The Rule of Two Minutes for Business Paperwork

Ever find yourself with a new receipt or invoice in your email and tell yourself you will

handle it later? We have all been there and unfortunately life happens quickly and later

turns into tax season and suddenly you are scrambling.

Challenge yourself to implement the 2-Minute Rule, if a task takes less than 2 minutes,

do it right then. By taking the action now it will take it off your to do list and ease your

mental load. You may also find that you will avoid spending hours playing catch up.

How to implement the 2-Minute Rule:

- If you have a receipt, take a picture or scan it right away.

- Receive an invoice, forward it to your bookkeeper.

- Update expenses as they come in.

- Save a PDF copy of client payment confirmations to your records.

Tips on making the 2-Minute Rule a habit:

- Download a receipt scanner app so you can easily snap a picture of the receipt

when you get it. I use Adobe.

- Set up a rule in your inbox so all financial related emails and documents go to a

“Financial Folder”

- Set a mental trigger for yourself, if you touch a receipt or bill process it

immediately.

- Make a plan with your bookkeeper to send all financial documents as they come

in or create a shared Dropbox folder and add your documents as they come in.

Spend the next week or two implementing this rule into your daily business habits. You

may find it is something you can do effortlessly. Tiny habits incorporated into your

organizational strategy will keep you on track.

Discuss other strategies with your bookkeeper that will help to keep you on track so that

you are never scrambling with financial deadlines.