Routines are so important when you’re running a business. They help keep you focused, accountable and provide structure so you can do business in an effective and efficient way. This is especially true with a bookkeeping routine.
They also help you make sure you’re getting paid, handling your bills and staying on budget – all pretty important parts of being successful!
It can be a bit overwhelming to start implementing bookkeeping routines when you’re not sure where to begin, so let’s dive into how you can get started.
First secret: your monthly routine includes a weekly routine. And it doesn’t have to be onerous. Find a comfy place to set up and grab your favorite drink. Set aside a chunk of time to really look over your numbers. It doesn’t have to be much time – I find about 20 minutes is the sweet spot. That’s enough for you to get something done without getting overwhelmed.
So now that you’re set up, what do you look for in terms of income on a weekly basis? Well…
- Have you invoiced all of your clients?
- Have all of your clients paid?
- Is there any outstanding work you haven’t done so you CAN get paid?
- Do you have any holdbacks from credit cards?
And what about expenses? You’re going to want to…
- Download and categorize your expenses
- Look at your bank and credit card statements to make sure your charges and purchases are legitimate
- Check your subscription services to make sure you’re not paying for something you no longer use
- Make sure you’re putting some money aside for savings
Once you’re doing this on a weekly basis, it’s time to start looking bigger picture on a monthly basis.
Every month you’re going to want to…
- Download and save your bank and credit card statements. They’re not available forever, which is why you want to keep them!
- Download copies of any checks you wrote
- Reconcile those documents in your bookkeeping system (trust me, it will save SO much time using a digital system to do this)
- Check out your monthly subscriptions and cancel anything you’re not using. I just canceled three subscriptions and saved myself $100 a month!
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If you start going this weekly, when it comes time for you to give your numbers to your accountant or do your taxes, you’re going to save time, money and your sanity!
I’ve seen tons of my clients implement these kinds of weekly and monthly routines and the effect is huge. Often they realize they’ve been overthinking their bookkeeping all along—their sense of overwhelm goes down, and relationships between co-owners improve.
The best thing is seeing business owners become empowered to make courageous, smart business decisions once they understand their numbers, so their companies continue to grow!
My 12-Month Bookkeeping Spreadsheet (which you can get HERE for free!) is a great tool to get you started with a baseline for your routines. You can use it to make running your business so much easier, simplify your numbers and get you organized, so you can get back to doing what you love.
You’ll never understand your numbers if you don’t know them in the first place, and routines are your ticket to mastering your books!
