Self Assessment season is a massively busy time of year, so managing time to get things done is a must.
Delegation, communication and making lists are my three top items for managing my time effectively - but what are yours?
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Planning is key
As a practice we have run now for 22 years and many of our clients have been with us for 10 years +, so I look at the time consuming processes that can be done in February. An example for us is Dividend vouchers we agree them with client and then prepare them in February and they are signed off in February. It is balancing your time against do I need to do it now or can it wait.
Hope this makes sense.
Not sure we all share the same season any more?
Our tax return season has been July-November for several years now meaning we don't really have any bottle necks and so don't need to do/plan anything unusual.
After we had 3 late ones turn up in Jan last year we've also told clients that, subject to illness etc reason, we will not be processing any late tax return info in January unless we have nothing else to do, ie they are likley to have to wait until we can fit them in Feb/March.
As Rachael suggests, we spent years regarding the December/January frenzy as inevitable, but it needn't be.
The knock on is that we can now, catch up on bits & pieces, do the non 31 March accounts, start asking clients for 9-10 month's figures for pre-year end planning and start preparing for our annual billing quotes in Feb/March (my new traditional bottle neck). OR as I've been trying to do all morning try and photograph a Firecrest in next door's fir tree, my first ever (if it ever stays still!).
Season's greetings
Time management
I run my own ornithological consultancy as well and still don't have a good picture of a Firecrest. A very nice garden bird to see. Although out on the edge of London I am a wash with Waxwings peaking 151 on New Years Eve...
Waxwings!
DMSC - I see nothing but reports about all the hundreds of bl**dy waxwings everyone is seeing and all I get are showers of parakeets and a firecrest that's gone to pastures new, send a few to Croydon will you?
Waxwings
Following the LondonBirdClub on twitter and you will see my feeds on the birds in London, part of my role as a trustee for the London Natural History Society.
Waxwings & time management?
I've obviously missed something vital in all the time management books I've read! But we have a pair of delightful squirrels here if you're interested?
Lists, prioritising (and actually doing the priority stuff) and not wasting time on the internet (oops) are key for me. I tried delegating a tax return to the dog but she said she didn't have time on account of the squirrel she had to bark at!
DMS
I would say avoid reading any answers in Jan but the fact that the London Bird Club are on twitter has really amused me today (I know easily pleased)
M
Time management
Lists are great - but what's on them for most people? Prioritising is really important and knowing what's urgent and what's important (to whom of course). Then scheduling in all the "other things", including time off to relax and unwind as well as being able to continue doing tasks which are indirectly productive, such as networking and marketing - maybe slightly reduced, but not cut out completely.
A rare nugget from a former colleague "Be ruthless with time and gracious with people."