How to spend less time doing admin Federation of Small Businesses

When people ask me what I do for a living, I’ll often give a different answer depending on my mood or the person I’m talking to. This isn’t because I have some sort of personality disorder, it’s just that sometimes I find it hard to define.

For example, if I’m talking to someone I think is a bit trendy, I’ll probably just say ‘I’m a writer’, in a slightly deeper than normal voice, and try to look a bit anguished, as though it’s my ‘calling’ and I can’t help but be anything else.

If I’m talking to an older businessman, I’ll say I’m a consultant or trainer, to sound super professional, and if I’m talking to someone I’ve not really taken a shine too, I might say ‘I’m a blogger’, just to confuse them, as no one really understands how you make a living from that.

All of these definitions are true.

I never say ‘I’m a bookkeeper’ or ‘I’m an administrator’ or ‘I’m an office manager’, even though all of these definitions are technically true as well. When you work for yourself, you end up spending a lot of time on admin tasks, and not as much time as you originally imagined you might on the work you actually enjoy.

Before I became self-employed, my freelancing dreams involved me, sat outside a beautiful cafe on a sunny day, sipping an espresso, (even though I don’t actually like espresso), and working on my latest hilarious column for The Guardian. Nowhere in the fantasy was there a pile of crumpled receipts or a reminder to renew my business insurance.

How to spend less time doing admin Federation of Small Businesses

Obviously I look like this in the fantasy too.

So where did it all go wrong? View Post

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Does Ecover washing liquid work?There are a few reasons why I prefer to use a ‘green’ laundry liquid like Ecover.

Firstly, we have a lot of sensitive skin and eczema in the family, and I want to wash our clothes in something that I know is going to be as kind to our skin as possible. If ever we end up with a cheap or over-fragranced laundry liquid I can always tell, as I start getting horrid itchy patches where my clothes rub the most, like around the waist of my jeans.

Secondly, I care about the environment. It’s easy to try and ignore the fact that everything we use has to end up somewhere, but once you have thought about it, it’s difficult to get it out of your head.

And finally, I’m a Guardian reading leftie, who likes people to see me with a bottle of Ecover next to my sink.

One of the things though that puts some people off switching to an eco-friendly laundry detergent like Ecover, is the thought that perhaps they don’t really work as well as standard washing liquids. There’s something about the green image that, in some people’s minds, equates to meaning ‘not quite as good.’

Personally, I think this is a bit of an old-fashioned view. The green market has come a long way over the last couple of decades, and you can make a lot of simple, effective switches nowadays that don’t mean you have to rub your armpits with a mineral rock or anything like that. It’s no longer a choice between products that are ‘green’ and products that do the job well – you can have both.

 

So does Ecover work well on stains?

To prove the point, I put Ecover to the test, to see how well it performed on some common household stains. Stain removal is very important to me, as I really can’t be faffed washing things again and again, so a liquid that helps to lighten the laundry load by getting out common stains first time is definitely a winner.

To start things off, I gathered Belle in the kitchen with a brand new, squeaky clean apron, and a selection of food items.

“How would you like to smear these all over this apron?” I asked her. View Post

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FSB mummyblogger Twitter chat
As a business owner, I’m very much self-taught. I’ve not had any particular training, I muddle through as best I can, and there are a lot of things I don’t really know the answer to.

Some of the questions that I’ve asked myself over the years include things like:

  • Do I need a separate business account?
  • How do I fill in a tax return?
  • Do these chocolate digestives count as a business expense if I am eating them in my office?
  • Should I have a health and safety policy?
  • How did my life turn out like this?

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laundry hacks Ecover

If you had to rate your household chores, where would you put laundry? For me, it’s definitely in the top five chores I hate.

It’s the relentlessness of it. With some chores, like tidying bedrooms or cleaning ovens, you feel at least like if you do a really good job of it, you won’t have to do it again for a little while – the effort is proportional to the reward. Other things, like dusting, you can choose to ignore completely should you so wish and nothing awful happens – the children can still leave the house looking clean and no one dies or anything.

Laundry though. Laundry is just there. All of the time. 

You can’t just think to yourself ‘let’s give ourselves a break from the laundry this month’, or ‘I’m going to have a massive laundry day this week and then I won’t have to do any for a fortnight’, because it just keeps coming regardless.

(Depressed enough yet?)

Fear not.

The lovely natural cleaning gang at Ecover has been in touch with some helpful hints and I’ve also asked my Twitter chums and scoured Instagram for super cool laundry hacks, to help lighten the laundry load. Ecover’s Non-Bio Concentrated Laundry Liquid tackles tough stains, even at 30 degrees, so is bound to remove the most stubborn of marks and is gentle on sensitive skin. If you’re still not convinced, how about outsourcing your laundry to a company like J & G Laundromat? Then you barely have to think about it!

Do you have any good laundry tips? Have a read through these and please do add your own! If you’d like to share them with Ecover on social media, don’t forget to use the hashtag #LightentheLoad. View Post

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fsb benefits

I’ve never been much of a planner work wise.

I couldn’t really tell you exactly why the idea lacks appeal so; you could probably argue that it’s a confidence issue, and a fear of failure, but as much as anything I think it’s laziness. That mixed with a lack of a particular ambition in any direction, plus an appreciation that my industry changes so quickly that who really knows where I might be in five years. If you had said to me when I became self-employed in 2009 that I would end up making a living from blogging then I certainly wouldn’t have believed you.

Plus, when I did a career test at school it said I should be an insurance underwriter. No one wants to make a life plan based on that do they? View Post

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This week has been my favourite kind of weather.

Yesterday afternoon, sat outside with a cup of tea, the tips of my fingers turning a little numb, I made myself promise that if the next morning I felt sad or worried, that I would push it to one side and just get outside as quickly as I could. 

I slept well, but then you have that moment – do you know it? – when you’ve got out of bed, and a weight comes down on top of you and it feels like all that’s to be done is to go back again to the warm. You feel like really, you’re not sure you can do anything else. This morning I didn’t give in. I got cross instead. I shouted out loud at myself, worrying at the same time about whether or not that really is the first sign of madness, and bossed myself about until I was washed, dressed and ready to go, all in the space of about 15 minutes.

As soon as I stepped outside I felt better, and I felt proud of myself for taking my own advice, and pushing through the January morning blues and out into the winter frost. The sky was a brilliant blue, and the grass crunchy under my feet, and within about five minutes I had that wonderful feeling where your legs go cold all the way through – so cold that you know they are going to stay cold to the touch for at least half an hour after you get inside, like walking ice packs.

There is something particularly special about the cold weather and the way it makes you so aware of yourself physically. When you’re cold, you’re very aware of being cold, (if that doesn’t sound like the most obvious statement in the world), and that takes you out of your mind and into your body. It makes you concentrate on your physical self in that moment, and that can only be a good thing.

frosty weather

Photo – Marina Zezelina/shutterstock

 

 

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Yesterday’s hormone whirlwind continued unabated this morning, to the point where I was beginning to annoy myself. You know when you’re walking along the street, and everything really is fine, but you have to tip your head back and blink really hard to stop the silent tears just sort of spilling out on to your face?

No, me neither, *coughs*, I don’t know what you’re talking about.

So I got to work, and made a cup of tea, and then my office buddy arrived and made the mistake of asking how I was, so I cried for a bit and made some squeaky noises and he was very comforting/horrified looking in equal measure, and then I drank my tea and felt a bit better.

(Sorry Paul.)

Then at about ten to eleven I had to go out. I was giving a talk to some foundation degree marketing students at my local college about social media, and had managed yesterday to put some slides together, so I put on my new bright yellow mac – the one I bought yesterday to cheer myself up that makes me look like a deep sea fisherman – and off I went.

yellow coat fisherman

I’m not on the boat – it’s not a sea college – it’s for illustrative purposes only

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This morning we took down the Christmas tree. 

Normally this is an exciting moment for me. I love the build up to Christmas – the shopping and the lights and the endless mince pies – but I tend to get to Christmas morning and have had enough. By Boxing Day I’m twitching nervously, nudging the tree on my way past, trying to encourage a shower of needles and thus justify an early dismantling of all things festive.

dead Christmas tree

This year though I haven’t had that.  View Post

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Ah January, hello my friend. Welcome everlasting month of dark nights and dreary days.

That’s basically how everyone feels on the first day back at work in January right?

What you need is a little pick me up. Something, (that isn’t from the Lindt range, we’ve had enough of that), that will make you feel a little brighter about what is essentially a pretty dull month. I’m not a fan of diets or New Year fads – we all feel bad enough about ourselves already in January – I’m more about cutting myself some slack, taking care of my body, and embracing the Christmas curves. Which is a good thing, as there are plenty of them.

So, don’t spend what little money you do have in January on a raw food diet or gym membership or anything ridiculous like that – what you need is a lovely new dress, that makes you feel ace, without having to do any sit ups.

I’ve picked out five of my favourites from a site called Lyst. Lyst brings together designers and brands into one place, but it does some clever techy things too – the more you use it, the more it gets to know your style and tastes, so you won’t need to scroll through endless pairs of white jeans before you get to the stuff you really like. You can plan outfits, make lists and sign up to alerts when items go on sale or come back in stock. It’s jolly clever and definitely worth a look.

Now, to the dresses… View Post

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I know there is a What I Wore Sunday or Wednesday or some day of the week, but quite frankly I’m just not organised enough to coordinate my wardrobe like that, and if you ask me to remember what day of the week it was when I wore a particular outfit then it’s just not going to happen.

I do have two new dresses to show you though, and in two different ways as it happens. They are both from my lovely new friends at Lily & Me, and honestly, I’m so happy I discovered them. What I particularly love about the clothes from Lily & Me is how easy they are to wear. All of their fabrics are deliciously soft, and they are designed and cut to be wonderfully flattering, so I’m not left feeling like a heffalump, which is always nice.

The first dress I want to show you is the Dee Brushed Dress in Winter Orchid. It’s £43.50, although you’ll see on their website that they offer 20% off when you follow them on Facebook, so that’s well worth doing. It has a cowl neck and slouch drop pockets, which I love. I’m a big fan of pockets in dresses and skirts.

I wore it recently to go to the theatre, and as we walked there, Belle spotted this fantastic bright blue painted wooden doorway. She clearly has an eye for Instagram. I was wearing the dress with my Cocoon Luxe cape and, to complete the theatre look, a hat I bought in a charity shop for £3 because I thought it made me look sassy.

Lily and Me dress View Post

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With a daughter called Belle, I couldn’t not love Sass & Belle could I?

Fortunately, they do do a lot of lovely things. They even have an entire section dedicated to bee things and bee puns, so that’s Bee’s Christmas presents done in one go. I know how she just loves me crowbarring bees into her stocking.

They have an absolutely huge collection on their website, with categories for just about everyone, from mums and dads, to pet lovers and gardeners. In fact, I reckon you could do your entire Christmas present shop there if you wanted to, and with my exclusive 20% Sass & Belle discount code, you’d be a fool not to quite frankly. They do free shipping as standard on orders over £25 too.

To claim your 20% off orders over £25, just enter the code SLUMMYMUMMY when you check out. 

Now, I have a bit of confession to make. My fiancé is not very keen at all on things with a ‘message’. You know the sort of thing – cushion covers that tell you you’re awesome, and motivational prints telling you to follow your own path. On one level, I’m totally with him – I never want my living room dominated by a vinyl wall sticker telling me to ‘dance like no one’s watching’ – but I am quite partial to a badger telling me to enjoy the little things. I’m allowed that right? I think so.

In case you need a little bit of shopping inspiration, I’ve picked a few of my favourite Sass & Belle gifts. Links and prices are below – I think you’ll agree that they are very reasonable.

Sass & Belle

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Do you struggle to buy Christmas gifts for the men in your life? It can be pretty demoralising in the ‘gifts for me’ section in shops – not all men want cufflinks in the shape of golf balls.

To help you out, my fiance has put together a selection of things he would like for Christmas, partly to help you out, but also at a prompt for me I think. As if I would forget the Ashes DVD.

…

Ah, Christmas. It really is the most wonderful time of the year. That said, there is nothing worse that the sad feeling of receiving gifts from your loved ones that don’t quite hit the mark having put in a good deal thought and effort buying for them. Shallow and materialistic? Maybe, but my fake smile would have got me into RADA the year I received a poster of Kermit the frog with “frame to follow” written on the gift tag, (it never has), or the year when I was unsubtly told by my whole family that I needed some exercise. In total, I received 35 pairs of white sports socks.

If you’re struggling to find something for the man in your life, then fear not. Even if he’s a die hard Doctor Who groupie or insists every year on an addition to his collection of cool hats, you can still branch out and get something he will love – here’s my guide to what to buy. There is something for everyone…

A shirt from Emmett

At the top of the class, it’s an Emmett shirt. Let’s be utterly clear about this – Emmett shirts are things of unparalleled beauty. It’s no exaggeration to say that every time I have worn an Emmett shirt it has been commented upon and complimented. Even their plain white shirt. They’re not cheap, but they don’t look or feel cheap. They feel stylish and beautiful, are perfectly cut and last for longer than any other make of shirt I’ve owned. I challenge anyone to wear an Emmett shirt and not return to buy another. And another. And so on. View Post

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