Best Use of Your Time at Tax Time

For most of us, this is the time of year when we sigh heavily and drag that sorry mass of paper on to the desk and look forward to tomorrow.

Receipts, Invoices, Cheque stubs, Movie Tickets (what are THEY doing in here?!!).

I Love Looking At Invoices

I group them, monthly columns, clients in rows, to make a little table in a spreadsheet, totals everywhere, and the grand total for the 12 months.

Not as grand as last year.

Hmm.

This year I'm doing myself a favor, and printing out that summary, retiring to the couch with a large mug of cappuccino, and writing twenty words on each client.

The twenty words: How did I get this business this year?

• Referral from a colleague?
• Referral from another client?
• Advertisement on CraigsList?
• Direct mailing?
• Staying-in-touch by email?

For each client, no matter how small the job.

What follows seems obvious.

1. "Thank You" card to the referees
2. A determination to put more effort into whatever it was that drove the business my way over the past 12 months.

This isn't a lifetime commitment.

It's more about feeling good, thanking others, and taking a well-earned mid-morning break from taxes.