*This is a collaborative post

Everyday Stationery Supplies the Self Employed Person Needs

I am a big lover of stationery, the crisp turn of a new page on a notebook, a pretty new pen, sparkly folders, fun paperclips and anything that helps me to get organised.

Being self employed give you the perfect excuse to buy lots of stationery and also for me to indulge in my love of products that are entirely designed to just organise stuff. But if you currently self-employed or planning on becoming so, I can’t stress how important it is to be keep on top of your filing. Being organised means that you don’t miss deadlines, are able to fill in your tax return accurately and can be proactive in growing your business.

Here are five essential stationery items every self-employed person needs:

A Planner

While I keep track of all of my appointments digitally, when it comes to planning my work and projects nothing beats writing it down in my opinion. I have a desk planner where I plan my daily tasks out across a week. I have separate sections in my planner to keep a record of all brand reviews and collaborations I have agreed to with deadlines, another section for brainstorming and blog ideas. There is some freelance work that I do on a time and materials basis, so I also have sections in the planner where I record the time and the work I have completed each week for them. I would go as far as to say my planner is my work bible!

Files, Files lots of Files

Keeping good files will save you so much time and stress. A file for all of your business receipts by financial year is your first essential. A file of any contracts you have signed for reference. Don’t forget business receipts will need to be kept for at least 5 years for your tax records, so you will need a way to archive these files for easy access in the future.

A Really Good Spreadsheet

My first year of being self employed, I used a free spreadsheet service, but I found I was limited by its functionality. So I invested in a subscription to Microsoft Office. It enables me to link spreadsheets, this means I can link details of my expenses, revenue, invoices pending payment, they all link up together and provide me with an update of my net revenue which is easily viewable.

Notebooks and a Decent Pen

I like to keep track of projects separately. Particularly if I have gone to conference or working on a training course. For larger projects I like to have a separate notebook for each individual thing. It makes things easy to reference when I need them at a later date. A decent pen is just because they look pretty and I think you can never have too many pretty new pens!

A Good Laptop and a Comfy Desk Chair

Depending on the work you do, you are going to spend a lot of time sat at your desk, you’re going to need a good, reliable laptop. If it’s old and you are going to want to throw it out the window every five minutes it’s going to make your job harder and more tedious. Same goes with a desk chair, a bad working position can lead to back problems and make you uncomfortable. These are definitely investments in the future of your business and your sanity!

If you’re looking to invest in some shiny new stationery for your business, why not head over to officestationery.co.uk which has all of your office essential supplies at discount prices.