Self Care: Hiring a Bookkeeper

One thing I will never fully understand is the link between time invested in self improvement and the growth of a business. I think I understand the general reason, but I’m always going to be slightly mystified as to why this works the way it does. Self care is a form of self improvement that I’ve been focusing on in recent years, and it can have an impact on the performance of our business.

Self care is preventative medicine and fights burnout. When we have consistent practices for self care, we reduce our risk for burnout and other health risks. Burnout happens when we face overwhelming demands that lead to exhaustion. It often shows up as fatigue, detachment, feeling wound up and muscle stiffness. Prolonged states of stress can have profound effects on us psychologically and physically. This often plays a role in my migraine disorder. Other chronic conditions can be triggered or exacerbated by perpetual overwhelm. These include asthma, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, inflammation and all sorts of unpleasant tummy troubles.

I’ve been working on prioritizing my own self care, partially due to my migraines. I have resources in my life to do this in ways that I wasn’t able to when I was a younger entrepreneur. I am designing my life around practicing self care. I don’t take on last minute clients between December and the beginning of February. I don’t unnecessarily rush to have a client’s books available to them. In fact, I have a policy that closed books won’t be available at Year End until 2/15. I’ve added a section in my service agreement that states that we don’t operate under a manufactured sense of urgency and do not include options for rushed work. To be honest, some of these policies were designed to protect my employees, and then I applied them to myself. The exception is the last one regarding urgency. I created that for myself after a client’s project was rapidly taking over my life.

I usually try to give myself extra time in the morning. The earliest I get started is 9:00am, and can be as late as 10:00am. I give myself at least an hour for lunch. I attempt to make lunches as simple as possible. This often involves what my family likes to call ‘munchables.’ I grab snacky like items, slices of meat and cheese, fruit, vegetables and whatever else grabs my attention. My lunches are designed to reduce decision fatigue and allow me space to decompress fully before returning to work, usually with a book or an episode of a KDrama. And I often take naps as my schedule allows. The one strategy that feels overly indulgent, but has had a large positive effect is massage. When I’m really good at prioritizing them, I get them almost once a month.

Sidenote: I’m starting to learn the difference between Swedish massage, deep tissue massage and Thai massage. I accidentally scheduled a Thai massage, thinking I was getting a Swedish massage. (There may have been certain preconceived notions about massage studios in California at play here). I was not prepared. I did not know what to expect. I ended up being an older Thai auntie’s puppet for an hour. I was afraid she was going to break my ribs! If I learned anything from living in Hawaii, it’s trust the older Asian aunties. (There might be issues with this lesson, but I’m going with it.) While it wasn’t what I was expecting, it was unfamiliar and a bit scary, the results were amazing. I was relaxed for a much longer period of time and my muscle tension is still really low.

I read a few articles to see what other folks were suggesting for self care strategies:

One source recommended delegation as a form of self care. When we delegate, we’re handing off tasks that are stressful and draining. This may include hiring a professional (like a bookkeeper) to take on tasks that you’re not fully equipped to handle. Shameless plug for outsourcing your bookkeeping tasks to my team. For me, it was hiring a social media manager. She’s amazing by the way and I can give you a recommendation if you’re interested.

A few other sources suggested creating space to decompress and relax within your routine. Looks like I might be doing ok with my lunchtime routine. I thought it was kinda funny that playing video games was included with these recommendations; I always felt a bit guilty checking out to play a video game for an hour. Other suggestions included more mundane activities like journaling and meditation. (Which are both good activities, but they’re not always fun).

Creating space for time off dedicated to amusement and relaxation were common suggestions. One article recommended taking time to unplug from technology, but that seems kinda boring to be honest. How am I going to watch KDramas during my down time if I unplug from technology? To be fair, this would be a good opportunity to go for a walk and get some exercise.

Self care should be a series of routines that you implement to reduce stress. You’ll manage your health better and be more productive. These practices extend your longevity. And a lot of them are just fun. When you’re having fun, everything tends to naturally fall into place.

If you’re interested in hiring us to handle your bookkeeping as a form of self care, schedule a time to chat using the calendar at the bottom of myhomepage

What do you do to practice self care? Were there any suggestions that you want to implement in your routine?