A Touchy Subject

Perhaps one reason zombies are so popular is because they aren’t quite dead. It’s tempting to think there’s a chance we might not really die, so zombies give us hope.

Okay, so maybe that’s not it. Honestly, I don’t get zombies. But I do know we’re all going to die, for real and for certain, and none of us likes to look that straight in the eye.

It’s a hard thing to deal with, but sooner or later, we'll have to get realistic about it. Even if we don’t want to think about it for our own sakes, we should do so for our significant others, children, or other successors. Helping families and partners deal with the practical aspects of our demise won’t ease our transition into the next world, but it’s a good way to demonstrate our love for those we leave behind. 

The most important thing is to organize your affairs. Gather records of your assets, investments, and other properties and put them in one place, along with your will, insurance policies, lockbox keys, and any documents related to funeral and interment arrangements. Make sure your executors know who they are, and where to find the necessary papers so they won’t have to ransack your house and office.

Not sure of what they’ll need? Talk to your accountant or attorney about how to plan for the inevitable. It might seem a little macabre, but your loved ones will thank you later.

The Value of a Face-to-Face Meeting

According to a recent report, the IRS considers the internet communications of American citizens – not just Facebook posts and Twitter messages, but even personal email – to be theirs for the reading.

Though the Fourth Amendment protects your computer hard drive as well as physical letters in a file cabinet, the IRS insists it needs no warrant to access conversations you conduct electronically. The thinking is that these communications lose their reasonable expectation of privacy once they leave your computer.

In the 2010 case of U.S. v. Warshak, a Federal appeals court disagreed. Nevertheless, according an update to an IRS manual published months after the Warshak decision, the official policy remains unchanged: investigators can access anything in an account (except for unopened emails or voice mail stored with a provider for 180 days or less) without a warrant.

I wish I could say this is a joke, but sorry – April Fools Day is long gone.

It could be argued that if we have nothing to hide, we have nothing to fear. But that’s not the point. Though there’s nothing juicy or incriminating there, I don’t want the government sniffing through my emails. Period.

A formidable array of major corporations as well as a broad spectrum of advocacy groups is asking for a change in the law that would specifically put emails under Fourth Amendment protection. But in the meantime – and even after they succeed – it makes me wonder: what’s the matter with good, old-fashioned face-to-face communications?

You’re reading my blog, so you know I’m not opposed to reaching out electronically. But there’s something to be said for looking someone in the eye, picking up on body language to “hear” what’s not said, and sharing a smile. Such personal communication is more complete, more meaningful, and more memorable than electronic words.  It shows your friends, family and people you do business with that you care enough to spend time with them.

We’ve probably all seen that lovely couple out to dinner who spend their entire meal on the phone with someone else! Or the teenager who sits at the family dinner table texting, while what should be an important part of her world turns without her.

In a society such as ours, it’s not always possible or practical to meet with people personally. But let’s not treat getting together like an odious chore, or view it with the same disdain we give an outmoded hairstyle. A face-to-face can build friendships and business relationships - it’s an investment worth making and it keeps the IRS from nosing around in our business!

Hey, by the way, are you free for lunch tomorrow?

Clutter Begone!

Let’s say you’re a business owner, and—at least where accounting is concerned—you realize you need professional help. Don’t worry, there’s no shame in that!

You make a few inquiries and find a numbers person who seems a good fit for you and your business. But your office is a jumble and you’re afraid you might be beyond help. What do you do? Throw everything in sight into a couple of bankers boxes and lug in the whole thing for your new accountant to figure it out?

Only if you want to get off on the wrong foot. Instead, try these tips.

If you’re wallowing in a mess and don’t know where to start, ask your accountant what she’ll need to get started. Then, wade in. Sort those papers into piles. If they’re not needed (ads and other junk mail), throw them in the recycle bin. If you’re not sure, file them away in a “just in case I need it” folder. Put the things your accountant asked for in three envelopes: one for assets, one for income, and one for expenses, and take them with you for your first face-to-face.

After you and your accountant have established what you expect from one another, you’ll have to continue to provide her with the ongoing information she’ll need to help you most effectively. That should give you an incentive to keep that paperwork from getting out of hand again.

Here’s a practical way to keep the clutter in check: Get yourself a couple attractive containers—pretty baskets, boxes, bins, or whatever appeals to your style and décor. Put them in a handy place that’s easy to access. One is for receipts (documentation of money you’ve spent) and the other for income (sales invoices and bank deposit receipts). 

Now, whenever either of these comes into your hands, don’t just toss it aside – put it in the appropriate container! Make sure every deposit receipt is stapled to the appropriate sales invoice(s) or other record of where the payment came from.

Do this religiously. It only takes a few seconds each day, but saves a ton of frustration later on.

At the end of the month, slip the contents of those bins into two envelopes and drop them off with your accountant. She’ll take care of the rest—and you’re on your way to the No Drama Zone!

Time Management IV

Time. Its boundaries are not elastic. It has no pause button, no speed setting, and you can’t reboot when it seems to go haywire.

As we’ve seen, there’s no way to actually manage time. However, in our last three posts, we’ve looked at some practical ways by which we can make the most of its inexorable flow. Today, we’ll look at three more tools.

Beat it at its own game. Time is limited, so set limits for your tasks. There will be certain constants in your day, such as reading/answering emails or returning phone messages. Though you have to do them every day, that doesn’t mean you have to do them all day. Set a reasonable time limit for each activity and stick to it faithfully.

Organize your systems. How much time do you spend looking for files, whether electronic or physical? Sloppiness is first cousin to your old nemesis, Ima Timewaster. Time spent getting things organized is an investment that will more than pay for itself in time saved later on. Just make sure the systems you put into place are logical and efficient so you’ll be able to use them effectively on a daily basis over the long haul.

Wait productively. How many times have you sat and waited, fuming about all the better things you could be doing? Your frustration was justified; no one benefits from thumb-twiddling. That’s why, wherever you go, you should take something with you—reading you need to get caught up on, a list you need to make, a report you have to review. Today’s technology makes this easier than ever before. But even if you have an analogue mind, you can carry a pad of paper and a pen for jotting notes to yourself or making a list of groceries you need to pick up on the way home.

Time might not negotiate, but neither is it particularly clever. If you know its limitations and keep an eye out for its co-conspirators, you’ll be able to outsmart it. We hope these tips will help.

Time Management III

We’ve been talking about the myth of time management and the not-so-mythical twin villains, Ima Timewaster and Busy B. Interruptus. It’s not time we must manage, remember, but our activities; and these girls are adept at tricking us into running down the clock with fruitless pursuits.


Alertness to their wicked ways is the first step toward thwarting their plans. Here are a three other tools:

Plan your attack.  In other words, prioritize.

If you’ve set short- and long-term goals, you’ve already begun. But it needs to be done on a micro-term basis as well. That is, daily. 

Set aside the first part of each morning for a fortifying round of planning, and let no one and nothing interrupt you. Reviewing your progress to date, set your daily agenda accordingly. Schedule your most demanding tasks for your most productive time—and you know better than anyone else when that is. Are you a morning person? Do you get a burst of energy at 3:00 pm? Does your brain function at peak efficiency between 10 and 11:30 am? Whenever you’re sharpest, that’s the best slot for your biggest challenges and creative endeavors.

Delegate. One of the unmanageable aspects of time is the fact that, no matter how you try, you can’t make it stretch. Work wisely with the hours you have, but don’t try to do the impossible. Sometimes, not everything will fit in your schedule.

Being your own boss is one thing, but you don’t need to be your own secretary, accountant, publicist, and customer service department as well. What’s your particular area of expertise? Why did you establish this business? Probably it had something to do with something you love, something that no one else can do like you. If that’s the basis of your company, then that’s likely the work you should be focusing on—it gives you the best return on your investment.

Is your day filled with drudge tasks, necessary duties that detract from your main purpose, or mundane things that others might be more efficient at than you? Those are the tasks you should outsource. Yes, you’ll have to pay someone to do them; but it will free you to pursue the real money-making operation of your business. For financial as well as emotional purposes, delegating makes good, practical sense.

Be consistent. Nobody likes to feel stuck in a rut, but it’s good to establish a routine. Most of us go to bed and get up about the same time each day and take our meals on a fairly regular schedule; it’s good for our minds and our bodies. Similarly, it’s good for our business to establish a routine and to stick with it. Put systems in place and keep them running smoothly.

You’ll be more productive on a daily basis and will be able to get through crises with a minimum of panic.

Putting these three concepts into practice can send Ima Timewaster and her Busy B. sister out into the cold, looking for someone else’s time to disrupt. Don’t bother to wave goodbye; just say good riddance!

Time Management II

Last time, we cautioned you to beware that sneaky co-worker, Ima Timewaster.

Today, let’s identify her twin, Busy B. Interruptus. This engaging person is often thought to be one of the good guys. But despite her innocent appearance, she’s a serious threat to productivity. She’s always flitting here and there, never resting—but somehow, never accomplishing anything.

What’s your defense? Stop her with your trusty weapon, Goals. Set your sights on where you want to be by lunch, by the end of the week, or next quarter. Then, once embarked, stay the course despite Busy buzzing in your ear. Having reached that destination, proceed to your goal on the next horizon. 

A number of tools are available to help you with this. These can be anything from stone-age calendars and lists to specialized software. Many can be web based or accessed by smart phone and can also be tailored to fit your specific needs. Some of the top names: Replicon, BillQuick, Harvest, and ClickTime. Investigate the time-management possibilities and choose the one that best fits your situation and work style.

So, do you know where you’re headed? Plot your course, take off, and don’t let the Timewaster Twins waylay you.

That’s not all the tips we have, but you’ve got enough to chew on for now. We’ll pass out more next time. In the meantime, we wish you happy travels!

Time Management

Do you realize “time management” is a misnomer? It’s a myth. Time is inflexible; it moves inexorably at its own speed no matter what we do. Though we can’t force time to work for us, it is possible to take control of our work and arrange it to fit the time frame available.

This is especially important for business owners, who often fill multiple job descriptions in a typical day. If you feel frenzied but never seem to accomplish anything, what you need is not more time, but better organization. Realizing the problem is with your habits rather than the clock is the first step toward taking charge of your work day.

Grasp this concept, and you’re armed and ready to search out your archenemy, the sneaky Ima Timewaster. Whispering lies in your ear (It’ll only take a moment or Let me just check one thing), this thief steals your productivity. Track your daily activities and train yourself to recognize her subtle disguises wherever she lurks. These can be such innocent activities as emailing, surfing the net in the guise of “research,” personal phone calls, or repetitive tasks that can and should be automated.

What do you do when you spot her? Sometimes the little trickster will dart from one hiding place to another. The best strategy for rooting her out is to clear away the underbrush, one shrub at a time. Make a conscious effort, for instance, to make no personal phone calls at work this week; while you’re at it, limit time-sucking chit-chat in business calls and stick to the business at hand. Next week, just say “no” to your favorite computer game, or make wise use of the TV remote’s “Off” button.

Happy hunting. In our next post, we’ll share a few more goodies from our bag of tricks.