January has to be the stupidest month to start a New Year. It’s dark. It’s cold. You’re on a come down from the biggest party month of the year and it’s about 999 days long. It’s no wonder people quit before the month’s out.
Once upon a time, New Year used to be in March. Imagine that! Spring in the air. Lighter mornings, sun on your face. If only Romans had figured that a flexible work week was a winner!
I have no ‘New Year Resolutions’. January is hectic for accountants and bookkeepers, there is no head space for lifestyle changes. But as February passes through, things are calmer, nights get a little lighter and I start to look at what I want to change. As March approaches, Spring in the air, it feels like the best time to slowly change the things I’m not happy with. There is always something. Continuous improvement right?
This year I’m getting deep into the core of my health. I took the 1st Feb off to visit a forest spa and I’m working with a Nutritionist to better understand my diet. I’ve always been keen to understand how things work, to dig deeper. It’s a blessing and a curse. Googling ‘What makes the tides go in and out’ at 1am never really added value to my life.
So why am I banging on about New Year in a bookkeeping blog?
Our lifestyle underpins everything. Who we are, our goals, our motivation. The clients I work with generally are looking for change and I truly believe that you can’t separate who you are from your work. When looking at improving something in your business, you have to look at yourself too. Your home-life affects your work and your work affects your home-life.
Change is hard, so it seems obvious to me to start when you feel at your best. That doesn't mean on top of the world, it can mean just a bit better than before. Does Spring give you that fresh feeling to tackle those resolutions? Are you someone who blasts through the house and it makes you feel like you have really got it together?
Maybe you get a buzz in the run up to Summer. You have laser focus for that summer-bod and nothing gets in your way. You might have quit in January but you know there’s only a few months left to get it nailed! [You, my friend, are what I like to call a ‘Deadline Dancer’].
Think about when you feel that buzz. It could be a particular month, a day or even a certain point within a day. DO IT THEN. Write the plan. Clean the crap drawer (we all have one), sort your expenses.
It’s OK to not follow the norm. You can make a choice to align yourself to what suits you and not a calendar based on how long it takes us to orbit the sun.
Is there something you’d love to see covered in my blog? Let me know!