Tuesday, January 18, 2011

The Boring Part

Sorry about not hosting the garage sale Sunday. I had an idea to put on the block (there isn't the slightest danger of my running out), but - well, it was a weird weekend and it's not done with me yet, so it'll keep till next Sunday.

Meanwhile, it's almost the end of January. Have you:

Got your paperwork from last year in order?
Updated your ledger and started a new year?
Tracked down stray receipts?
Logged the mileage on the car you use for writing-related trips?
Added up the deductible mileage you put on it?
Renewed all your memberships in professional organizations?
Reported and paid any sales tax you owe?
Got everything in order so you can make your tax prep appointment as soon as the publishers, schools, and whatever get your forms to you?

Do you even have a tax preparer? It really is better not to do them yourself; not unless you're a CPA. And even then, are you sure you're up on the latest tax laws? 'Cause those suckers change all the time. Best to farm it out to people who do it all the time, especially if they guarantee themselves to eat the late fees if they make a mistake. It's way, way too easy to transpose two numbers on a form.

Yeah, it's all a mundane bore. But keeping up with the mundane crud is the only way to keep your castles in the air flying. Doing it now will be better than crashing and burning later.

Not that I would know about crashing and burning due to careless bookkeeping first hand, or anything.

Just trust me. Go do your petty officework and indulge yourself in an orgy of playful creativity, or chocolate, or both, afterward.

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