During the last week of my holiday I was regularly asked when I was returning to work. I have a very full dance card for the next few weeks and would respond that I was going straight back into work.
The usual response was along the lines of "oh you poor thing" or "oh that will be hard" or "oh well" and accompanied by copious eye rolls. I also noticed my social media feed was filled with articles about how to beat the return to work blues.
When I'd let the person know that I was actually quite happy to get back into work they would look at me like I was crazy and then ask me what it is that I do.
Rather than respond with details of the tasks, I would talk about the how I feel about my work. My work is interesting, stimulating, juicy, important, challenging, good, fulfilling, creative, diverse and the people with whom I do it are wonderful. They're smart, committed, inspiring and good fun to be with. Why would I be sad to return to that?
The inevitable next question was about how do you get to do THAT?
Well, I made it myself. I'm so thrilled that now I'm in a position to largely choose the people around me and how I spend my time. If I take something on and it doesn't feel happy then I either work to change it or walk away.
I'm noticing that as my business approaches its fifth birthday I have some solid collaborations which are good for me and attractive to people who want to engage us. Even in the most serious environment, laughter and fun is appealing and people generally want to be around it.
Not everyone is in a position to start their own business, but everyone is able to choose their attitude and how they engage with the people around them. Let's face it, people who are pleasant to be around are attractive and spread goodwill.
Are you fun to be around? What's your attitude?
Showing posts with label business. Show all posts
Showing posts with label business. Show all posts
Friday, 30 January 2015
Wednesday, 1 January 2014
Is it over already? Reflections on 2013.
Happy New Year!
As is customary, I've been doing a stock take of my activities and projects during 2013. It's interesting to think about individual projects as a body of work as the big picture can be quite impressive.
On the knitting front I completed:
20.5 pairs of socks. (The second part of the 21st pair will come off the needles in the next couple of days.)
6 scarves - three were commissions from friends
4 hats - including a fireman's hat for my five year old nephew
1 jingle ball - for my three year old niece
1 teddy bear - also for my three year old niece.
Apart from the completed items, I also have a semi-circular shawl on the needles and a short-sleeved winter cardigan partially completed. It stalled because I don't understand what to do next. I must find out.
My crocheting yielded a chunky bathmat made from recycled tee-shirts and LOTS of granny squares. It's hard to know how many I made in 2013, but I know that I started on 16 July 2012 and finished my 146th (and last) square on 4 August 2013. I plan to stitch these together to make a 12 x 12 big blanket.
In between all that handwork, I also reached my reading goal of 25 books. It was touch and go for a while as I wrestled with a couple of long and difficult books (The Accursed by Joyce Carol Oates in particular), but I got my mojo back, stopped being distracted by games on my iphone and just scraped in. (Pictures are from my Goodreads.com page - sorry about the weird formatting...)
As is customary, I've been doing a stock take of my activities and projects during 2013. It's interesting to think about individual projects as a body of work as the big picture can be quite impressive.
On the knitting front I completed:
20.5 pairs of socks. (The second part of the 21st pair will come off the needles in the next couple of days.)
6 scarves - three were commissions from friends
4 hats - including a fireman's hat for my five year old nephew
1 jingle ball - for my three year old niece
1 teddy bear - also for my three year old niece.
Apart from the completed items, I also have a semi-circular shawl on the needles and a short-sleeved winter cardigan partially completed. It stalled because I don't understand what to do next. I must find out.
My crocheting yielded a chunky bathmat made from recycled tee-shirts and LOTS of granny squares. It's hard to know how many I made in 2013, but I know that I started on 16 July 2012 and finished my 146th (and last) square on 4 August 2013. I plan to stitch these together to make a 12 x 12 big blanket.
In between all that handwork, I also reached my reading goal of 25 books. It was touch and go for a while as I wrestled with a couple of long and difficult books (The Accursed by Joyce Carol Oates in particular), but I got my mojo back, stopped being distracted by games on my iphone and just scraped in. (Pictures are from my Goodreads.com page - sorry about the weird formatting...)
I was interested to notice that there are six non-fiction titles amongst all those novels. I also see I started and finished the year with the same author - Janet Evanovich - for some very light reading. The book group I started just after I moved to Melbourne in 2001 is still going strong. Books we read this year were:
Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel - Winner of the Man-Booker Prize for 2012. We read the winner every year. I've just started last year's winner, The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton.
Madness: a memoir by Kate Richards was one of my suggestions for the group and I was pleased with the result. The book is incredible and the discussion that resulted was stimulating and satisfying. I've lent the book to several other friends since.
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion is a commercial success, but was less than loved by our group.
The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham was funny, gothic and poignant all at once. Very enjoyable.
Mateship with Birds by Carrie Tiffany was well-received, but covered similar ground to The Dressmaker. I loved the author's first book, Everyman's Rules for Scientific Living.
A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick was a surprise package in its intrigue.
Letters to the End of Love by Yvette Walker left little impression and I finished it out of duty.
Ten Days in the Hills by Jane Smiley was one of my recommendations when I discovered that one of my favourite authors was not well-known in the group. It's not one of my favourites, but I did enjoy it. There's a marvellous passage late in the book in which Smiley describes the relief of tension amongst a group at the end of a high stakes conversation. It's genius and worth the slog for writing like this.
I'm setting my target again at 25 books for 2014. I'd rather reach the target and feel satisfied, than feel pressure because I didn't make it. And despite all this reading, the collection on my e-reader continues to grow!
I also sang in two jazz gigs at the Paris Cat jazz club, participated in the myki customer experience panel, survived surgery, consolidated my business and co-authored a chapter in a book which is to be published. And of course, consolidated divacultura as a happy part of my life (I hope it's a happy part of yours too!)
Sorting out my spare room remains on the list of things to sort out in 2014, but first I need to finish that pair of socks. My commitments for 2014 are still under construction.
Happy New Year! How was your 2013? How's 2014 shaping up?
Sunday, 28 July 2013
The sound of procrastination and tax avoidance
Did you hear that sound today? It was the sound of people (ie me and at least two other people I know) procrastinating.
The subject of procrastination was the completion of the BAS for the ATO which tracks how much GST has been collected by your business. That amount is balanced against how much GST you've spent on business related purchases. Then you balance that against your sales for the quarter and discover how much you need to pay the ATO or how much they need to pay you. They've never paid me anything.
There are far too many acronyms in that paragraph...*
Despite having systems to make the process easier, when I receive the envelope with the notice, I dutifully mark the due date in the diary and then proceed to avoid it until the day before it is due to be submitted. Then I spend a whole Sunday resenting the fact that I have to spend a whole Sunday on tax and then I nearly run out of time because cleaning the bathroom is suddenly a very appealing activity.
That's what procrastination sounds like - the bathrooms in the homes of small business owners being cleaned. The oven suddenly looked like an appealing prospect for attention at about 11:30 today. Or I could have alphabetised my spices. Or cleared the spare room. Actually with four BAS's to complete in a year I should be able to sort out my spare room...Even an emergency trip to the dentist would have been fun.
Usually I'm not one to procrastinate; I just do whatever needs to be done. When it comes to anything to do with tax though I have a mental block. Thank goodness I do have some kind of system or it would be hell. I have noticed that the due date for completion of the BAS corresponds to desk cleaning and filing day. Something should be done about that.
It's not that it's difficult. It's just that I could be doing more interesting things. Like vacuuming the ceiling or cleaning the skirting boards.
Bernard Black, proprietor of the bookstore in the comedy "Black Books" gives tax avoidance a new meaning in the very first episode. He is supposed to be doing his tax, but is gripped by creative procrastination - he pairs an enormous pile of socks, covers himself in post-it notes, answers the door and invites the Jehovah's Witnesses in for discussion and a cuppa. I know exactly how he feels!
What's your preferred procrastination activity?
*BAS - Business Activity Statement
ATO - Australian Tax Office
GST - Goods and Services Tax
The subject of procrastination was the completion of the BAS for the ATO which tracks how much GST has been collected by your business. That amount is balanced against how much GST you've spent on business related purchases. Then you balance that against your sales for the quarter and discover how much you need to pay the ATO or how much they need to pay you. They've never paid me anything.
There are far too many acronyms in that paragraph...*
Despite having systems to make the process easier, when I receive the envelope with the notice, I dutifully mark the due date in the diary and then proceed to avoid it until the day before it is due to be submitted. Then I spend a whole Sunday resenting the fact that I have to spend a whole Sunday on tax and then I nearly run out of time because cleaning the bathroom is suddenly a very appealing activity.
That's what procrastination sounds like - the bathrooms in the homes of small business owners being cleaned. The oven suddenly looked like an appealing prospect for attention at about 11:30 today. Or I could have alphabetised my spices. Or cleared the spare room. Actually with four BAS's to complete in a year I should be able to sort out my spare room...
Usually I'm not one to procrastinate; I just do whatever needs to be done. When it comes to anything to do with tax though I have a mental block. Thank goodness I do have some kind of system or it would be hell. I have noticed that the due date for completion of the BAS corresponds to desk cleaning and filing day. Something should be done about that.
It's not that it's difficult. It's just that I could be doing more interesting things. Like vacuuming the ceiling or cleaning the skirting boards.
Bernard Black, proprietor of the bookstore in the comedy "Black Books" gives tax avoidance a new meaning in the very first episode. He is supposed to be doing his tax, but is gripped by creative procrastination - he pairs an enormous pile of socks, covers himself in post-it notes, answers the door and invites the Jehovah's Witnesses in for discussion and a cuppa. I know exactly how he feels!
What's your preferred procrastination activity?
*BAS - Business Activity Statement
ATO - Australian Tax Office
GST - Goods and Services Tax
Wednesday, 1 May 2013
Chasing money costs time.
Today I had to call a client who had not paid me for work I did on the 21st of March. I'd made an enquiry two weeks ago as I don't like to let these things drag on too long.
It goes like this: I always speak to the person with whom I already have contact. They are embarrassed, complain about "the finance department" and then promise to follow up with them and let me know the outcome. They then send me an email saying "it's underway". No specific timeframe is ever mentioned.
I wait for two weeks and when no payment is received I email my contact asking for details of the contact person in the finance department.
That's what I did today. I called the finance department while I had a spare twelve minutes between trams.
Barbara was pleasant but didn't let me complete a single sentence. I had to repeat my name three times as she located me on the system. Then she made this pronouncement: "Yes, you'll be paid on Friday. The payment isn't overdue. Every organisation has a 30 day payment policy and we moved you up to 14 day payment terms."
I thanked her from confirming that I would soon be paid, but she was working off some whacky calendar. Apart from the face that the dates didn't add up, I asked her why her organisation thinks it's okay to just ignore MY payment terms of 7 days without a word.
"Well it's such a little amount of money and this is what every organisation does. We pay tens of thousands of dollars in invoices each month."
I sat at the tram stop wondering what that had to do with me. And I wondered about how the finance department of an organisation with a strong set of values thinks it's okay to be so arrogant.
Obviously I need to change my practises and have an explicit conversation about payment terms. As a freelancer, I can't afford to provide my services and then wait for weeks, sometimes months, to receive my payment. When you're running your own business, it's not possible to be coy about money. You've got to be clear, specific and say what you need.
Here's to the money being in the bank, rather than the cheque being in the mail!
It goes like this: I always speak to the person with whom I already have contact. They are embarrassed, complain about "the finance department" and then promise to follow up with them and let me know the outcome. They then send me an email saying "it's underway". No specific timeframe is ever mentioned.
I wait for two weeks and when no payment is received I email my contact asking for details of the contact person in the finance department.
That's what I did today. I called the finance department while I had a spare twelve minutes between trams.
Barbara was pleasant but didn't let me complete a single sentence. I had to repeat my name three times as she located me on the system. Then she made this pronouncement: "Yes, you'll be paid on Friday. The payment isn't overdue. Every organisation has a 30 day payment policy and we moved you up to 14 day payment terms."
I thanked her from confirming that I would soon be paid, but she was working off some whacky calendar. Apart from the face that the dates didn't add up, I asked her why her organisation thinks it's okay to just ignore MY payment terms of 7 days without a word.
"Well it's such a little amount of money and this is what every organisation does. We pay tens of thousands of dollars in invoices each month."
I sat at the tram stop wondering what that had to do with me. And I wondered about how the finance department of an organisation with a strong set of values thinks it's okay to be so arrogant.
Obviously I need to change my practises and have an explicit conversation about payment terms. As a freelancer, I can't afford to provide my services and then wait for weeks, sometimes months, to receive my payment. When you're running your own business, it's not possible to be coy about money. You've got to be clear, specific and say what you need.
Here's to the money being in the bank, rather than the cheque being in the mail!
Monday, 22 April 2013
What driving taught me about how I think about other people.
As I drove around Melbourne today - in the rain - I contemplated how the behaviour of people on the roads completely changes in Melbourne if it rains. Or if it's really hot. Or cold. Or windy. It's bizarre. I also thought about how I can be the best driver on the road, but that isn't the whole story. There is a bunch of other people also driving around. The whole system relies on every single driver obeying the rules and doing their best with an intention to reach their destination safely.
I have an on again/ off again relationship with rules. On one hand I've often been in positions where my role has been to enforce rules. I was the senior boarder prefect at school. I got my own room and a special pocket on my blazer so it was totally worth it. I was a union official where my whole world revolved around negotiating rules and then ensuring that the rules were followed. At one stage I was president and in charge of rules at meetings. On the other hand, my creative nature sees me push the boundaries. When problems arise I often pay no regard to the rules when I'm exploring potential solutions.
On the wall near my front door I have a message to myself which says in part: "Tear up their rules. Run your own race."
As I've rearranged my life I find I'm more able to live in a way that is more aligned with my true nature. But then I'm driving. One of the things I had to do today was turn right at a set of traffic lights. The traffic lights gave me a green arrow and I just turned right without even thinking. As I straightened up, it occurred to me that I can only turn right on the green arrow safely because everyone else on the road was obeying their red lights. While I'm driving I trust and expect that everyone is doing their best to follow the rules. I have to operate like this or I can't drive anywhere.
This experience today highlighted one of the things I often discuss with clients. I hear many people talk about the problem people in their team or in their business in a negative way: "they aren't motivated to do well", "they just turn up for the money", "they're not really there for the business." When I hear these descriptions I have a conversation which finishes with a question. "What would it mean for your relationship with that person if you accepted that they're trying to do their best? What would happen if that was the lens you saw them through?"
I realised today that driving on the roads - especially in the city with lots of other people - is a living example of this idea. The fundamental starting point needs to be that everyone is doing their best driving to get from A to B without incident. JUST LIKE YOU.
Have you ever tried to drive where there's a back seat driver in the car? I remember driving my grandparents around on the Gold Coast not long after I got my first car. My Grandfather was sitting in the back taking in the scenery. My Granny was sitting beside me telling me everything I should be doing and not doing as I drove the car. Within five minutes, I was a nervous wreck. I remember pulling the car over and saying that I couldn't drive them safely with Granny critiquing everything I did. She needed to trust me that my intention was to get us all safely to where we were going. I was also in my new car which I didn't want to smash. I detected silent applause from my Grandfather in the back (we met eyes in the rear vision mirror) and Granny said nothing else for the entire trip. She sat very upright, clutching her seatbelt, but she said nothing. Being assertive was the best thing I could do for the safety of everyone in the car.
As you go out in the world what do you expect from people? How do you see them? Are you expecting and trusting them to do what's needed? or are you waiting for them to trip up? Are you the back seat driver sucking the confidence out of people as you micro manage and second guess everything they do?
You can make a conscious decision to trust. Try it next time you're driving. Imagine how hard it would be to get around if you didn't trust others to obey the rules and do the right thing. Then think about how you can change your view and focus on the things that can really help and empower the people around you.
I have an on again/ off again relationship with rules. On one hand I've often been in positions where my role has been to enforce rules. I was the senior boarder prefect at school. I got my own room and a special pocket on my blazer so it was totally worth it. I was a union official where my whole world revolved around negotiating rules and then ensuring that the rules were followed. At one stage I was president and in charge of rules at meetings. On the other hand, my creative nature sees me push the boundaries. When problems arise I often pay no regard to the rules when I'm exploring potential solutions.
On the wall near my front door I have a message to myself which says in part: "Tear up their rules. Run your own race."
As I've rearranged my life I find I'm more able to live in a way that is more aligned with my true nature. But then I'm driving. One of the things I had to do today was turn right at a set of traffic lights. The traffic lights gave me a green arrow and I just turned right without even thinking. As I straightened up, it occurred to me that I can only turn right on the green arrow safely because everyone else on the road was obeying their red lights. While I'm driving I trust and expect that everyone is doing their best to follow the rules. I have to operate like this or I can't drive anywhere.
This experience today highlighted one of the things I often discuss with clients. I hear many people talk about the problem people in their team or in their business in a negative way: "they aren't motivated to do well", "they just turn up for the money", "they're not really there for the business." When I hear these descriptions I have a conversation which finishes with a question. "What would it mean for your relationship with that person if you accepted that they're trying to do their best? What would happen if that was the lens you saw them through?"
I realised today that driving on the roads - especially in the city with lots of other people - is a living example of this idea. The fundamental starting point needs to be that everyone is doing their best driving to get from A to B without incident. JUST LIKE YOU.
Have you ever tried to drive where there's a back seat driver in the car? I remember driving my grandparents around on the Gold Coast not long after I got my first car. My Grandfather was sitting in the back taking in the scenery. My Granny was sitting beside me telling me everything I should be doing and not doing as I drove the car. Within five minutes, I was a nervous wreck. I remember pulling the car over and saying that I couldn't drive them safely with Granny critiquing everything I did. She needed to trust me that my intention was to get us all safely to where we were going. I was also in my new car which I didn't want to smash. I detected silent applause from my Grandfather in the back (we met eyes in the rear vision mirror) and Granny said nothing else for the entire trip. She sat very upright, clutching her seatbelt, but she said nothing. Being assertive was the best thing I could do for the safety of everyone in the car.
As you go out in the world what do you expect from people? How do you see them? Are you expecting and trusting them to do what's needed? or are you waiting for them to trip up? Are you the back seat driver sucking the confidence out of people as you micro manage and second guess everything they do?
You can make a conscious decision to trust. Try it next time you're driving. Imagine how hard it would be to get around if you didn't trust others to obey the rules and do the right thing. Then think about how you can change your view and focus on the things that can really help and empower the people around you.
Tuesday, 1 January 2013
We made it to 2013 - the Mayans were wrong.
Imagine that. The world didn't end. Who knows what the Mayans were up to? The world could have been spared numerous B movies, apart from any angst which may have arisen from the looming end of the world.
I like milestones. I like to take the time to think about what's next and get my mindset right for whatever is next. I'm not really a goal setter, but I do like to be purposeful about actions that I take. My experience over the last few years since I finished full time employment for other people in October 2008 is that things work really well for me if I think positively, don't get tense and worried and continue to act on opportunities. I also look for opportunities. They can be sneaky things and can easily be missed if you're not actually looking.
I just checked my New Year post for last year and am very pleased with the alignment I achieved between intention and achievement. I am pleased with what I achieved. I haven't tackled my lace knitting yet, but I have signed up to an online class and have the yarn wound and ready to go. Development as a performer didn't really happen last year, but I'm okay with that. I've been spending a lot of time developing my skills as an improviser and actor in a teaching and assessment setting. It's not performance as such, but I'm still exercising my acting muscles.
The spare room is still a disaster - perhaps smaller and a tiny bit more organised than it was this time last year.
I'm very pleased with how my business is developing. Bookings and interest is very strong right through the first quarter and prospects are already looking very good beyond that. I'm feeling good about 2013.
On a personal level, one of my major achievements in 2012 was quitting sugar! I made it through the eight weeks of having no sugar at all, just in time for Christmas. Over Christmas, I have allowed myself to share a small portion of Christmas pudding and last night at dinner I had a dessert that was far too big and far too rich, given that I'm off sugar. It's interesting that previously I would have been fighting the urge to have seconds, but that doesn't happen anymore. The quit program has worked and my habits and palate have both changed. Congratulations to anyone out there who has achieved the same thing! And if you haven't quite made it yet, keep trying - it's worth it.
My main focus for 2013 is to continue to build my business, using networking and good work as my main advertising tools. On a concrete, practical note, I do want to get my website up and running.
Incorporating volunteering into my life while I'm working freelance is quite challenging. Because I am only paid when I work, I need to prioritise paid work over volunteering. Contributing to my community is very important to me and I'm feeling a little frustrated that I haven't found a way of volunteering regularly in the way my life is currently running. I solved that problem in 2011 by knitting for charity. This worked because it was easy to incorporate into my usual leisure activities and didn't compete for priority with my paid work. In 2012 I started to crochet a granny square a day and these will be turned into a blanket for someone. I will explore further charity avenues for my knitting this year.
Floating around in my mind is the idea of going unplugged for a day a month. I need to think about this idea more and gain clarity about what I mean. At this stage I'm thinking about it in the context of being offline - that is, not dealing with email, social media and using the internet generally. I feel like this would be a good thing to do to clear my mind and make sure days aren't sucked into the web vortex.
On the practical side, the spare room has made it onto the list. I know that I need to be more specific in thinking about this as making a broad statement like "tackle the spare room" really hasn't worked. At this moment I'm thinking "turn the spare room into a useful, welcoming space, so that it is more than a storage room". And of course, I need a timeframe. By 31 August 2013!
I've done fairly well with saving money during 2012, but with no real plan other than to have money to tide me over during the dead period of December and January. I'm going to put a firm aim in place and put aside 10% of all invoices (after I've taken out tax and GST).
And I want to dance more!
My plans for divacultura are to continue to write daily as much as possible. This is no longer a chore and I find that most days the inspiration is readily available and the writing happens fairly easily. If I'm travelling it's often difficult to post each day, but I've decided just to acknowledge that and communicate with my readers. Given my work schedule I may need to cut back to five posts a week, but I'll let you know if that happens. With the development of my website for this year, I need to think about the relationship between my business and my blog and make sure I seize opportunities for cross-pollination.
Here are the top 10 most read posts on divacultura:
1. MYKI: it's your key to bureaucratic frustration
2. Quitting sugar - two weeks down
3. That's how you handle a complaint!
4. Emergency services call - communication failure
5. Missing in action
6. Photo a day June - from a low angle
7. If myki is the solution, what the hell was the problem?
8. I've got the public transport ticketing blues
9. Photo a day - June round up & July list
10. 2 Days in New York - giveaway
Post numbers 2 through to 10 were all written this year. The top post was written in 2011. There's a strong theme of public transport and community service being subjects of these most popular posts. And my photos have also received lots of comments and compliments, both here on the blog and on Instagram and facebook. The one I'm puzzled about is "Missing in action" at number 5...
Phew! That's a great list and I'm excited about what's to come.
What are you thinking about for 2013? What's your intention?
I like milestones. I like to take the time to think about what's next and get my mindset right for whatever is next. I'm not really a goal setter, but I do like to be purposeful about actions that I take. My experience over the last few years since I finished full time employment for other people in October 2008 is that things work really well for me if I think positively, don't get tense and worried and continue to act on opportunities. I also look for opportunities. They can be sneaky things and can easily be missed if you're not actually looking.
I just checked my New Year post for last year and am very pleased with the alignment I achieved between intention and achievement. I am pleased with what I achieved. I haven't tackled my lace knitting yet, but I have signed up to an online class and have the yarn wound and ready to go. Development as a performer didn't really happen last year, but I'm okay with that. I've been spending a lot of time developing my skills as an improviser and actor in a teaching and assessment setting. It's not performance as such, but I'm still exercising my acting muscles.
The spare room is still a disaster - perhaps smaller and a tiny bit more organised than it was this time last year.
I'm very pleased with how my business is developing. Bookings and interest is very strong right through the first quarter and prospects are already looking very good beyond that. I'm feeling good about 2013.
On a personal level, one of my major achievements in 2012 was quitting sugar! I made it through the eight weeks of having no sugar at all, just in time for Christmas. Over Christmas, I have allowed myself to share a small portion of Christmas pudding and last night at dinner I had a dessert that was far too big and far too rich, given that I'm off sugar. It's interesting that previously I would have been fighting the urge to have seconds, but that doesn't happen anymore. The quit program has worked and my habits and palate have both changed. Congratulations to anyone out there who has achieved the same thing! And if you haven't quite made it yet, keep trying - it's worth it.
My main focus for 2013 is to continue to build my business, using networking and good work as my main advertising tools. On a concrete, practical note, I do want to get my website up and running.
Incorporating volunteering into my life while I'm working freelance is quite challenging. Because I am only paid when I work, I need to prioritise paid work over volunteering. Contributing to my community is very important to me and I'm feeling a little frustrated that I haven't found a way of volunteering regularly in the way my life is currently running. I solved that problem in 2011 by knitting for charity. This worked because it was easy to incorporate into my usual leisure activities and didn't compete for priority with my paid work. In 2012 I started to crochet a granny square a day and these will be turned into a blanket for someone. I will explore further charity avenues for my knitting this year.
Floating around in my mind is the idea of going unplugged for a day a month. I need to think about this idea more and gain clarity about what I mean. At this stage I'm thinking about it in the context of being offline - that is, not dealing with email, social media and using the internet generally. I feel like this would be a good thing to do to clear my mind and make sure days aren't sucked into the web vortex.
On the practical side, the spare room has made it onto the list. I know that I need to be more specific in thinking about this as making a broad statement like "tackle the spare room" really hasn't worked. At this moment I'm thinking "turn the spare room into a useful, welcoming space, so that it is more than a storage room". And of course, I need a timeframe. By 31 August 2013!
I've done fairly well with saving money during 2012, but with no real plan other than to have money to tide me over during the dead period of December and January. I'm going to put a firm aim in place and put aside 10% of all invoices (after I've taken out tax and GST).
And I want to dance more!
My plans for divacultura are to continue to write daily as much as possible. This is no longer a chore and I find that most days the inspiration is readily available and the writing happens fairly easily. If I'm travelling it's often difficult to post each day, but I've decided just to acknowledge that and communicate with my readers. Given my work schedule I may need to cut back to five posts a week, but I'll let you know if that happens. With the development of my website for this year, I need to think about the relationship between my business and my blog and make sure I seize opportunities for cross-pollination.
Here are the top 10 most read posts on divacultura:
1. MYKI: it's your key to bureaucratic frustration
2. Quitting sugar - two weeks down
3. That's how you handle a complaint!
4. Emergency services call - communication failure
5. Missing in action
6. Photo a day June - from a low angle
7. If myki is the solution, what the hell was the problem?
8. I've got the public transport ticketing blues
9. Photo a day - June round up & July list
10. 2 Days in New York - giveaway
Post numbers 2 through to 10 were all written this year. The top post was written in 2011. There's a strong theme of public transport and community service being subjects of these most popular posts. And my photos have also received lots of comments and compliments, both here on the blog and on Instagram and facebook. The one I'm puzzled about is "Missing in action" at number 5...
Phew! That's a great list and I'm excited about what's to come.
What are you thinking about for 2013? What's your intention?
Thursday, 13 September 2012
Buried in government paperwork
After being away for a week, my post office box was chock-a-block. I carefully sorted through and handed back the stuff that is addressed to my post office box but is for someone else and also the letters that have just been missorted. Once I'd completed that, there was still a lot to go through. One of them was an envelope from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
I opened it and discovered the energy, Water and Environment Survey 2011-12. Initially I was quite pleased. I don't mind providing my opinion and I'm passionate about the environment. My enthusiasm was quickly quelled when I saw it was addressed to my business and the booklet had 23 pages.
I sighed. I braced myself. I opened the booklet and took up my pen. From the first moment, it was clear that this form was geared towards miners or manufacturers or electricity generators. I'm a single person operating from my kitchen table!
Back to the front page, I read the instructions on the front to see if I was required by law to complete the form. The wording was vague. My "cooperation" was sought. If needed, the Australian Statistician is empowered by the Act to "direct" me to provide the information sought. Yes, but would I be fined, jailed, sneered at or scandalised if I was defeated by the form? I called the phone number.
I've never called the Bureau of Statistics before. I'm not sure that I've ever spoken to a statistician before.
A woman answered and I immediately knew the conversation was going to be hard work.
"I've received the Energy, Water and Environment Survey. It looks like it has nothing to do with me. I'm just a one person operation. Do I have to fill it out?"
The response was in gibberish.
I tried another tack.
"What happens if I don't fill it out?"
"You need to fill it out."
"When you say I need to fill it out, what happens if I don't?"
"It's really not that hard. It looks daunting...just tick "no" to everything."
"I'm not just going to tick "no" to everything. That's ridiculous. Am I required by law to fill it out?"
"Oh, you've only got the short form. You should hear the people who ring up who have a copy of the long form!"
I almost fainted. There's one that's longer than 23 pages?
"You mean there's one that's longer than 23 pages? Is that really the short one?"
"Oh, you've got the long one...You really should fill it out. For example, look at question 1."
I surrendered.
Before I knew it, I'd ticked "no" to everything, especially the questions about my electricity generating activities.
20 minutes later I was done. If I hadn't called, I'd still be going. I'm still unclear what my obligation is, but at least it's done.
Before I had my own business, I thought that small business people who whinged about government compliance obligations were wimps. Now I understand.
Someone slap me if my politics drift!
I opened it and discovered the energy, Water and Environment Survey 2011-12. Initially I was quite pleased. I don't mind providing my opinion and I'm passionate about the environment. My enthusiasm was quickly quelled when I saw it was addressed to my business and the booklet had 23 pages.
I sighed. I braced myself. I opened the booklet and took up my pen. From the first moment, it was clear that this form was geared towards miners or manufacturers or electricity generators. I'm a single person operating from my kitchen table!
Back to the front page, I read the instructions on the front to see if I was required by law to complete the form. The wording was vague. My "cooperation" was sought. If needed, the Australian Statistician is empowered by the Act to "direct" me to provide the information sought. Yes, but would I be fined, jailed, sneered at or scandalised if I was defeated by the form? I called the phone number.
I've never called the Bureau of Statistics before. I'm not sure that I've ever spoken to a statistician before.
A woman answered and I immediately knew the conversation was going to be hard work.
"I've received the Energy, Water and Environment Survey. It looks like it has nothing to do with me. I'm just a one person operation. Do I have to fill it out?"
The response was in gibberish.
I tried another tack.
"What happens if I don't fill it out?"
"You need to fill it out."
"When you say I need to fill it out, what happens if I don't?"
"It's really not that hard. It looks daunting...just tick "no" to everything."
"I'm not just going to tick "no" to everything. That's ridiculous. Am I required by law to fill it out?"
"Oh, you've only got the short form. You should hear the people who ring up who have a copy of the long form!"
I almost fainted. There's one that's longer than 23 pages?
"You mean there's one that's longer than 23 pages? Is that really the short one?"
"Oh, you've got the long one...You really should fill it out. For example, look at question 1."
I surrendered.
Before I knew it, I'd ticked "no" to everything, especially the questions about my electricity generating activities.
20 minutes later I was done. If I hadn't called, I'd still be going. I'm still unclear what my obligation is, but at least it's done.
Before I had my own business, I thought that small business people who whinged about government compliance obligations were wimps. Now I understand.
Someone slap me if my politics drift!
Monday, 25 June 2012
Clash of priorities - which work needs to be done?
Working from home has its dangers and distractions. Today I had actually planned to do housework. I like to be able to do this during the week if I have time so I don't spend my weekend doing chores instead of socialising and relaxing. Occasionally I move beyond planning and I actually do the housework.
After doing a couple of hours of my own administration, I was about to turn to the household administration when the phone rang. I had to attend to the call. I finished that and was about to try the washing up again when a call came through on Skype. I had to attend to the call. I've just finished that - about five hours later.
In between things, there were urgent work related emails to attend to. (I'll also reveal that I made my moves in a few games of Scrabble that I'm playing on facebook.) I haven't even looked at Twitter today.
At 6:45pm I have now finished the business-related work and I still have a sink full of dishes. But I am writing my blog post for the day. The dishes can wait.
There was a time when my distraction would have worked the other way. I would have struggled to sit at my desk and do my work as I would be tempted by a sudden, overwhelming desire to clean the bath or organise the spice rack. Thinking about this now, I find it unbelievable.
I am living in chaos at the moment, but I'm okay with that. My business related work is up to date. I'm not in a panic about the end of the financial year. My bills are paid. I know what I have to do. I take it as a sign of maturity and confidence. I'd rather my business is successful and cope with some disorganisation at home. Also, I don't care what anyone thinks about that.
I hope I feel as calm about it tomorrow when I wake up. Over the weekend, I had been feeling the need to reduce some of the chaos. The moment it starts to feel like pressure, I know I need to deal with it. I've also learnt that it's not possible to do everything. One thing at a time. Where to start? Start with what's in front of you.
The only thing I'm annoyed about today is that I missed my walk. The weather was rubbish this afternoon though, so I'll live with that. I've accomplished a lot today. It wasn't what I planned, but it was important. And now it's done.
Are you easily distracted? What do you do to stay focussed and get your stuff done?
After doing a couple of hours of my own administration, I was about to turn to the household administration when the phone rang. I had to attend to the call. I finished that and was about to try the washing up again when a call came through on Skype. I had to attend to the call. I've just finished that - about five hours later.
In between things, there were urgent work related emails to attend to. (I'll also reveal that I made my moves in a few games of Scrabble that I'm playing on facebook.) I haven't even looked at Twitter today.
At 6:45pm I have now finished the business-related work and I still have a sink full of dishes. But I am writing my blog post for the day. The dishes can wait.
There was a time when my distraction would have worked the other way. I would have struggled to sit at my desk and do my work as I would be tempted by a sudden, overwhelming desire to clean the bath or organise the spice rack. Thinking about this now, I find it unbelievable.
I am living in chaos at the moment, but I'm okay with that. My business related work is up to date. I'm not in a panic about the end of the financial year. My bills are paid. I know what I have to do. I take it as a sign of maturity and confidence. I'd rather my business is successful and cope with some disorganisation at home. Also, I don't care what anyone thinks about that.
I hope I feel as calm about it tomorrow when I wake up. Over the weekend, I had been feeling the need to reduce some of the chaos. The moment it starts to feel like pressure, I know I need to deal with it. I've also learnt that it's not possible to do everything. One thing at a time. Where to start? Start with what's in front of you.
The only thing I'm annoyed about today is that I missed my walk. The weather was rubbish this afternoon though, so I'll live with that. I've accomplished a lot today. It wasn't what I planned, but it was important. And now it's done.
Are you easily distracted? What do you do to stay focussed and get your stuff done?
Friday, 10 February 2012
Reflections on a Very Big Week
It's been a very big week. I worked every day! For most of my life I have been in full time employment and was required to turn up five days a week. Sometimes this involved travel and very long hours. I don't do that any more. So here I am, absolutely exhausted after turning up for 5 consecutive days - something I haven't done in over a year. I feel like taking a moment to reflect on what's different about working 5 days in a row as a freelancer and 5 days in a row as staff.
1. As a freelancer my responsibility ends with the delivery of whatever I was hired to do - in this case facilitate leadership development programs. The upside is being able to focus on the task at hand. The downside is not being able to know the next chapter in the story. The upside is not becoming entangled in organisational politics. The downside is not being involved in organisational politics. (Really.)
2. Hired-in consultants have freedom to be more frank with a business - that's what we're paid for. The thing is, I've always been very frank and direct in my conversations with people and that didn't always work so well. Some organisations think they want their staff to speak truthfully but react by threatening or severing the employment relationship. Having this freedom is more in tune with my natural style.
3. As a freelancer I am paid much more than I was paid to do the same work as an employee. Yay!
4. The flip side is I have no job security. Future work is dependant on whether clients like the work I'm doing now. I want them to ask me to work with them again. I want them to recommend me to their colleagues. I have to take every opportunity to network. Luckily, this is really working for me. This is a very effective reward and recognition scheme - if I'm not doing good work and cultivating relationships, I don't eat. Today two future jobs came through on the phone - one which is a referral from within my network to someone whom I don't know (Yay!) and the other is the third piece of work for a person I met when I was working on the same project for a day. We networked and about 6 months later she hired me.
5. As a freelancer I work with a variety of people regularly. Sometimes it works well and sometimes it is hard and not enjoyable. I love this! It's so wonderful to have new people to play with. It's also great to work in a context which requires a conscious approach and presence to succeed. Each time I work with someone new, I love that I inevitably learn so much from them. I worked with terrific people this week.
6. As a freelancer, I am running a business of my own. Running a business requires planning and straight talk about money. Often money ties into the nature of the business relationship. The art is in recognising what's important at any given time. This week, the conversation was about money. I'll talk about the relationship later. (Thanks to my brother who helped me work that through.)
Working permanently or working freelance both have their benefits and their struggles. We're all different and what works for one person might not suit another person. I can honestly say, I never envisaged that I would be working freelance and running my own business. It's been a fabulous surprise!
Have you made the move from permanent employment to freelance? Or maybe you've moved the other way? What do you like best? What do you miss?
1. As a freelancer my responsibility ends with the delivery of whatever I was hired to do - in this case facilitate leadership development programs. The upside is being able to focus on the task at hand. The downside is not being able to know the next chapter in the story. The upside is not becoming entangled in organisational politics. The downside is not being involved in organisational politics. (Really.)
2. Hired-in consultants have freedom to be more frank with a business - that's what we're paid for. The thing is, I've always been very frank and direct in my conversations with people and that didn't always work so well. Some organisations think they want their staff to speak truthfully but react by threatening or severing the employment relationship. Having this freedom is more in tune with my natural style.
3. As a freelancer I am paid much more than I was paid to do the same work as an employee. Yay!
4. The flip side is I have no job security. Future work is dependant on whether clients like the work I'm doing now. I want them to ask me to work with them again. I want them to recommend me to their colleagues. I have to take every opportunity to network. Luckily, this is really working for me. This is a very effective reward and recognition scheme - if I'm not doing good work and cultivating relationships, I don't eat. Today two future jobs came through on the phone - one which is a referral from within my network to someone whom I don't know (Yay!) and the other is the third piece of work for a person I met when I was working on the same project for a day. We networked and about 6 months later she hired me.
5. As a freelancer I work with a variety of people regularly. Sometimes it works well and sometimes it is hard and not enjoyable. I love this! It's so wonderful to have new people to play with. It's also great to work in a context which requires a conscious approach and presence to succeed. Each time I work with someone new, I love that I inevitably learn so much from them. I worked with terrific people this week.
6. As a freelancer, I am running a business of my own. Running a business requires planning and straight talk about money. Often money ties into the nature of the business relationship. The art is in recognising what's important at any given time. This week, the conversation was about money. I'll talk about the relationship later. (Thanks to my brother who helped me work that through.)
Working permanently or working freelance both have their benefits and their struggles. We're all different and what works for one person might not suit another person. I can honestly say, I never envisaged that I would be working freelance and running my own business. It's been a fabulous surprise!
Have you made the move from permanent employment to freelance? Or maybe you've moved the other way? What do you like best? What do you miss?
Friday, 9 December 2011
Banker from hell
I hope that I've just completed the final chapter of a transaction with my business bank. This transaction started in May and involved something that I thought would be relatively straightforward - opening a business bank account linked to a trust.
I'd called first and almost completed the process over the phone. I was given very clear instructions about what I needed to take in to a branch to complete the process: identification, tax file number, ABN for the business and the deeds for the company and for the trust. The guy on the phone told me it would take about twenty minutes to complete the process of opening my account.
I had a couple of hours one morning as I went through the city on my way to various other appointments and errands and thought that would be plenty of time. The particular branch I visited had an electronic queuing system which required me to identify that I needed a business banker and my business was about opening an account. It then spat out a numbered ticket and invited me to wait in the lounge. The wait wasn't very long and from the moment I met the person who would be in this transaction with me, I knew it wouldn't go well. There was something in his eyes (fear?) that told me he didn't know what he was doing. I was right. I should have run at that point. But how could I?
After I'd introduced myself, I told him that I was here to complete the process of opening my business account which I had commenced over the phone the night before.
"What do you mean over the phone? You can't do that over the phone," was his less than confidence-inspiring response.
"Well I did and here's the account number." He begrudgingly took the details and looked suitably awestruck when he discovered that the process had indeed been commenced over the phone.
Oh no.
Two hours later, I was still there battling with him. I had 1.5kg of trust documents and company deeds and he dismissed them as being "just pieces of paper from your accountant - they don't prove anything". I tried to reason with him, suggesting he take a copy of some of the key pages, just in case. He wouldn't have it. I cancelled my hairdressing appointment which I had no hope of making in time. When I reached the one hour mark I knew that I would have to stay the distance if the time I had already spent was to count for anything.
My confidence in my choice of bank was waning by the second.
Finally, I was released. I went straight home, called the customer complaints line and told them the story. They made all the right noises, apologised and said that they would get my personal banker to call me. I panicked. Was the guy I'd spent a quality 150 minutes with now my personal banker? Were we tethered for life? This would be a disaster. Turns out my personal banker would be his boss. This made me feel no better. Where there are problems in an organisation, always look at the next level up to diagnose the problem. To this day, I've never heard from that guy.
Here's some of what went wrong:
I had a couple of hours one morning as I went through the city on my way to various other appointments and errands and thought that would be plenty of time. The particular branch I visited had an electronic queuing system which required me to identify that I needed a business banker and my business was about opening an account. It then spat out a numbered ticket and invited me to wait in the lounge. The wait wasn't very long and from the moment I met the person who would be in this transaction with me, I knew it wouldn't go well. There was something in his eyes (fear?) that told me he didn't know what he was doing. I was right. I should have run at that point. But how could I?
After I'd introduced myself, I told him that I was here to complete the process of opening my business account which I had commenced over the phone the night before.
"What do you mean over the phone? You can't do that over the phone," was his less than confidence-inspiring response.
"Well I did and here's the account number." He begrudgingly took the details and looked suitably awestruck when he discovered that the process had indeed been commenced over the phone.
Oh no.
Two hours later, I was still there battling with him. I had 1.5kg of trust documents and company deeds and he dismissed them as being "just pieces of paper from your accountant - they don't prove anything". I tried to reason with him, suggesting he take a copy of some of the key pages, just in case. He wouldn't have it. I cancelled my hairdressing appointment which I had no hope of making in time. When I reached the one hour mark I knew that I would have to stay the distance if the time I had already spent was to count for anything.
My confidence in my choice of bank was waning by the second.
Finally, I was released. I went straight home, called the customer complaints line and told them the story. They made all the right noises, apologised and said that they would get my personal banker to call me. I panicked. Was the guy I'd spent a quality 150 minutes with now my personal banker? Were we tethered for life? This would be a disaster. Turns out my personal banker would be his boss. This made me feel no better. Where there are problems in an organisation, always look at the next level up to diagnose the problem. To this day, I've never heard from that guy.
Here's some of what went wrong:
- My account had been incorrectly opened and would not allow me to withdraw any money. The customer service complaints people fixed this.
- My mailing address had been recorded, but all mail was tagged to go to my home address.
- Three debit cards were issued with the wrong business name on the card before I found someone who could get the problem fixed. That took several phone calls of no less than 40 minutes each and the insistence that if I wanted a new card issued I had to visit a branch. The distinction between needing a new card and needing them to fix their error was lost on the people I spoke to.
- The account is supposed to be a business cheque account (with no cheque book). According to the bank that's the rule. The first time I used my debit card, pressing "cheque account" on the ATM keypad, the machine told me I was wrong. I now know that I have to press "savings account", even though it isn't.
- The account is supposed to be recognisable under my universal customer identification number. It isn't. I always end up in the wrong call centre when I call. Fixing this is unbelievably hard. So I don't bother. I just have a script that I read out when we get to that bit of the conversation.
- Details of my trust have not been correctly gathered.
Number 6 above caused me to receive a letter from the bank the other day. In bold at the top of the letter was written We need some more information for your Trust Account. I had quite an emotional reaction when I read this. I remembered the 1.5kg of paper I had lugged into the bank that day, only to have the pages dismissed as being "just paper from your accountant". That 1.5kg of paper was now lodged securely with my accountant and I just couldn't be bothered.
The letter went onto say, "When you established your Trust Account with XXX we didn't collect some details that we're required by law to have on our records. It's easily fixed. Please send us a copy of the following items from the Trust Deed:." A list of four items followed.
The letter was well worded, carefully putting responsibility for this problem on the bank rather than on me. But when I reached the bit that said they were sorry for the "hassle" and appreciated me "taking the time to help us with this" my blood reached boiling point again. What risk was my business at because the bank had failed to fulfil the relevant legal requirements? What would happen if I didn't provide the documents?
I called my friends in the customer complaints area again. They were terribly sorry. They didn't know what risk I was at. They didn't know what would happen if I didn't provide the documents. Had I spoken to my personal banker about this? If only he would call me. I don't think he knows I exist.
The next day, the person who had failed to do his job in the first place called me. (Perhaps I shouldn't be so harsh. Perhaps I should refer to him as the person who was expected by his employer to do a job for which he had not been trained.) My heart sank. Nothing would be resolved if I had to deal with him. He offered me his personal email address and phone number and said I could call him any time. He apologised profusely and realised that he should have listened to me when I tried to get him to take copies of the relevant trust documents five months ago.
I responded very directly and said that I would prefer not to deal with him. I appreciated him calling and taking responsibility, but it didn't change the fact that I had spent a considerable amount of time cleaning up the mess he had made of my business banking arrangements.
I've now sent scanned copies of the documents to him. I'm waiting for another letter to come advising me that they need the originals or something.
Before I sent the documents - which I took my time about - I would receive random emails from the banker. Once he actually asked me when I would be providing the documents. I told him that it was on my list of things to do, but was not a high priority under the circumstances. He didn't respond.
Is it too much to expect that people know what they're doing? It seems incredibly unfair to put someone in a customer facing role as a "business banker" when they don't seem to have the faintest idea what that means. As long as I don't have to deal with anyone, my relationship with the bank is fine. For now. One more thing going wrong will tip me over the edge.
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