One option is to understand the value of your time and organise your day to be more productive  in generating business. Here are six concepts to help you do just that.

No doubt accountants will have read this week's Sunday Star Times article on the possible overhaul of trust regulations.

You've probably been told to be neat, tidy and organised by filing the emails you save into folders. However what if you can't remember where you filed an email?

Although some may dub it 'egosurfing', others might call it a wise career move to conduct a web search to see what information about you is available online. After all, what is visible to you also is visible to potential employers.

Activity equals success. Or stated differently, the business you  bring in today was generated from the marketing activities you did in the past. What differs industry by industry is the lead time required for that activity to create a sale. Stop the activity and in a corresponding time in the future - sales will fall.

Quite a statement to make... so how true is this? Let's confine the discussion to New Zealand specifically.

I recently reviewed the time and cost records of four clients covering a period of eight years in a "supposedly efficient" firm in provincial New Zealand.

Your email folders grow as you send and receive emails, set tasks, create appointments and meetings. Not only does the information become dated, it slows down the performance of your inbox and wastes time when you search for items.

Where is it!!!!?????

Ahhhh. You've felt the aggravation of that missing file or folder through to the frustration of hunting for an email you know you have - but just can't find.

Well don't despair. There are ways of finding emails and a few ways of making vanished ones reappear like a rabbit out of a hat.

With the end of the financial year approaching there won't be a shortage of things to do in your office and your staff will have their hands full with the million and one tasks that already form part of your practice procedures.  I have no illusions about how welcome the suggestion that you consider adding a few more items will be.

Social media is becoming a business phenomenon and with the rise of its popularity has come a wave of so-called "experts" offering to help establish your online presence.

You know that you can drag your emails and drop them into their respective folders. I'm sure you do this continuously. But who ever said drag and drop had to be apples to apples? Meaning just emails into folders? Dragging and dropping apples just gets you thrown out of the supermarket; but in your inbox it works magic. Drag and Drop can save you a fabulous amount of time - over time. You don't have to click; use drop down menus; copy; paste; re-write.

Introduction

Most people have a natural desire to understand themselves, to have successful relationships, to do good work, and to grow and prosper.  How you respond to the needs of your people today will determine your degree of success in achieving organisational goals tomorrow.

Last time I mentioned a case where J Smith had indeed encountered the disablement process and there was a tragic outcome, although nowhere as tragic as it could have been.

We all have a 'To Do' list. Most maintain it mentally. Some write down a list, or have 17 half crossed out lists scattered. You might use your software calendar to prompt you. Wrong place. The calendar is built for appointments and meetings only. Reminders make you look unnaturally busy.

It's my firm belief that work is managed poorly in the majority of accounting practices.

There's huge money to be made in fixing workflow.   Firstly, you'll get through work quicker, and still be able to bill what you've traditionally billed the client.   After all, the price you set with your client and your internal cost of production are two quite different things.

You know how important it is to save time. It's one of the most valuable commodities today. As you know your Inbox can be a great time waster. You can have significant numbers of emails to read and answer every day.

I'm sure that business is the hardest part of the planning exercise when you consider the issues to be confronted and sensitivities involved.

A business is a crucial part of a business owner's life and future.

The 'big four' accounting firms are delving into social media and the question is, "should you bother if you're not going to do it right"?

Due to multiple requests we have extended participation in  our Pricing and Services Guide (the most comprehensive and fundamental pricing guide ever prepared for the NZ accounting profession) right through to Friday 26 February 2010.  So far 85 firms have participated in the Survey, but frankly, we're aiming for at least 200.

One of the biggest problems of keeping database information can be the enormous amount of time often spent simply cleaning data and getting rid of inconsistencies and errors so that it can be used.