Recently, I said ‘no’ to something that was really difficult for me to say no to.

I decided to stop working on my planner so I could focus my full attention on photography for the foreseeable future. This decision will probably shock some people, because I’ve been prototyping and testing this planner for MONTHS, and I’ve had so many exciting ‘a-ha’ moments in the process!

But have you ever felt like you were being pulled in a million directions and weren’t really doing anything to the best of your ability? That’s exactly how I felt before dropping this project, and I hope you can take a thing or two from what I learned.

Here are 3 reasons why I stopped working on my planner project.

First, I know that action produces clarity. All of those break-through a-ha moments? They all came to me when I was actively working with creative entrepreneurs and giving them my full attention. When I’m working on 10 things at once, it’s easier to miss the little insights that help me meet the needs of my clients best.

Have you ever worked on a project that made you feel like you were running in circles? The solution probably isn’t to run harder! I know that hitting pause on this project is going to create space for new ideas and inspiration. Rest can be productive!

Second, I can’t do everything to the best of my ability at once. Yes, I can balance a lot of projects at once, but I can’t do them all to the best of my ability. Like most things in life, productivity demands trade-offs. I can do anything, but I can’t do everything, which leads me to my third point.

Third, there are a few very exciting things happening in my photography business that I need to prioritize right now, and as much as I love working on the planner, it’s not one of them. I need to cut some fat, so to speak, if I’m going to finish these other projects to the best of my ability.

I recently listened to a podcast where Rory Vaden, personal branding expert, defined ‘patience’ as ‘the permission of incomplete’. As someone who lacks patience (to put it lightly), this definition was a breath of fresh air for me. I’m giving myself permission to press pause for now, but that doesn’t mean I won’t finish it in the next season!

Patience is not failure. It’s not giving up. It’s saying no for a season, and coming back to something when the timing is right.

I truly believe that to grow a successful business, you need to learn how to prioritize what’s most important and ignore the rest, sometimes temporarily and sometime permanently. There’s no sense in pushing harder if the timing isn’t right.

What do you need to have patience for this season? I’d encourage you to think about what’s most important for your business right now and what can wait.

If productivity and personal branding are your jam too, I’d love to connect! Find me on Instagram @jadeboydphotography, and let me know what you took away from this post!