I had a similar experience when I first tried digitizing everything. Thought I'd streamline the process by having subs upload directly to a shared drive, but half of them either forgot their passwords or just ignored it altogether. Eventually, I settled on a hybrid method—taking quick notes in a notebook onsite, then scanning and organizing them digitally later. A bit tedious, sure, but it saved me from chasing blurry receipt photos every week...
"Eventually, I settled on a hybrid method—taking quick notes in a notebook onsite, then scanning and organizing them digitally later. A bit tedious, sure, but it saved me from chasing blurry receipt photos every week..."
I totally get the frustration with blurry receipts and forgotten passwords—been there more times than I'd like to admit. But honestly, I've found that even the hybrid method can become overwhelming if you're managing multiple projects simultaneously. Juggling notes onsite, then scanning and sorting them later...it adds up pretty quickly.
What I've done instead is set up a simple texting system that's surprisingly effective. Subs send me quick texts with key payment details right when they finish their day or task—just a short summary: amount paid, task completed, date. No passwords to forget, no complicated uploads. Then once a week (usually Friday afternoons), I sit down for about half an hour and input everything into my digital spreadsheet or accounting software.
Sure, there's still manual entry involved, but it's minimal—and since texts are timestamped and easy to scroll through, it saves me from deciphering handwriting or blurry images later on. Plus, since everyone already texts constantly anyway, there's virtually no learning curve or resistance from the subs.
The key is consistency: picking one dedicated time each week to handle the inputs and sticking to it religiously. It's become almost therapeutic for me—a little weekly ritual that keeps my books tidy without feeling like a chore.
Maybe give it a shot? It could streamline things even further without adding complexity...
Interesting idea with the texting thing...but doesn't it get messy if you have a bunch of subs texting you randomly throughout the day? I like the idea of timestamped texts, though. Right now I'm doing something similar—just using a WhatsApp group instead. Easier to scroll through and search if needed, plus you can mute notifications if things get chatty. Either way, totally agree on the weekly ritual:
"The key is consistency: picking one dedicated time each week to handle the inputs and sticking to it religiously."
Makes all the difference.
I've tried the WhatsApp group method too, and it definitely has its perks—especially the searchability. But honestly, after a while, even that got overwhelming for me. I switched to a dedicated email thread per project instead. Subs send their updates or invoices there, and I just flag them as they come in. Then, like you said:
"The key is consistency: picking one dedicated time each week to handle the inputs and sticking to it religiously."
That weekly ritual really keeps things manageable...at least for me.
Interesting take on the emails—I can see how that'd cut through some of the noise. But doesn't it get tricky tracking multiple threads at once? I've been juggling between apps, emails, and even old-school notebooks (yeah, I know...) and honestly haven't found my sweet spot yet. Curious if anyone's tried using something like Trello or Notion for this stuff—could be overkill, but maybe worth a shot.
