure. There were lots that did not provide joy to my life. I was social media cluttered. I do value a different perspective and thought process than my own, but there was too much noise. It was not benefiting me. Now, I see hilarious reels and things that I really want to see.