How to Find Time for Learning Photography As A Busy Mom

One of the things that holds back many busy parents from learning photography is lack of time. 

They struggle with juggling the demands of childcare, the household, their partner, and rarely make getting time for themselves, or their hobbies, a top priority - maybe something that you can relate to as well, because I certainly can! 

But as I firmly believe that we are better parents and better partners when we do take time away from the household to do things for ourselves, today I want to share with you how you can create time in your busy schedule to learn photography, and most importantly, make the most of that time.  

Because if you only take away ONE thing from today let it be this: Always, always remember that time is a finite resource, in other words you can never, ever get more of it, so I want to make sure that you are being as productive as you can in the time allowed!

Step One:  Map out what you need to learn

The very first thing you need to do is work out where you are now, and then work out what you need to learn next, otherwise, you’ll find yourself wasting time - that non renewable resource - aimlessly googling, blog hopping, and potentially being distracted by that cute dog video on Instagram,  or simply "practicing" photography but not actually moving forward.  

So i want you to get really granular here, and map out your learning curriculum. Obviously, if you are in Auto to Awesome program, we have done all that for you, so all you need to do is log in and follow the steps there. 

If you are not a student, then you can create your own.  I do have a freebie for you that can help with this - our 90 Day Photography Learning Blueprint. You’ll find a link to it around where you’re watching this video. 

If you have a plan to follow, and you don’t let yourself get distracted by something shiny on the internet, every minute you spend learning photography will be productive, which means you’ll get where you want to be a whole lot faster. 

Step Two:  Add it Into Your Schedule

I hate to admit to being THIS organised, but I generally start each day with a plan of what I am going to do and accomplish that day.  

I have my full day mapped out in 30 minute sections, so I know what I can realistically fit into my "working" day. Although I don't always stick to it 100%, I've found it's been helpful to have a guideline to work to, and also to see where my time “sucks” are. 

I start by filling in the "immovable" stuff, like school drop off / pick up, lunches or dinners, any appointments or things like that etc. 

Around that, I add in the other stuff that needs to be completed that day - for me, that can be things like making videos, taking books back to the library, doing my business accounts, or going grocery shopping. 

The trick here is to ALSO schedule in time for learning photography.  

It doesn't have to be long - ideally you can schedule in a full 30 minute chunk,  but if not try for two 15 minute "slots".  I find that although 15 minutes isn't long, it's enough time to read a blog post, watch a video or practice a concept. (This is why most of the videos in Auto to Awesome are around 10 - 15 minutes long, so you can fit one in most days even if you don't get a lot of time)  

Now, take one of the smaller bite granular tasks from your learning curriculum, and schedule it into your day.  I can tell you that whenever you schedule something in, you are far more likely to make sure that it happens.  If you don't see "Practice with shutter speed photos" or "watch video lesson on depth of field" on your calendar / to-do list, it probably won't get done. 

(You can schedule in as many or as little of these as would like per week, but if you can commit right now to just 4 x 30 minute slots each week, you could have gone through the entire Auto to Awesome course and be in complete control of your camera by the end of six weeks. Just so you know 😁)

If you really can't spare 30 minutes to devote entirely to photography too often, then also think about ways you can incorporate it into a daily task. 

For example, maybe make your dog walking duties a time when you take your camera with you to practise - so that 30 minute dog walk is also your photography walk.  

Or when you are cooking dinner,  pop up your iPad or laptop and watch a lesson when chopping carrots.  (That's my personal favourite way to learn!)  

Or when your kids are painting, take photos of the activity and practise a certain skill or concept, for example, different light directions or shutter speed. 

So if you’re ready to take control of your time and put it to use learning photography so you can beautifully capture the people and moments that matter most, then be sure to download that free 90 Day Photography Learning Blueprint and start mapping out your curriculum!

Thanks for watching and I’ll see you next week!