>> Simplifying bookkeeping, and making it a painless process <<
Every day, for the last three months or so, or at least since the latest lockdown, the kids have done their school work from home
- on the dining table to be precise.
I'll spare you the details, but suffice to say, this has been a pain
... and then some.
Myself, my husband, and my seven and eleven year old daughters crowded around the table working.
Patience and tempers have often frayed at the edge.
If you're in a similar position, I'm sure you can relate.
But I've found something that has helped throughout this time.
It's been simple and quick to do, but has saved much stress.
And it's something that has much in common with bookkeeping, as I'll come on to.
And that's to be prepared.
Actually, it's also about creating a routine - the two go hand-in-hand.
The night before the girls 'school day', I'll log onto the learning portal and go through their activities for the next day.
I'll then work out the order of activities, for example, generally for Rosie, my seven year old, I'll start with maths because I know by the afternoon getting her to concentrate on anything will be a challenge. But for Emelia I'll start with a lighter activity just to get her warmed up.
Then I'll print out all the necessary work sheets and leave them on the dining table.
Now when the morning rolls round the girls know exactly what they're doing, and in what order.
It makes things less rushed and stressful for everyone first thing in the morning.
Selfishly, it also means they're able to complete their activities quicker, leaving us to work in peace.
As I mentioned, this is a little like bookkeeping.
The main difference being you don't even need to dedicate as much time i.e. you don't need to do it every night.
Instead, set aside some time you can concentrate on bookkeeping for your business perhaps once a week, or even once a month.
But by getting into a routine, you will remain up to speed on your income and expenses. You'll be able to monitor invoice payments from clients. You can log expense receipts, and record cash expenses.
Let it build up, and get on top of you, and you'll waste a huge amount of time, expense, and stress trying to figure things out.
Perhaps you schedule a day a month where you're not on site. Or working on clients projects. Instead, you stay at home, or the office, and update your books.
With bookkeeping it's best to be proactive, and get into a routine.
Best, Sarah
P.S. Don't forget to go refer back to the other bookkeeping tips in this series.