You might also be interested in
Replies (13)
Please login or register to join the discussion.
What a load of tosh.
Yet another consultant telling what we should be doing. Could I please borrow your watch so I can tell you the time - and by the way I will charge you for doing so.
Anyone who cannot plan for the traditional December and January rush and can't cope with the workload should get out of the business and go and work in the public sector where things will be a lot more comfortable.
Another keyboard warrior - this forum is full of them!
This is like saying "anyone that can't deal with shoe box records should go elsewhere" - there's ways to mitigate this problem that Della is trying to share with us.
I liked the article - the workload is a real issue for most practices at this time of year and there were a couple of good ideas here.
Thank you Della
Thanks for the question chatman. Della started her firm in 2009 - here's a link to a piece about her firm's first year in business:
https://www.accountingweb.co.uk/practice/general-practice/profile-della-...
And here's an article revisiting 'the class of 2009' written in 2015:
https://www.accountingweb.co.uk/practice/general-practice/class-of-2009-...
Hi Robert
AW carries many very interesting articles and insights which are valuable and that is why I regulalry visit the site. However from time to time some of the contributions are of little value and simply take the place of other more valuable content.
The site is usedd by contributors to promote themselves or thier services. This is, I believe, one of those.
In itself there is nothing wrong with that provided the content is useful.
The content of this particular article is of very little value.
That is my opinion.
I find it is interesting to read how other professionals deal with the stresses and strains of busy work periods.
I normally do a daily triathlon, except the weekend, which for me starts on a friday. My triathlon consists of getting up in the morning. This is probably the most important and tiring of all. Spending a proportion of the morning, most of the afternoon, and a proportion of the evening indulging in a mixture of earning money, stimulating conversation, the occassional pint or glass of wine, sometimes a little doze, making future plans and a bit of admin. This gets the adrenaline going (except for the little doze) and can be quite rewarding. The final part is to wind down, chill, maybe watch a film cuddled up with the wife, going for a bike ride or walk even, then drifting off into lala land. My book, which will be out in the future, will have nothing to do with business but is all about the alien influence on our lives.
Don't worry so much about deadlines. Clients should be trained to know that if the information isn't delivered in a timely fashion then they might be filed late and they will incur a penalty. Some are happy to pay the fine, others will learn from it.
Don't kill yourself because clients are tardy.
I personally find sending out reminders during the year to be utterly pointless, and May would just be a waste of an email.
I know more or less exactly who will be giving me information and when.
It's part and parcel of the way my clients work- I don't expect to have a day off in January but then again I can happily work a 3 day week mid summer and enjoy my golf: work/life balance.
I did smile at the 'final reminder end of September saying if not in by end of October they might be late'. Really? Three months to process information?
Also, you might want to write the article in the past tense as you sold the firm in 2017. Which is probably the best advice you could give anyone!
I premeditate each nite before I go to bed. This gives me some detailed insight of the work ahead. It takes away all the time hitherto I would spend awake in the middle of the nite pondering on the work load.
I find a holiday in the sun either during Christmas or after 1st Feb works wonders. Normally we go for February, but this winter we are going Christmas week and coming back Christmas Eve. Can't go for longer as kids school holidays are in the way.
If you're anywhere near Blackpool Christmas day look out for the "skinny dippers". I will be literally freezing my nuts off.