Start the new working year on the front foot

January is typically a quiet time for many businesses because people are still away, summer holidays mean many people are on leave and for lawyers it is a non-sitting period for courts.

So if you are working, it is a fantastic time to catch up, regroup, clear any backlog and make plans for the coming year.

These are our five top tips for starting your business year right.

• Archiving is the least favourite job in any office and is mostly put to the end of the to-do list, as that thing you do when you absolutely have nothing else to do.  See what I did there?  I put it at the top of this list!  Try to change your attitude about it: think of it as a spring cleaning task.  Spring cleaning is a hideous task, but can often be very therapeutic and cleansing.  So think of your archiving as a “summer cleaning” of sorts, to clear out your work area, create space, cause you to do a review of old, inactive files and work out what might need to be actioned.  Ultimately, it will give you a clear start to the year.
• Work out what you can delegate. In the current climate where everything is being digitised, or an app is being created to aid with expenses, or time recording, and things are available at the touch of a button, make some time to reflect on what types of things you are able to effectively and efficiently delegate to someone or something else.  It might be collating expenses, appointing a bookkeeper or outsourcing website content or article writing, to ensure you keep your content fresh and updated.  Do not underestimate how much businesses now rely on social media, and if it is beyond you, outsource it to an expert.  Whatever it is, do a cost/benefit analysis, and no doubt you will work out that you are more productive, efficient and cost effective at what you do best, and the cost of out-sourcing some business related expenses to the experts will be well worth the investment.
• Make a plan. Make a plan for your business for the year, including marketing and business development, as well as a plan for review during the year.  Diarise to review the plan at three different stages throughout the year.  A review can include cash flow, anticipate upcoming expenses, dealing with unexpected road bumps, and making time to reward yourself and your team throughout the year.  Don’t forget what loyalty and goodwill comes from making time to acknowledge and reward your team. Spontaneous rewards on no notice can foster a great deal of goodwill towards an employer.  Rewards don’t necessarily have to be event-based.  Perhaps after a particularly busy month, you could call in a desk based massage company and offer 5-10 minute messages in the first week of the new month?  And there are always cupcakes or macarons!
• Fight procrastination. Procrastination is the art of finding a million other things to do, rather than doing what you really need to do, or hate doing.  Taxes spring to mind.  When BAS is due, I can be really creative with all the things around the place that need doing.  Turn procrastination on its head by doing all the things you hate first thing in the morning (maybe set aside two days a week for this activity), get them out of the way, then reward yourself with a 15 minute walk around the block or a Ferrero Rocher chocolate (just one).
• Diarise this list at three different times during the year, to cause you to stop briefly, take stock and get some archiving done, or update your website.  Or send your bookkeeper or accountant a pile of invoices and expenses.  If you have calendar reminders, you are more likely to shift some stale items and at the end of the year it will make any housekeeping tasks quicker and less painful.

You might be asking yourself what the purpose is of having an article like this on a law firm’s website.  Well the answer is simple: all the above things mean good governance.  If you run your business effectively and efficiently, you are less likely to run into issues that lead to you having to call your lawyer.  In effect, we’re doing ourselves out of a job.  You’re welcome!  Now get onto that archiving.