[YOUR EDITING WORK FLOW]

See? We're aiming high.

 Follow these steps for efficient workflow and increased production:

1.   Cut the tabs. Use grooveshark or spotify and leave your email tab open,  but STOP facebook and feedly while you’re on the job. Cutting the distractions is paramount to establishing good self discipline.

2.   It is absolutely essential that you STAY IN THE FOLDER YOU NEED TO WORK ON. Don’t hop from session to session, stay in the place you need to work. Doing the opposite of this is tried and true, and…doesn’t work.

3.   Start at the beginning, and work your way to the end. Basically, the hopping from favorite to favorite needs to stop. Now. Part of getting paid to do a job is working. And, since you’re no longer five and building block castles, this isn’t going to look glamorous (all the time, at least). Slog through it, from beginning to end. And then it will be done, and your clients will be pleased with you! And you’ll be pleased with yourself, which is always an added benefit (Just don’t take it too far please).

4.   Set goals for yourself. Choose a number of pictures that you have to edit before you leave the job. Don’t even open up Lightroom if you’re going to edit less than, say, 20 photos. This assures at least some results, and puts you in the right mindset.

5.   Be decisive. This one’s important! How many times have you edited a set of pictures with one filter, only to find that you like a different one better? And how many times has this lead you to redo the entire set of pictures? More than once? I’m cringing.

6.   DELETE THE REJECTS. This accomplishes two things.  1, it cuts down on the files in the album so you can keep track of the good ones, the ones you’ll give to the client. And 2, it saves space on your computer! There are so many reasons to do this, and not doing it is just cementing laziness and failure.

7.    Think of this the right way. Remember that your job is important, it’s a big deal, people are counting on you, you’re getting paid for this. You don’t really have an option on whether you’ll do it or not, so why not make it easier on everyone and just get it done in the best way possible?

8.   Quality control. Go over the pictures in a detailed way, and don’t let little mistakes slip past. Get other people’s opinions on which photo to choose, or which edit you’ll go with. Basically, become a detail freak without letting perfectionism get a strangle hold.

9.   If you’ve got a seemingly colossal work load, setting aside at least an hour a day in which you’re certain to plug away at the job will have an enormous impact on that stack. Just as the projects build up over time, so does the slow and steady get-er-done method. It snowballs, and pretty soon it’ll be Christmas!

10. Train yourself to succeed. Keep yourself in the right mindset, and don’t grow stagnant. Remember to learn something new every day. Don’t stop taking pictures, flip through other people’s work, read another article, take on a new challenge! And, even though this is hard, be open to criticism. It’s all about becoming a better artist.

 As Abraham Lincoln once said, “Whatever you are, be a good one.” Keep all this in mind, and you’re set! 

Now back to the dungeon. I mean, Lightroom.