WEBVTT - Prepare for a busy season

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to prepare for a busy season. If

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<v Speaker 1>you've got an intense time coming up, there are lots

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<v Speaker 1>of things you can do ahead of time to set

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<v Speaker 1>yourself up for success. In the US, various tax deadlines

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<v Speaker 1>come in the spring. Many companies also need to report

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<v Speaker 1>earnings and reconcile their books, and that means that for

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<v Speaker 1>accountants who deal with these things professionally, the time from

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<v Speaker 1>late January to March in particular, and then to April

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<v Speaker 1>for those dealing with taxes can feature long hours. It

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<v Speaker 1>is an intense time, but it is also a noon deal.

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<v Speaker 1>July might feature work life balance, March not so much.

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<v Speaker 1>As I have spoken with various accountants over the years

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<v Speaker 1>about their schedule strategies, I've realized that the experienced ones

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<v Speaker 1>take the nature of busy season into account as they

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<v Speaker 1>plan out their years. For instance, people told me that

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<v Speaker 1>they booked their doctor and dentist visits in December or

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<v Speaker 1>maybe even early January. They also got their hair cut.

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<v Speaker 1>None of that life maintenance stuff was going to happen

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<v Speaker 1>during busy season. But they knew busy season was coming up,

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<v Speaker 1>they could plan some even more strategic Folks thought about

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<v Speaker 1>their relationships. Not to be too blunt about it, but

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<v Speaker 1>they were going to be lousy friends from late January

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<v Speaker 1>through April. Perhaps, so people took their close friends out

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<v Speaker 1>to lunch right before busy season started. In adult life,

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<v Speaker 1>it can be quite possible not to get together with

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<v Speaker 1>friends for a few months. Anyway, late December or early

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<v Speaker 1>January too early May would be a reasonable gap, so

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<v Speaker 1>they made the first get together happen. People also made

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<v Speaker 1>concrete plans for when busy season was done. They weren't

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<v Speaker 1>going to be able to plan a vacation in the

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<v Speaker 1>middle of busy season, even though they would feel like

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<v Speaker 1>they really needed one, so they planned beforehand and booked

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<v Speaker 1>things so they could enjoy the vacation afterwards. I thought

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<v Speaker 1>there's a lot of wisdom in all of this. Not

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<v Speaker 1>every profession has the equivalent of busy season, but many

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<v Speaker 1>of us go through sometimes that are predictably more busy

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<v Speaker 1>than others. The first week of school is going to

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<v Speaker 1>feature a lot of upheaval. December weekends tend to be

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<v Speaker 1>booked up with holiday performances and events. Kids words tend

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<v Speaker 1>to peak in October and April, or may as do

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<v Speaker 1>conferences for those of us who speak at such things.

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<v Speaker 1>There are lots of things you can do to make

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<v Speaker 1>a busy season itself more manageable. For instance, some accountants

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<v Speaker 1>decided to take one day a week completely off work.

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<v Speaker 1>The other six days would be rough, but one predictable

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<v Speaker 1>sabbath could make life feel doable. Some figured out they're

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<v Speaker 1>absolute non negotiables, such as getting seven hours of sleep

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<v Speaker 1>each night, moving for twenty minutes a day, and having

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<v Speaker 1>three meals per week with their families. Everything else would go,

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<v Speaker 1>but they would do those things. All of that is wise,

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<v Speaker 1>and if you ever find yourself suddenly in a busy season,

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<v Speaker 1>you can avail yourself of those strategies. But when you

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<v Speaker 1>know a rough time is coming up ahead of time,

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<v Speaker 1>you can do even more to make life manageable. So

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<v Speaker 1>if you are facing down a busy season, see what

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<v Speaker 1>you can do to prepare What life maintenance tasks can

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<v Speaker 1>you move out of your busy season? Which friends should

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<v Speaker 1>you proactively reach out to so those relationships will feel

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<v Speaker 1>set for the next few months. Can you spend some

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<v Speaker 1>extra time with family members, so your absence will be

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<v Speaker 1>taken in context. Think about these things ahead of time,

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<v Speaker 1>and your busy season will go better. It will never

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<v Speaker 1>be fun, but it will be better and during a

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<v Speaker 1>really rough patch that will count for a lot. In

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<v Speaker 1>the meantime. This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's

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<v Speaker 1>to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd

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<v Speaker 1>love to hear from you. You can send me your tips,

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<v Speaker 1>your questions, or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter,

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<v Speaker 1>the number four, then Breakfast p o D. You can

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<v Speaker 1>also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at

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<v Speaker 1>i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled

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<v Speaker 1>out with all the letters. Thanks so much. I look

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<v Speaker 1>forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production

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