Carlson was considered to be one of the foremost experts on happiness and stress reduction, when he wrote a book called Don’t sweat the small stuff. It provided guidance on how not to let the small things in your life, like your inbox, traffic on the M25 or annoying colleagues, drive you insane. It became a worldwide bestseller and, in 2004, was voted one of the top ten most-read books of the past decade.
Three out of many outstanding pieces of self-help were: i) remember that life isn’t an emergency, ii) give others a break, especially when they don’t deserve it and iii) don’t procrastinate when it comes to relaxing. In other words, calm down, be kind and be kind to yourself. Do you subscribe? Is this your modus operandi? Perhaps it is until you’re preparing for, say, your annual break when the stress of going away for two weeks almost makes you want to stay home. Yet, despite your absence, the world continues to rotate on its axis doesn’t it? That’s because your colleagues are there to support you and the company, as you support them when they take a holiday.
Let’s face it, everyone is entitled to a proper break, we’re the better for it and the wheels of business keep turning, probably better as a result. But of course, there are times when the small stuff, if left, will become big stuff, and morph into a full scale emergency and this is where self-control and a more organised approach to the everyday will pay dividends. Did you watch Mitch’s latest episode on Nordens TV (Click Here) ? It’s the perfect example of how small changes, like prioritising your inbox, can trigger long-lasting benefits. It sounds so simple, and it actually is, but sticking to it is the hard part. Then of course, there are other changes, like Making Tax Digital, which comes into force on 1st April 2019, where you must take action now to be prepared to meet new HMRC legislation and avoid the really big stuff, like penalties. And a straight forward, stress-free way of doing this is by using the age-old art of delegation. You can save time and energy by selecting a company with the right credentials to take care of this on your behalf. Which reminds me, Mitch talked about how this works in an episode of Nordens TV which aired in June (Click Here). Our specialist bookkeeping division, Accounting2You, will:
- design a bespoke bookkeeping service to suit you and your business’s needs
- provide up-to-date, precise information so you can make better business decisions
- save you money on accounting costs and improve your cash flow
- keep in regular contact with you to help with submissions to HMRC
which will free up more of your time to be useful elsewhere. Sweat the small stuff if you really feel you have to, otherwise give yourself the space to take care of the things that really matter, that will help you make a positive difference.
