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Answers ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.
She replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”
She continued, “The stresses in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything.”
We All Have Our Own Glass of Water
I tend to put off things I don’t like to do. It’s true.
The longer I put them off, the less I want to do them.
But as time goes by, the stress builds up and starts to impact me, my other work, and my personal life (as I steal time away from my wife to work more).
How about you? What is your “glass of water”?
Do you procrastinate doing your business finances and get totally overwhelmed by the time tax season comes around? You’re not alone.
When you put off doing updating your books, you have no idea where they stand during the year and will have to spend a few hectic days preparing anytime you owe the government money. It’s just as important as doing any of these other tasks that help you grow your business.
I want to show you how to overcome this ugly cycle and be free from the stress it brings. Not only that, but you’ll be able to make better business decisions when you know exactly how your business is doing. Here are 3 easy tips for stress-free photography accounting!
1. Be Consistent with Organization
Sorting through paperwork can be the first major mental block that keeps you from doing your finances: “Ugh, it’s such a mess and I don’t know where to start.”
Keep your paperwork all in one place. Organize receipts by account and file them in that folder when you get them (don’t just drop them all in one huge stack). This goes for electronic records as well. Keep things tidy and ready to be used.
I will talk more about consistency in next week’s post about audits. Why? You’ll have to read it to find out.
2. Schedule It!
I know some people that spend Monday afternoon doing their books each week. It fits in their schedule and they don’t have to question it. It just gets done. Most small businesses need about 15 minutes a week to get their books up to date. Schedule it in and don’t let things like email and Facebook get in the way, and do not schedule a session or anything else during that time no matter what!
3. Setup Reminders
Create a system that reminds you when it’s time to do your tasks. Create reminders for when you have taxes to pay, reminders for when people need to pay you (yay for income!) and when you have to pay others (late fees are bad!).
It’s especially important to track repeating events like paying sales tax and quarterly tax estimates.
How to make your photography accounting a breeze
Check out the Easy Client & Money Manager, a simple excel spreadsheet that will help you keep track of both your finances and your client workflow all in one convenient place! It’s crazy easy to use and has organizational superpowers and will keep your finances all in order for your business, and your accountant will thank you for passing this to them instead of a big shoebox of receipts. Click here to check it out now!
