Starting
the New Year on the right foot doesn’t have to be difficult.
We’ve created a checklist that you can use to make sure that you are
wrapping up everything you should be and getting a good start on the
New Year.
Starting after the New Year? That’s okay too! It’s
never too late to implement the items on this checklist.
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Finish Up Your Bookkeeping and Accounting Paperwork
– Get all of your paperwork in order and entered into your accounting
system or box up all of your paperwork and get it off to your
accountant.
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Organize Your Office – Your workspace is
where you get your inspiration and do your work for your business. Make
sure it’s organized and easy to use. Keep things that you use often
near to you and store away, in organized boxes, the things you don’t
use as often.
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Update Your Contacts & Addresses –
This is a perfect time to update your contacts and make sure their
addresses are current. E-mail your clients, colleagues, friends and
family or ring them up and confirm their information.
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Backup Your Computer System – Hardware
failures can happen and the last thing you want is to lose important
information from your computer. Make sure to either use an external
hard drive, burn your files to CD or use a web-based backup software
program to keep yourself current.
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Write Out Your New Year Goals –
Resolutions don’t always work but if you write down your goals, it will
do two things for you. One, it will keep you focused in the New Year
and two, it’ll give you something to work toward in the New Year.
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Empty Out Your Email Inbox – Deleting
e-mails is not what we have in mind but take some time to clear out
those e-mails you haven’t yet answered and start the New Year on the
right foot. E-mail clutter blocks our productivity and hinders our
ability to focus on what needs to be done.
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Organize Your Internet Browser Bookmarks
– You know all of those websites you bookmarked over the year? Now is
the time to go through them and clear out any that you’ve never
visited. Or, create folders in the bookmarks area and organize them for
easier use.
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Check Your Insurance Policies – Now is a
good time to also check your insurance policies to make sure they are
up-to-date and there aren’t other areas where you could be saving
money. Make sure your policies are current, active and in good standing.
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Call Your Bank – Did you know that a
simple phone call to your bank to find out if you could be doing
anything differently with your accounts could actually save you money?
Ask them about the type of account you have and the fees you are
paying, ask if there are things they see that you could be doing
differently and find out if there are retirement savings plans that you
aren’t capitalizing on.
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Make a Doctor’s Appointment – Make sure
to get yourself checked up and book that physical if you haven’t
already! These things can fall to the wayside and it’s important to
keep yourself in good condition as your body is the vessel carrying you
through this life!
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Organize the Files on Your Computer –
Clutter appears everywhere so make sure that you aren’t holding on to a
lot of items in your documents folder on your computer. Delete the
things you aren’t using and backup those things you want to keep.
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Get Your Car in for a Check Up – It’s
important to make sure that your vehicle is running in good condition
so make that appointment and get it in for a general checkup.
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Get Your Personal Finances in Order –
Now is the time to setup that budget and STICK TO IT! A budget will let
you see how much debt you have, how long it will take you to pay it
off, what sort of savings you have, the regular bills, etc. Not knowing
makes you a liability to yourself!
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Get Yourself Some Help! You don’t need to
go it alone. Find yourself a house cleaner, a virtual assistant, a lawn
maintenance person or whatever other sort of help you need!
