Oooh the off-season. So intensely anticipated, and yet once it arrives, so many of us turn into Ricky Bobbys- “what do I do with my hands? I don’t know what to do with my hands…”

In the past, the off-season’s been really difficult for me. Going from 60mph to ZERO is a hard stop, and if you’re not prepared for it, it can be a seriously unpleasant shock to your system. All of a sudden you go from not having enough time, to not having enough work, and it can leave you feeling purposeless and lazy.

Rome, Italie photographe de voyage | Abby Grace

Here’s the reality of the situation: during the heigh of the crazy season, I typically work upwards of 60-80 hours a week for several weeks on end (we’re working on getting that number down). So when the off-season hits, you’d think I’d feel like I’ve earned a bit of downtime, wouldn’t you?

But that’s where I struggle- somewhere along the line, I began to tell myself that it’s immoral for me to work less than 40 hours a week. Like somehow, if you’re not working consistently from 8-5, M-F, you’re a lazy, bad business owner. What?! That’s 100% UNTRUE. Especially if I consistently logged [a lot] more than 40 hours a week for months on end during the regular season. And let me be clear- no one has forced that sentiment on me- it was completely self-imposed.

Aix-en-Provence photographe de voyage | Abby Grace

Rest is not laziness. Rest is important! If I want to continue to love what I do, to serve my couples well, and to give back to the community I treasure, I NEED to refuel and recharge for the new season ahead. Ask any serious athlete- if you never give your muscles time to rest after an intense workout, your strength will never increase. Have you ever tried working straight through the night? I have, and my work suffers whenever I do. It’s typically after a good night’s sleep that I do my best work, so why am I having trouble applying the same sort of principle in a yearly format?

Because I’ve believed for so long that HUSTLE = success. And to be honest, sometimes it does. During his talk at the Rising Tide Summit, Jeff Goins said something like “if you do the work, results will follow.” There’s something to be said for the hustle.

Rome, Italie photographe de voyage | Abby Grace

But you can’t hustle 24/7/365 at the expense of falling out of love with what you do- hustle isn’t necessarily meant to be a long-term business strategy. I love this quote from a style blogger– “Hustle isn’t a beautiful life, it’s a state of crisis management.”

So after talking it through with Matt and our business coach, I’m giving myself permission to take time off throughout the week. To finally read that book I’ve been planing to finish, to play with watercolors, to fall back in love with black & white film.

To create for the sake of creating (without regard to my Instagram feed), to wander longer, sleep later, to have that extra cup of coffee.

Yes, there are things on my to-do list, and I’m definitely making time to get those done. But sitting behind a desk for 40 hours a week just for the badge of “being busy” isn’t doing anyone any good, and if I were to enter the 2016 wedding season feeling drained and exhausted, then I’d be one step closer to burning out. And I never, ever want to stop loving what I do- why else would I have quit my corporate desk job, if not for the sake of pursuing what I love?

Paris, France photographe de voyage | Abby Grace

Photog Friday: Part 1- What do you do in the “off-season?”

February 5, 2016

  1. Alicia says:

    Take time to ENJOY this!!!! We can’t wait to see more of your watercolors!

  2. Jean says:

    Glad to hear you are getting som relaxation! Everybody needs time to unwind and enjoy doing what makes you happy.

  3. Karen Field aka Mom says:

    Good for you! I’m glad that reflection has brought you peace in this area!

  4. […] we’re back with Part 2! Last week in Part 1’s post, we talked about the importance of rest, of pressing “pause” on the hustle. This […]

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