MY ACCOUNT
Checkout
Courses + Products
SHOP

Education

Monthly Duty Days

Ask Anything

filed in:

about the “business” end of my work week and how I manage everything. Well, since I don’t have an intern or a paid assistant, I have to be on top of my game… constantly. And that’s hard work.  Running a small business is like raising a child. (Obviously I don’t know what it takes to raise a child but this is the best comparison I could think of!). Why? Because it’s constantly growing, needs DAILY attention and supervision, is constantly out growing itself and the work is NEVER done. Ever. You can’t turn off being a parent and you can’t turn off being a small business owner.

The job follows you home and it never disappears. It’s tough and it takes discipline. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m still learning how to be disciplined in my business! You all see me blog everyday but that doesn’t mean that I’ve always been consistent with things behind the scenes. It’s really a miracle that my business made it past the “college” phase.  When I started in college and was working out of a dorm room, my organizational skills were the bare minimum. I’m happy to say that after 2 years of being full time, I finally have some systems down!! I’m going to share about one them today and I hope those of you that are managing LIFE and a business find this helpful!

 

 

 About 6 months ago, at the beginning of the new year, I wrote out a massive list of things that went REALLY well in 2012 and things that didn’t.  I then went through that “things that didn’t go so well” list and I came up with solutions! Here were some things that I needed help with:
– Not keeping up with mileage records
– Not filing sales tax on time
– Forgetting to blog goals until it’s the middle of the month!
– Not updating and recording expenses regularly
– Realizing the mortgage was due 2 days late
– Not planning my blogging
– Paying bills and paying off credit cards
.
I realized that most of the things that I wasn’t keeping up with were MONTHLY tasks. The issue was that I would put them off and then all of a sudden, 3 months had gone by and I was so overwhelmed at the thought of these tasks that I just continued to ignore them.  These monthly tasks in and of themselves are not HARD tasks, they just take about an hour to accomplish. So I implemented this new system for my business called “The Monthly Duty Day”. Basically, I made a spread sheet with a list of monthly tasks that HAD to be accomplished on the first workday of every month. So for example, this month’s duty day fell on a Monday. So Monday July 2nd, I got up, blogged about my goals for the month and I completed this month’s checklist of duties. I entered the mileage for June, paid sales tax for June, sent the mortgage check, updated my business Mint account with any expenses that needed to be categorized, printed and filled in a new blogging calendar for July and mailed my client gifts.  (I also gave Bokeh his heartworm pill and frontline treatment).
.
These are all monthly duties that were getting jumbled up and overlooked in 2011 and so this SIMPLE system has given me a way to keep everything under control! My CPA is going to LOVE me at the end of the year!! It seems like such a simple concept to gather all of your monthly “to-do’s” and just accomplish them in one morning but I had never thought about it before this past winter! It’s not always fun, I actually dread it but when I check those things off my list, I feel like my “July” is off to a good start!! Speaking of to-do’s, I’m off to take this fluffy boy to the groomers. He’s DYING in this 100 degree weather so we’re saying goodbye to the fluff until the fall. :( I’ll miss the fluffiness but I know he’ll feel so much better on our walks! Happy Monday!

 

Thanks for reading!

— Katelyn

Free Posing Class

Free Posing Class The KJ Way

Your sessions should be working FOR you not against you!

READ MORE
Education

Welcome to your Lightroom Classic Starter Guide video!

Lightroom Classic Beginner Guide
READ MORE

Lightroom Classic Starter Guide Everything You Need to Get Started!

Youtube
5 Essentials to Turn Pro

5 Essentials Beginners Need to Go Pro and make your photography business a success!

I’m breaking down the MUST-HAVE ITEMS that every photographer needs to be successful at the start of their career! 

READ MORE
Youtube

Danny + Megan A Biltmore Estate Wedding

Oh where do I begin? This wasn’t just another wedding for me. This was a legacy KJ Wedding and I have been looking forward to it ever since my first email from Danny and Megan!

READ MORE
Weddings

I’m really excited about this YouTube video because I know that it resonates with ALL photographers who photograph PEOPLE!!

10 posing red flags
READ MORE

10 Red Flags in Posing And how to fix them!

Youtube
How to Serve a Client Who Isn't a Perfect Fit

Ep. 33 | How to Serve a Client Who Isn’t a Perfect Fit And make it a great experience

Have you ever walked into a client experience and realized “oh wow, this is not what I was expecting?” ….

READ MORE
The Katelyn James Podcast

READER FAVORITES

"Best money I have EVER spent on education! ... and I've spent a lot!”

- Kara Abbey, ALL-ACCESS MEMBER

"I love all the lessons I'm learning from KJ All Access! Thanks Katelyn!”

- Shannon Drummond, ALL-ACCESS MEMBER

"I find very few educational resources worth it ... this one is!”

- Kate gansneder, ALL-ACCESS MEMBER

"Recently signed up for KJ All Access and it's EVERYTHING!”

- Kassidy Mowery, ALL-ACCESS MEMBER

"Being able to see behind-the-scenes of Katelyn interacting with her clients has been SO impactful!”

- Angie mcpherson, ALL-ACCESS MEMBER

"Recently signed up for KJ All Access and it's EVERYTHING!”

- Kassidy Mowery, ALL-ACCESS MEMBER

"SO worth it! It's amazing the amount of knowledge you get out of them!”

- Brittany Lowe, ALl ACCESS MEMBER

"I learned just as much in one All Access as I did in a whole course! SO GOOD!"

- Joanna Krueger, ALL-ACCESS MEMBER
10 Steps to Starting Your Photography Business
Helping a friend survive a season of Infant Loss
How to photograph a first look in Harsh Light
OUR KJ COUPLES REUNION
A Lake Como Destination Wedding - Greg and Kate
A Letter to the Go-Getters fearful of Motherhood

The KJ blog
must-reads

The KJ Blog is where you get to know me, where you meet our KJ Couples and see their beautiful wedding days, where I have been building an archive of education for over a decade and where I let you see a peek into our life, our home, and hear about our purpose! 
don't miss the
Arrow KJ
Arrow KJ
Arrow KJ
Arrow KJ
Arrow KJ
Arrow KJ

YOUTUBE

Join 93,000+ others and learn, grow and get connected via our Youtube Channel! This is where I'm constantly sharing new content, talking all things gear, business, tips, tricks and letting you into the behind-the-scenes of our everyday life! 
MORE FREE EDUCATION + CUTE BABIES ON
WATCH NOW

"I have invested in all of KJ’s education!

The way she teaches makes so much sense and I’m so grateful for her! My business will be forever changed!"

- Renee Nicolo

"KJ education has been life-changing

 It has elevated my work so I could quit my day job and work from home with our baby boy!"

- joanna k.

"I'VE INVESTED IN SO MANY RESOURCES... 

and none compare to what I get from KJ!"

- LAUREN M.