3 Things I do Every Month
Work maintenance
This newsletter is for sharing my process and thoughts on this small business that operates out of my garage. I really don't want these posts to come across as I know what I'm doing, because honestly I don't. I’m easily intimidated and constantly question if I’m good enough. I fight against being a perfectionist and things always take me longer to release. (It took me a year to publish my first post here on substack because I couldn’t settle on a name. ha!) I’ve had successful launches and tough months—with the high’s, I know there will be low’s. But every year I adapt and my business evolves into something a little different, a little more confident, a little more sure of itself. It’s a very curvy path, nothing is straight forward.
This June marks my 8th year of being self-employed and over time, I’ve found that doing a few things regularly can help me enormously. Here are the three rituals I do every month that keep me mentally well, financially on track and productive in the studio when things get off course.
One: Tracking $$$
The one thing I’m religious about is tracking my expenses and income every 30 days. On the first day of each month, I categorize all my money coming in and coming out in a very basic excel spreadsheet, both personally and for work. For over a decade, I’ve devoted 3 hours to this monthly morning practice and never schedule anything during that time. I can’t remember missing a day, that’s how dedicated I am to this task.
Doing a budget may sound stressful to some but if you can separate yourself from money and view it as a simple list of numbers that informs your decisions it can be revolutionary. I truly enjoy the process and benefit from it so much. It helps me make future plans and correct anything that is weighing me down monetarily. When I transitioned to the 4 day work week it was so helpful because I had a handle on my finances, could assess my risks and truly understand what my bare minimum was.
I’ve tried using tracking apps in the past, but for me, the basic excel spreadsheet is the way to go. It’s not pretty, color-coded or well designed. It’s simple, fast and does not live on my phone. My categories also correspond to the IRS deductions so come tax time, I’m ready to file without any hesitation. Talking about money can be bring up anxiety, but there’s zero surprises with this method, which to me, means less stress when it comes to budgeting and making a financial plan.
In this tiny business, I wear all the hats, including pretending to be an occasional CFO. This is my pro tip, the one thing I do administratively that grounds me and informs how to move forward.
Two: I get a massage every 4 weeks
For years, I thought I couldn’t afford to do this. I still think I can’t afford to, but my neck, shoulders, back, wrists and hips need it. Working with clay on the potter’s wheel is physically demanding and my body needs care. Especially after a few weeks of a lot of wheel-throwing, my body will be super tight, sore and in need of physical release. As I get older, I’ve become much more aware of my body and I’m listening to its needs.
I have to trick myself to overcome the thoughts of “I don’t deserve this”. But, when I think about the cost, I tell myself that if I make a few extra cups one day, that it will pay for itself many times over. If I’m laid out for 4 days because of pain in my neck or tweak in my lower back, I’ll lose a whole week of income.
At the beginning, I had to force myself into believing that a regularly scheduled massage is not just a business expense but part of the business. It’s an important component to keeping my main tool (my body) feeling energized and relaxed so I can continue to do this work that relies on my physical well being for years to come. Just like keeping the studio organized or having a website, allowing myself access to a monthly massage is a must and not just a luxury.
I never schedule anything after my appointment because the chill time afterwards is part of the wind-down and I’m adamant about thoroughly enjoying that post-massage bliss. If you don’t make time for your body, no one else will.
Three: Calendar Drawing
It might sound silly, but I love the act of drawing out a big calendar as an alternative to the to-do list. I use a sharpie on large paper and draw out my grid. I’ll lay out roughly 6 weeks and then start to fill in with what I know.
The first thing I add in this calendar are my planned days off. If I don’t plan for time off, it doesn’t happen. The next thing I add are any appointments, deadlines, teaching days. I add my travel work days too since I go to Berkeley and San Francisco about twice a month. After that, I’ll add my pottery schedule—what I need to make and on what days. Nothing is set in stone here, that’s why it’s drawn on paper! Goals get added in here too. I can move and alter and redo this as many times as I want.
I think of this calendar routine as one scenario of how the next few weeks might play out. I’m the kind of person who is organized, who loves her planner, who uses her google cal a lot and enjoys making lists. But sometimes, I just need to use my hand and lay it all out manually. When I’m feeling overwhelmed or stuck, laying out this grid is what I do. Everything I’m holding in my brain gets out, and there’s a positive release that comes with it. I occasionally refer to it, but rarely. It’s not the point of this ritual. It’s a meditation sketch and once it’s on paper, I can move forward. Maybe its productive procrastination or a simplified, analog version of “time boxing” but when life gets stressful, this is the exercise that provides relief and has stuck with me for as long as I can remember.
Today is the first day of summer and I love finding dates or periods that introduce pauses into my life. Routine is more than what I do daily, but seasonally, monthly, yearly points in time for reflection, growth and check-ins. I have routines that are tiny and easy and I have rituals that are more substantial and heavily relied upon like the ones I shared above. So whatever that may be for you, invite the space for regular rumination. If you have a ritual that gets you through tough days or is critical to your work maintenance, please share in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you.
This is a different topic for another time, but one thing I love about travel is the breaking of routine and the introducing of new habits. Just as it’s important to have them, it’s great to take a break from them too. Happy Solstice!