It's Time to Refocus

June is the time of year I really get to refocus. For me it’s all about the CPAFMA National Practice Management Conference, but you don’t have to go to be able to refocus. I’m at a small/medium size firm, so my responsibilities are varied to say the least, as I’m sure are many of you reading this. I love strategic thinking and planning, for me it’s fun and that’s one of the reasons I gravitated to this job. There are also many, many small repetitive and non-repetitive mundane smaller tasks that are part of what I do. I seem to get caught up in these. I find when I finish one thing and am ready to move on to the next , I’m usually opening that spreadsheet that needs a weekly update, or reviewing payables or some type of “task”. Then I go to the conference and I am reminded of all the big, broad, strategic issues that really need some attention and I get refocused, and somehow find room in my day to have a meeting with our managing partner about something I want to change or add on a strategic level. This “refocusing” will keep me going for months before I fall back into the tasks routine, and then June rolls around again.

It’s great if you can go to the conference, you really do get so much out of it, but it’s not necessary to refocus on your strategic level issues. Take half a day, go somewhere, lock your office door, take a long lunch or whatever it takes, but schedule some time to evaluate those higher function items, review where you are, where you need to be and at least formulate an outline of how to get there. Maybe have an annual or semi-annual review of your outline with your managing partner. Do something though to get yourself out of tasks-mode and into strategic mode at least once a year.