It is common wisdom that we should work “smarter, not harder.”

How can we apply this to our photography and lives?

Why do we think hard work is good?

The problem is that we are still thinking of productivity and efficiency in terms of the effort and hard work we put in. Think about when we were all farmers— we had to toil in the fields to reap a bountiful harvest, or else we would all die.

However before we were farmers, we were nomadic hunter-gatherers. Apparently the life of a hunter-gather (while short and brutish) was a lot more exciting. We had more leisure, as when we finished killing an animal, we could feast on it, and relax and hang around the campfire afterwards.

Why work for the sake of working?

In modern society, it makes no sense why we still work a traditional 40 hour workweek. In the past, we were promised that technology and computers would take off the load of us, so we could have more leisure to do creative work and fulfill our human potential.

However as our tools have gotten better, we are just suckered into doing more work.

A lot of our productivity is still rated by how many hours we put into work, rather than the final outcome.

For example, would you rather have an employee who worked 80 hours a week but only produced $500 for your company? Or would you have an employee who worked 20 hours a week but produced $20,000 for your company?

The answer is obvious — we measure results, not the effort.

Therefore it makes sense for us to work smarter and more efficiently, to get better results— rather than just “work hard” and put in a lot of hours.

How to work “smarter”, not “harder” in our photography

In our photography, I think we can also apply the same concept. We need to learn how to photograph smarter, not harder.

For example, what makes more sense: to walk around for 12 hours a day and only get 2 photos we are happy with? Or to walk around for 2 hours a day and get 5 photos that we are happy with?

I realized this from Alex Webb— who only shoots two times in the day (sunrise, and sunset— when the light is the best). He wakes up early to shoot the sunrise when the light is good, and then during the day takes a nap and hangs out, and then shoots intensely during sunset.

So think to yourself— how can you photograph “smarter”?

Perhaps that means photographing less frequently, but only in situations or places that bring you true excitement and joy.

If you’re a commercial photographer— perhaps it means only working on lucrative jobs, and refusing jobs that pay a little.

If you teach photography workshops, maybe that means teaching one workshop a month in a very popular location, rather than teaching workshops every weekend but in less popular locations.

The Pareto Principle

For those of you who study business and management, you might have heard of the “pareto principle” — or the 80/20 rule. The basic concept is that in a company, 80% of the profits are earned by 20% of employees.

As a photographer, you can apply this concept in different ways. For example, ask yourself these questions:

• Out of all my favorite photos, which 80% are shot with which camera? Perhaps you should stick with that camera/lens all the time.
• Which 20% of my photography clients earn 80% of my income?
• If you’re a blogger— which 20% of your posts drive 80% of your traffic?
• Out of all the photographers you follow, which 20% of them give you 80% inspiration?
• Which 20% of your photos are the 80% most popular?

It isn’t always a perfect 80/20 split. It can be a 99/1 split, a 90/10 split, or a 60/40 split.

But the basic concept remains the same — we need to learn how to work smarter, not harder.

How I’ve tried to work smarter, not harder in my photography + life

So for me, this is how I’ve tried to work smarter, not harder in my photography and life:

• Figure out which 20% of my workouts give me 80% of the results. I used to do all these pointless exercises in the gym. Now I only stick to the fundamentals: bench-press, deadlift, and squats. With bodyweight exercises, I just do pushups, chin-ups, and bodyweight squats.
• I tried to figure out which 20% of my workshops gave me 80% of the income. Therefore I’m trying to teach fewer workshops, and only focus on the ones that give me the greatest income for my effort/time.
• Trying to figure out which 20% of my activities build 80% of my value. For me, I think 80% of my value is created through blogging. Therefore I’m spending less energy and focus on other pursuits, to focus on how I can make the greatest contribution.
• I tried to figure out which camera gave me the best “bang for the buck” results. That was the Ricoh GR II camera— it is cheap, always with me, and have made me many photos I am happy with.
• I tried to figure out which 20% social media platforms have 80% the engagement. At the moment I’ve identified those as Instagram/Facebook — therefore I’m focusing my efforts there, and less on other platforms.
• 20% of my friends bring me 80% happiness. I focus on those 20% of my friends.
• 80% of my stress is attributed to 20% of the people in my life. I cut out the 20% of those negative people, and I’ve been much healthier and happy.

What is the one thing you want to focus on?

Life is short. Don’t focus on doing more work and working “harder.” Rather, identify where you create the most value for others, and focus on that. Work smarter.

This is a concept you can apply to all different aspects of your life.

Don’t be stuck in the “puritan work ethic” where hard work = your value as a human being. Focus on effectiveness, results, and the contribution you can make to humanity. Working for the sake of working is overrated.

So what is the main contribution you can make to others in your photography and life? Focus on that, and disregard the rest.

Always,
Eric