Throughout my few years in business, I have realized that time is one thing I can never get enough of. Time building my business, time with my family, time editing…it can be all-consuming try to fit everything into the matter of one day. So if I can find small ways to save time, I am definitely going to utilize them!

1. Email Templates. By having and using email templates I am able to cut down on the amount of time sitting in front of my computer re-inventing the wheel each time a client emails me. Building email templates into each step of my workflow has saved me a lot of blue light headaches and hopefully a future not fraught with arthritis from typing so much! Sometimes email templates get a bad reputation as being impersonal, but I disagree! If you are able to really put your voice into each template, the client is going to feel that you are speaking directly to them. And of course you can add a little personal line to each one! 🙂 
2. Client Relationship Manager (CRM). Think programs like Honeybook, Dubsado, 17Hats, Pixify. All of these are created to make your life easier…so let them! A CRM is an investment, but one that can save so much time and so many [blue light] headaches. When shopping around for a CRM, I highly suggest finding one in which you can insert your workflows. Between an automated workflow and email templates…phew, your business will seriously begin to give you peace of mind, rather than menial tasks always being on your mind.
3. PhotoMechanic. I am embarrassed to tell you how long it took me to buy PhotoMechanic. I always culled in Lightroom and thought, “Well, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Lord have mercy, I didn’t know how broke my system was! Lightroom can definitely handle the size of RAW files; however, it cannot handle scrolling through RAW files as quickly as PhotoMechanic can. Initially I saw adding PhotoMechanic into my workflow as an additional step (which, technically I guess it is), but that “additional step” saves me probably….one to two hours of time per wedding. And guess what? I don’t even get paid to say that! I just truly love it that much.

Any time I have to “spend” in business, regardless of whether I am spending time or money, I have a hard time justifying it. For some reason, my brain makes it difficult for me to compute how much I’ll be saving in the future by spending now. These three items may cost you initially (creating the templates, purchasing the CRM and inputting your workflow, and purchasing PhotoMechanic), but I can promise you, they pay for themselves in the time you get back from doing menial and unnecessary tasks in a clunky and outdated way!

If you need help with email templates, score our FREE email template checklist here. If you are looking to expedite the process, you’re also able to purchase the email templates I have created for my business here!

Cheers to time and its savings!