Respecting Time: Why Managing Your Minutes is a Matter of Respect

A man wearing EMS-themed patches on his jacket checks his watch while carrying a camera, with an hourglass symbolizing the passage of time in the background.

When we talk about "time," it's easy to think about clocks, alarms, and schedules. But the real essence of time goes beyond just minutes ticking away. It’s about how we respect and manage those minutes and, in turn, how we respect the people around us.

Think about it: when you book a flight, that ticket tells you exactly when the plane plans to leave. The airline isn’t just arbitrarily choosing a time—they’re orchestrating a whole operation that depends on everyone being ready at that moment. If you’re late because of a flat tire or simply because you didn’t manage your time well, the plane won’t wait. That’s not because they’re being unreasonable—it’s because time is a shared resource, and respecting it is a matter of respect for everyone involved.

In the same way, when you schedule a photo session from 1:00 to 1:30 p.m., that half-hour is not just a block of time on your calendar—it’s a commitment that affects the next client who’s scheduled afterward. If you run late, you’re essentially asking to shift everyone else’s schedule and priorities. And while emergencies happen, the fundamental point remains: respecting time means respecting others.

I’ve always believed that we tend to make our own time mismanagement someone else’s problem. It’s easy to ask for leniency or to hope that someone will extend your session just because you were late. But in reality, that’s not respecting the next person’s time—or the professional who’s carefully arranged their schedule.

At Shooters Society Studios, we try to keep things fair and simple. If you’re late, we’ll do our best to use the time you have left. But we can’t always extend a session into someone else’s slot. It’s not about being strict for the sake of it; it’s about maintaining respect for everyone’s time and commitments.

So the next time you look at your schedule, think of time as a mutual agreement. When you respect time, you’re not just being punctual—you’re showing respect for everyone else who’s sharing that time with you.