Being Busy is Not a Badge of Honor

My friend is getting married. She wanted to know everything about the photographer, so they became friends on Facebook. However, she came across some updates that alarmed her.

To me, these updates are common. To her, these updates come across completely different.

• 5:00AM “Whew. Just finished editing three weddings.”
• 4:00AM “Time for bed.”
• 1:00AM “My feet are exhausted, but what a wedding!”

I understand that we occasionally stay up late working. As a result, we sometimes say crazy things because it’s a crazy hour. Especially since Facebook is the only thing that is still awake, we like to share our thoughts on the interweb.

What we don’t realize is that there are many people reading and caring about this stuff … in a different way.

While being busy is worth adulation, when has it become a badge of honor?

In February 2013, I was invited to speak at the Dutch Wedding Congress. During that time, Mary Marantz, another speaker, raised this concern.

Busy as a Badge of Honor

I’m not trying to be the Facebook or Twitter police. However, these are some observations that I made. Always remember to put yourselves in the shoes of your followers and think about the impressions you leave, which may affect your business.

I sort of get the reasons why being busy is worth bragging. It means that you’re all booked up! In a way, it can be interpreted as a powerful social proof.

Conversely, it can show that you have poor management of time, even though you may be a time management guru. Unfortunately, that’s all that people can interpret your character on.

When has being busy until 5AM a good thing? Personally, I like to sleep at a decent time. The only reason why I would stay up late is because I wanted to watch cute cat videos on Youtube.

Related Article: 4 Steps to Make More Money and Have More Time

I have a good feeling that these types of posts are meant for industry peers. However, since most artists befriend their clients, we must be vigilant. If you keep a clear separation of personal and business updates, then none of this applies to you. I just so happen to know many who convolute the two spheres.

Imagine that I were a bride with a wedding on Sunday. How do you think I would feel if the photographer bragged about how late he / she stayed up to shoot and backup Saturday’s wedding?

“7:30AM: Got four hours of sleep. Time to shoot wedding #2. Coffee is my friend!”

Don’t boast about this.

In the end, it’s okay to be busy. Just do so in the proper time. Most importantly, be efficient during that work allotment.

I know that this might come across as common sense, but every now and then, something slips and it has repercussions. This is just a friendly reminder.

Take Time to Reflect and Decompress

Sleeping at a decent hour,

Lawrence Chan

P.S. If any European wedding creatives want to attend the Dutch Wedding Congress in Amsterdam, I believe that they’re going to announce registration for 2014 soon.

P.P.S. Lee shared a delightful email about my psychology behind pricing e-book.