Working From Home: Routines are Crucial

I've been working from home for two weeks now. It's been awesome and also a bit of a struggle. I didn't realize how reliant I had become on my routines, and now that I have no routine I've been thrown for a loop! 

Back when I had a day job I would wake up between 5:30 and 6 to shower, get some client work done, and get ready for the day. I'd drive 30+ minute downtown to the office, do the banking thing until lunch when I'd pull out my personal computer and do client work for an hour before going back to the banking thing until 4:30 when I would either go home to work more or head to a coffee shop to work before meeting a friend for dinner or something. 

Things varied a little, but that's what life looked like the past couple years. Busy but predictable. 

Now that I can do whatever I want whenever I want, it is a little overwhelming! Don't get me wrong - it is pretty wonderful too. Last week storms blew through our state, and James got to sleep in. So I decided to make biscuits and gravy for us!

The next day I took an hour in the afternoon to work out. And by work out, I mean I read a book and walked around our pool for about an hour. (Full disclosure: our pool turned green the next day. I have no idea what happened!)

My first week working for myself I took a quick trip to Dallas for a networking event - on a Tuesday! I stayed with a friend and worked from her couch. And last week I took a few hours in the afternoon to run errands and visit the AT&T store to get a new phone. (Upgraded to a 6! And I snagged a half-price Kate Spade case, so it was a win all around.)

Clearly I've been taking advantage of the flexibility. But two weeks in I realize I NEED routine to succeed. So I'm working on creating a routine I can stick with. If you work for yourself, any tips? I've got some ideas but I'd love to know how other people do it. 

Previously on Mrs Robbins Sparkles....

When I Grow Up: Becoming The Accountant for Creatives

Hey guys! Today I'm happy to introduce you to Amy Northard, the Accountant for Creatives. She's a CPA who works closely with creative entrepreneurs, and she has created an amazing e-course based on her experience. It's called Be Your Own CFO, and it is launching this week. How do I know it is awesome? Because I helped edit it! Even though I have an accounting degree myself, I found the lessons super helpful and I think anyone who owns a small business or works for themselves would really benefit from this e-course. But enough about the course, let me introduce you to Amy!

As a child, I wanted to be a ­______ when I grew up. Elementary school teacher! I loved the idea of being able to decorate my own classroom and do crafts with students. As I got older, I realized there's SO much more to being a teacher than doing crafts every day!

How close (or far) is your current career from that dream? My current career as an accountant is pretty far from being an elementary school teacher, but now that I think about it, maybe there are a few similarities. Beyond tax preparation, I've started teaching entrepreneurs the basics of taxes and bookkeeping. While there aren't any crafts around, I try to make it a little more fun with pretty learning materials.

What is your official job title? I call myself the Chief Accountant.

Ok, now what does that really mean? I'm the lady you'll talk to when you have tax or bookkeeping questions. My goal is to make these sometimes scary and overwhelming topics easier to understand and less stressful.

What is a typical day like? I have a typical "busy season" day and "non-busy season" day. During busy season, I wake up around 5:30am and go straight for the coffee. I check email, have breakfast with my husband before he leaves for work, and then get started working on tax prep. I stop for lunch and dinner and usually call it quits around 8:30pm. The rest of the year, my schedule varies but I usually start out the day with coffee then a run around my neighborhood. Then, I usually either have a consulting call or work on blog posts. I've also been attending local small business networking meetings, which I love because I get to talk to people face-to-face!

How did you end up in this career? I took accounting classes in high school because my dad wanted me to have a business background. I was pretty good at it, so decided to major in accounting when I went to college. During my junior year of college, I did a tax season internship and LOVED it. After I graduated college, I began studying for the CPA exam because it was informally required from the firm I was working at. After passing the exam and a couple tax seasons in to my career, I wanted a better work-life balance. I've always loved entrepreneurship, so starting my own tax and accounting business was my next step.

What kind of education or training did you complete for this career? I took courses in high school, majored in accounting during college, and passed the 4-part CPA exam. I also do 120 hours of continuing professional education every three years.

What advice would you give to someone who wants a similar career? If you want to go out on your own to do bookkeeping and taxes, I would definitely recommend working for a small firm where you can experience a variety of clients and tasks.

Do you have any other career dreams? What do you want to be when you grow up? My goal is to meet more people in person. Since so many of my clients are spread around the US, I want to attend/speak at conferences so I can meet small business owners face-to-face.  When I grow up, I want to have an accounting firm, where I employ accountants like myself, who don't want to sit in a cubicle and have a love for creatives.

Any last thoughts or encouragement for others trying to decide what they want to do “when they grow up”? Don't be afraid to try things out! Eventually you'll find something that just feels right and makes you excited for Mondays, instead of dreading them.

Thanks for sharing your story, Amy! If anyone is interested in finding out more about her e-course that is launching this week, check out the e-course website. Amy's offering a $200 discount until tomorrow evening, so if you're interested today's the day! Or if you'd like to hire Amy or find out more about what she offers, visit her business site. 

Previously on Mrs Robbins Sparkles...

The link to the e-course is an affiliate link.

Good Stock Photos

Happy Monday, friends! I hope you had a good weekend. I spent mine indoors, getting my home office in order. Last week I worked mostly from the couch and, let's be honest, from my bed, and that was not terribly productive. But today I'm starting fresh with my newly rearranged and organized office, and I'm ready for the week! 

Part of my goals for this week are getting my editorial calendar set up for the blog (I've fallen woefully behind) and part of that includes finding good photos for every post. If you do much writing online you know the struggle that is finding decent photos to go with your posts and articles. I do try to take photos on my own, but usually I don't have time to take photos for everything I write. So I often rely on stock photos.

My go-to stock photo option has long been Death to Stock Photos. They have some great stuff. Unfortunately, everyone else seems to think so as well! I see their photos everywhere, and I'm starting to realize it may be time to find another option.

Enter GoodStock.Photos. All photos on the site are free, but if you want the really good stuff you'll want to sign up for a membership. There are two options: Plus and Premium. Plus Members get a pack of 20 hi-res photos each month while Premium Members get the same pack plus access to all previous monthly packs. Both paid options also give back to the community, with $1 of every Plus Membership and $10 of every Premium Membership going to charity.

Good Stock Photos is relatively new, so there is only one photo-pack so far. But it's a good one, so I'm excited about the future of this site! Here are a couple of the photos offered in the current photo pack:

If you're interested in joining GoodStock.Photos, I've got good news for you. You can save 25% off a Plus or Premium Membership with the code "sparkles" - just enter that in when you checkout and you'll be good to go! The code is valid until July 31st, so if you're interested you better head over there now!

What are your go-to stock photo options? I know a few photographers who are also looking to put together their own stock photo sites, and I'd love to have a few places to pull from!
 

Previously on Mrs Robbins Sparkles...

Full disclosure: I did receive a one-year Premium Membership to Good Stock Photos in exchange for writing this blog post. However all opinions are my own! I am excited to be trying out Good Stock Photos, and I think you'll like it too.