First of all, I’d like to apologize (especially to the owner of this blog) for not being able to post anything for almost a month. I’ve been busy preparing the financial statements, doing some audit work and checking on my people’s work that I simply could not squeeze in the time to blog.
That said, I’m really looking forward to the ‘official’ end of the busy season (which will be in two weeks’ time) and I can’t help but feel excited. This feeling is the same whether you’re in a Big 4 auditing firm, a smaller firm or your own.
So what about the plans? Right now, my mind is just churning with a lot of them. They’re, well, like New Year’s Resolutions except these ones are for after the tax deadline. Here are some of those plans that I have (and mind you, I can honestly say I’m not the only one who has them):
Lose weight. What is it about the busy season that almost all of us gain some weight during these months? If you haven’t gained any, I envy you!
Lose the papers. Other than the weight, what usually accumulates during this season is the pile of excess papers that one has. From discarded notes, to schedules that were revised, to draft financials, to excess copies, I usually have a mountain of papers that I need to dispose of after the tax deadline. Some are retained for future use, others are filed accordingly and still others go to the trash bin labeled ‘for shredding’.
Take a day off. When I was still in the big auditing firm, the day after the tax deadline, the office looked like a ghost town. Either we were late, took a half – day leave or just took the whole day off. This year, well, we’ll just wait and see.
Go out with your friends, special someone, or families. Let’s face it. During the busy season, your social life sometimes gets to the point of being non – existent (I say sometimes because this is not applicable to every auditor or accountant during every busy season). The days after the busy season you will find time to plan and to go out with people who are special to you, people whom you haven’t seen for the past four months, in short, people who may have felt neglected while you work 16 hours every day, 7 days a week just to meet the tax deadline.
Catch up in my reading. I love to read but during the busy season, all I’m reading are working papers and financial statements! So after the deadline, I’d definitely make it a point to read something at my leisure.
Arrange the working papers, sign off and store them. Oh well, I didn’t say those plans have more to do with leisure and less with work. It’s back to reality for this one. Ideally, these should have been done even before the busy season ends but let’s face it, they’re easier said than done when you’re jumping from one client to another and trying to do a lot of things at once.
Evaluate and plan. Again, more work. Post – busy season is the time when we evaluate what happened during the busy season and start planning for next year. Ugh! Sorry this can’t be avoided. And the earlier they’re done, the better while everything is still fresh in your mind.
