Say Goodbye 2017 and Hello 2018 – get you and your practice ready!

It’s the last day the 2017 year. Today I hope you too have been able to take some time to reflect on the year. To show gratitude for your successes and the challenges that you may have faced – there is a lesson in both. To feel the excitement that a new year brings. Tomorrow you will be faced with a fresh blank canvas. One that you get to splash that first bit of colour on. It’s your canvas and I hope that this time next year, you will be able to look at it through your eyes and see something that you are truly proud of – a masterpiece!

I believe that the secret to be incredibly successful is first and foremost to be at peace and happy in all aspects of your life. Clearly you need to have a plan and a strategy when it comes to your practice but don’t make money your main focal point. The money will come if everything else is in flow and you are being authentic and true to your vision for your practice and your life.

So let’s start working on your 2018 masterpiece.

YOUR PRACTICE & YOUR BUSINESS LIFE

I encourage you to take some time and reflect on the year that was. Write down a list of all the areas in your practice that you had “wins” – celebrate these accomplishments and successes, give yourself and your team a pat on the back! Send an email to your team now so it is waiting for them when they return to the office. Never underestimate the effects even little things like this can have on your staff morale.

Also write down a list of all the areas that you had some “dreadful moments” – reflect on what have you and your team learnt from these experiences and consider what plans you now have in place or need to put something in place while it is a bit quieter so these moments are minimised or don’t occur again in 2018. Remember the old saying, “Mistakes are not a problem. Not learning from them is!”

What are your goals and aspirations for your practice and your business life in 2018?

YOUR PERSONAL LIFE

Now repeat the same exercise that you did for your business life but now for your personal life.

What are your goals and aspirations for your personal life in 2018?

CHOOSE YOUR 5 “2018” WORDS

Thinking about what’s happened during 2017 and what you want for 2018, what 5 words would you choose that will inspire, motivate and keep you on track?

Here’s a few that come to my mind.

• Authentic
• Abundant
• Adaptable
• Balanced
• Boundaries
• Empowered
• Empowering
• Freedom
• Organised
• Present
• Proactive
• Purpose
• Passionate
• Successful
• Visible

Write whatever your 5 words are out. Put them in places that you will see them daily. On your screen saver? On your computer? In your car? In your bathroom? You choose and for even greater success, put them somewhere that others can see them so they too can

WHAT CHANGES WILL YOU BE MAKING IN 2018?

In many cases, we as practice owners are often our own worst enemy when it comes to taking on all kinds of clients and all kinds of work, delegation of work to others, time management, and generally looking after our own well being. These are the things that cause us the most stress, cause us to feel unhappy and cause us to feel like we are on this constant rollercoaster.

The best way to get off this roller coaster is to make a conscious decision on what you want from your practice and your personal life. It certainly worked for me and it can work for you.

Here’s some tips of the types of things you can do in 2018

• become really clear on what your vision is for your practice
• become really clear on the types of clients you want to work with
• become really clear on the type of work you want to do
• embrace technology
• schedule time in your diary that you are unavailable for appointments or to do work (this might be monthly for review of your financials, a certain day of the week to prepare quotes/engagement letters/invoices that you always leave to the last minute or take home at night or on the weekends, a regular game of golf which may also involve networking and promoting you and your practice)
• delegate work to staff where appropriate – you don’t have to do everything yourself
• set boundaries & stick to them!

Wishing you all the very, very best for the new year and trust that it will be good for you professionally, personally and financially. I’m really excited about sharing my practice management experience with you and also my insights on the latest trends and legislative changes affecting accounting practices including single touch payroll.