 Attention, perhaps bordering on obsession, to detail, thriving in a sense of being in control and organised, enjoyment in making things all balanced and equal, and a dogged determination (we've all had that $1.20 that we can't stop searching for, even though we know we should!) - I suspect the very traits that make us excellent bookkeepers, are likely well known contributors to depression and anxiety. We also operate in a highly regulated space dealing with, at times, complex law. Add to this that a fair portion of the industry are without the benefits of companionship, working alone from home or remotely, throw in some family demands... and lets not even start on the frustrations faced by dealing with certain websites that are continually under maintenance and crashing. Today is World Mental Health Day and I thought I would share my story of a depression and anxiety diagnosis, in the hope that it might help someone. To set the background, I am a confident, fun-loving optimist. As a life long devotee of Reebokism - 'Life is short. Play hard', I have always felt life is all a bit short to take too seriously. I can add determined, kind, serial over-sharer and hard-working. But one word, I've never used to describe myself until last year is 'depressed'. When I found myself sitting in a psychologist's room hearing the words,'You have severe depression and anxiety' it just felt weird. Wrong. Me? Sure I had felt really sad for weeks but he can't be right. He doesn't even really know me that well, let alone my extensive back catalogue of fun and frivolity. But he was, of course, right, and as dark and bleak as that period of my life was, it set in motion the changes I made that turned my life, and ultimately my mental health, around. To be fair, last year, was pretty foul - a business in crazy growth that had me running around like a deer in headlights, the constant strains that a working parent juggles, some serious and heart-breaking illnesses amongst family and friends, and the shock of having a melanoma diagnosis - but that wreaks of justification. And the reality is, we don't need to be able to justify. It doesn't matter. And I am sure it doesn't help. Almost a year down the track and feeling the best I have felt in years, here's what made a difference for me. 1. Professional help Oh how we love to hear client's say they can 'fix their books themselves', or even better when they've got a cousin who can do it for $10/hour. We know the value of engaging a bookkeeping professional such as ourselves. The same applies when we are not coping. We are not specialists in this area, and yes our family and friends might have some tips, but we are naive to think we or they have the tools to make a real difference. We really we need to engage the services of a professional. Here we can be given tools such as practicing mindfulness, meditating, cognitive behavioural therapy etc to stop ruminative thinking and bad thought patterns. Without meaning to of course, I had wired my brain to worry. From the moment I woke, through all sorts of family moments where I wasn't quite present, until the glass of wine helped me fall asleep, my mind was in slightly panicked mode. Investing the time and effort to practice skills that help my worrisome mind is the single best thing I have ever done. "Worry often gives a little thing, a big shadow" Swedish Proverb. 2. Set Boundaries
We hear it so often, it's almost cliche, but as the lines between home and work life/time continue to blur and the pressures of a 24/7 lifestyle bear down on us, ensuring you protect how spend your time is absolutely paramount. This includes scheduling down-time, deciding when you 'open and close' and living by my favourite saying - "Your lack of planning is not my emergency". Even when I was going through some pretty tough times in the lead up to my diagnosis and keeping client's informed, although their response was often to take care and rest up, it never stopped them from continuing to email outside of hours or make last minute demands. It so brought home to me, that I was the only one who could have my best interests at heart and protect my boundaries. It was up to me. Part of this is having systems and automations that free you up and allow you down time and future-proof your business for events like this. Ensuring you are not wasting time using out-dated procedures and even if you don't have staff, have things in place so that you can take time out. Set alarms on your phone for breaks during the day. Stand up (even if you're at an adjustable desk, which is also an awesome idea), step away from your desk, look out at the sky, take some deep breaths, read an article, or step outside.....and turn off ALL notifications for work emails. Yes ALL. 3. Factor in Fun & Practice your Passions As someone who loves to have fun, somehow over time all the fun had slowly been squeezed and sapped out of my day to day. Everything had got so grown up and serious. I had also placed work so middle and centre in my life, that I couldn't remember what else I used to like to do. As the old proverb goes "all work and no play makes jack a dull boy". The same applies to Jill. What are your passions? Have you forgotten to pull your guitar out, to sew, to surf ? Maybe play your favourite 80's tunes that you haven't listened to forever. When did you last find time for a bush walk? To write? Don't let them get lost over time. 4. Lifestyle loops Build a lifestyle that supports you. I call it a 'lifestyle loop' because often the way we go about the various parts of our day feeds into the next. Our day can create positive lifestyle loops that support good energy levels, clarity and strong mental health or negative lifestyle loops that make us tired, muddled and depressed. Now I am not brave enough to tell you what you need to do but for me, one of the biggest differences came from significantly reducing my alcohol intake. It was mortifyingly hard as it was such an ingrained coping mechanism, but it made a huge difference. An example of a Negative Lifestyle Loop Wines at the end of the day to cope with stress> Poor sleep quality> Wake tired, don't exercise > Lacking motivation and direction to prioritise work> Eating sugary foods to keep going> Post sugar-high crash, distracted> Overwhelmed and working late > No sense of achievement > Wines to wind down at end of day. An example of a Positive Lifestyle Loop Finishing the day and taking time out for something enjoyable (walk, rock-climb, movie, book) > Evening routine to wind down including limiting screen-time > Quality Sleep> Wake energised> Allow time for exercise and focusing on the day's priorities> Stopping for breaks and taking time out> Feeling accomplished> Finish day with energy to pursue interests and relax. No life isn't that simple, and some days a glass of wine is perfect, but don't find yourself by default in habits that are actually hindering your happiness. 5. Perspective There really is more to life than work. Most of it isn't as 'life and death' as we make it seem. We aren't perfect, we will make mistakes. We also have family and friends that deserve our best. We have four-legged creatures that love attention. We have this one precious life of ours that needs to be lived fully and enjoyed. Keep perspective about what really matters in the short time we are here. And importantly, reach out. We are so lucky to have an amazing community that supports each other. We also 'get' what we're all going through, so never be afraid to let one of us know when you're not coping. If you need someone to talk to, shoot me a message. You can read my original article on being diagnosed with depression here .
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 Yes folks, you've read that correctly, the ATO is simplifying the GST reporting system to reduce the complexity in applying the GST law. From July 1 2017, when conducting business and recording transactions:
Xero is currently developing a whole new BAS experience to support Simpler BAS and rest assured will have it ready for the first Simpler BAS. If you're not sure what this means for your business please make contact and I'll be happy to assist.
 As the end of December rolls around each year, most of us take some time to reflect on the year that we're leaving behind and set some goals for the new one. While the new financial year certainly lacks the hype, champagne pops and midnight smooches of its calendar equivalent, it’s still a great opportunity to pause and use the same principles of reflection and resolution. Here's four tips to set you and your business up for a successful New Financial Year. 1. Success Starts With You - how to habit hack. Owning a business has never been easy but in the constantly connected, 24/7, global environment that we operate in today, ensuring you prioritise your well-being is not only vitally important but also incredibly challenging. The key to creating a lifestyle that supports you and has you waking ready to take on the world rather than cowering under the doona is creating good habits. We are basically the sum of our habits formed over time and with the demands of running a business its not hard to form ones that aren't really helping us. Our brain actually seeks to optimise and this little routine-maker, habit-former brain of ours is truly amazing. But of course, it doesn’t necessarily mean it knows how to differentiate helpful patterns from unhelpful ones. This means that it easily forms other habits like over-working, comfort eating, chronic worry, procrastination, staying up late, distracted desk-time, and my personal favourite - the lure of a wine to wash away the end of a hard day. So the good news is we have an awesome piece of automation tucked up in that noggin' of ours. The challenge is consciously creating helpful habits to creative a positive 'Lifestyle Loop' (see below) that builds on each habit for success. An example of a Negative Lifestyle Loop Wine at the end of the day to cope with stress> Poor sleep> Wake tired, don't exercise > Lacking motivation and direction to prioritise work> Eating sugary foods to keep going> Overwhelmed and working late > No sense of achievement > Wine to wind down at end of day. An example of a Positive Lifestyle Loop Finishing the day and taking time out for something enjoyable (walk, rock-climb, movie, book) > Evening routine to wind down including limiting screen-time > Quality Sleep> Wake energised with time to plan the day's priorities> Stopping for breaks and taking time out> Feeling accomplished> Finish day with energy to pursue interests and relax. RESOLUTION TIP: Spend twenty minutes looking at your current Lifestyle Loop. Often just modifying just one or two chinks in the chain, feeds into the changing of other habits. Set up a structure that supports success. 2. Technology Tune-up. When was the last time you reviewed the systems and technology in your business? The pace of change means there are constant updates and new players that improve and often cheapen the price of technology. Whether it's document storage, email platforms, CRM systems or collaboration tools, taking time out to review business-wide will improve efficiencies and most likely save you money. RESOLUTION TIP - Spend fifteen minutes looking at the technology in your business and identify any updates or new player worth checking out. 3. Purge Pain Points. As anyone who runs their own business knows, it’s easy to get tangled up managing the day to day, lurching from one mini-catastrophe to the next ignoring the bigger vision you have . The new financial year is the perfect time to step back and look at your flows of frustration that waste time and energy and put measures in place to stop them recurring. So what were the pain-points this year in your business and what action can you take to purge them from this year? Here's some ideas to get you started.
4. Engage The Services Of A Trusted Advisor. Statistics show that small businesses have much higher levels of success when they engage the services of a trusted advisor to help them. Having a qualified BAS Agent/bookkeeper maintaining the day to day and ensuring you're compliant, using programmes efficiently and managing your profitability with a motivated accountant taking care of tax obligations and partnering with you in your vision, it's a no- brainer and a New Financial Year resolution that you must follow through on today. What's more as trained and tech-savvy professionals, they'll be able to assist you finding solutions for your pain-points and fine-tuning your technology. And importantly, it allows you to take care of your well-being via good habits for a positive Lifestyle Loop. You can sleep well knowing you have a team that supports you and your business. RESOLUTION TIP: Do this today! For a list of Xero Advisors click here.
 Here's some tips 'n tricks to make sure your Xero file is accurate, protected and delivering the most value for you! 1. Set up two step authentication for your login. It's easy to do and gives your data an added layer of protection. Click here for instructions. 2. Enter the opening balance of bank account/s when you start the file. There's little point having a bank feed driving your file if it's not accurate and reliable. Click here to ensure you're set up properly. 3. Check your actual bank balance against your Xero bank balance at least quarterly via the Reconciliation report and publish them for future reference. Click here for instructions. 4. Enter Contacts correctly the first time round. Xero allows you to create contacts on the fly which can be really useful, but if you take the time to set up a new supplier or client in the Contacts tab with all the details, you'll thank yourself in the long run. Click here for best practice set up or if you've managed to cook up a crazy multi-contact stew click here to easily merge them. 5. Set up superannuation guarantee (SG) as statutory rate in your employee pay template, that way Xero takes care of any rate changes automagically and you can rest assured you're compliant. Click here for help with setting up pay templates. 6. Lock down periods regularly. At the end of any reporting period ensure that it gets locked to stop anyone making changes down the track. The advisor can unlock upon request - but in the meantime it stops transactions being altered after they've been reported on. Click here to learn more.   Gabrielle Osborne (BAcc) is a small business specialist who loves to help business owners focus on what they do best. An innovation enthusiast and determined problem-solver, Gabrielle is also fun to work with.
e: [email protected]  Whether you're building an empire, hustling from home or starting a side gig, you need to understand your financials. It will give you confidence, help you make informed business decisions & at the end of the day, let you know if all the effort is paying off. This is part of a series of byte-sized info for busy people to help you understand some of the terminology in business. So let me break it down for you......  The Balance Sheet (also known as a Statement of Position) lists the assets, liabilities and equity of the business. Unlike a Profit and Loss that looks at performance over time (click here to learn what's on your Profit and Loss), a Balance Sheet looks at the health of a business at a given point in time, for example at the end of a quarter. It is called a Balance Sheet because the elements on a Balance Sheet need to ..well, balance! Historically, the assets were listed on the left and the liabilities and equity on the right and the two totals had to match. Nowadays, you're more likely to see them listed vertically Assets > Liabilities> Equity. But the basic balancing act remains - Assets = Liabilities + Equity. Ok, let's break down those terms! Assets belong to the business and include things like bank accounts, office equipment, motor vehicles, accounts receivables (sales where the money hasn't actually paid), buildings, goodwill and inventory. Liabilities include debts, loans, credit cards, accounts payable, and payroll liabilities (paygw accrued, superannuation payable etc). Equity, in its simplest form, represents the difference. Basically were you to use all your assets to clear all your debts and obligations, what's left over is the equity in the business. As the Balance Sheet represents the overall health of your business, you can use ratios to look at things like debt to equity, solvency and turn-over ratios on inventory as markers for long-term success. Hey, not so hard after all? A = L+E! Let me know if you have something that I can break down for you!
 Whether you're building an empire, hustling from home or starting a side gig, you need to understand your financials. It will give you confidence, help you make informed business decisions & at the end of the day, let you know if all the effort is paying off. Here is the first in a series of byte-sized info for busy people to help you understand some of the terminology in business. So let me break it down for you......  Okay, we all know that weird moment when your accountant presents you with your profit for the year and it's nothing like your bank balance! Ever wondered why that is? A Profit & Loss statement reports your income and expenses over a period of time and can help you figure out things like whether you're charging enough, selling enough or spending too much. It reports all income (in-coming funds) less all your expenses (exiting funds). Or as my friend Ange likes to say, it shows 'What your Earn' less 'What you Burn'. If you record your income less all your expenses, at the very bottom you have a number representing your profit or (loss) known as your net income or net profit - often referred to as the 'bottom line'. Not a reference to someone wearing undies a size too small! It is literally the last number on the bottom line of the Profit and Loss. If you are registered for GST, your income and expenses show net (without) GST because that 10% ain't yours in the first place. It belongs to the ATO. PRO TIP> Every time you get paid, pop that 10% into a separate bank account. It takes discipline but you'll thank yourself when it's BAS time. That's pretty straightforward right? But in truth it's a little more complex. Of course it is. Try and stay with me.... Here's a sample of things that you wont find on your Profit & Loss because they sit on your Balance Sheet/ Statement of Financial Position as assets, liabilities or equity [read here]. The money used to purchase stuff for your business (office equipment, computers, machinery, motor vehicles etc) do not show up as an expense as they are considered an asset of the business, that is, something that will help you produce future income. You may not have received the actual payment (money in your bank) for your sales invoices, so that sits on your accounts receivable/debtors. And flip that for any bills you may have in your books on credit - these sit in your accounts payable/creditors. Loans and debts (for example a credit card) are recorded as liabilities and represent future obligations to pay. If you make a repayment on your credit card, it's not recorded as an expense it's a reduction of that liability. Also any drawings, director loans or trust distributions don't show on your profit and loss. That's why it's never the same as your bank balance. Your P&L does not record all movements of money in and out of your bank account. That's your P&L basics done. Next time we'll look at the Balance Sheet (also known as Statement of Position) - click here to read more.
Along with death and taxes, the only other inevitable part of life is change. Once upon time, we marked time over many centuries such as the bronze age, the dark ages and the industrial revolution. Nowadays, change, driven by technology, impacts on every aspect of our experience of life at an ever increasing pace. It is really quite weird to reflect on the fact that the internet only became mainstream in the very late 1990's/early 2000's, Facebook was launched in 2004, the first smartphone was only released in 2007, and Instagram is not even six years old. If you need a visual of the rapid change in websites this century, have a look here at the internet archives 'Way Back Machine'. Yet everything from how we wake (does anyone really still own an alarm clock?), what we eat (and the photo that goes with it), how we connect to family and friends (anyone still make land-line calls?), how and what we purchase (see what Princess Mary wore on Friday, buy a copy-cat version on line from anywhere in the world by Wednesday) to how we travel and where we stay is all driven by technological advancements that have fundamentally and irrevocably transformed the world as we know it.  Historically, impacts of technological advancements have been seen in objects and 'things' such as the humble wooden spoon, the mechanical clock, or the dishwasher, or alternatively in automating repetitive tasks previously performed by humans such as in manufacturing and mining, predominately the domain of the blue collar worker. More recently, technologically is seeping into the white collar workers arena using AI and machine-learning and access to large data to automate and replicate what has always been considered 'human knowledge'. The accounting/bookkeeping space is not immune. We may not welcome it, but we need to embrace it, and here's 4 tips to get you started: 1. Become a vertical client-base expert. Don't try to be everything to everyone, pick an industry like retail or hospitality and learn EVERYTHING you can to become the go-to person. What pain-points can you solve? What software solutions can you provide? What specific industry add-ons exist? What new technologies are on the horizon that you could educate your clients on? 2. Develop peripheral and adjunct business skills. As someone sitting in the hot-seat of many businesses, you get a global view of what they're lacking. Use these insights. Could you provide a one-stop shop for people setting up a new business? For training staff in a particular industry? For setting up business processes for your current clients? For holding productivity workshops in your local area? 3. Be the conduit of success for businesses. Use your networks and connections to facilitate partnerships . Connect businesses with app developers or industry specialists. 4. Offer consultancy services that provides insights and interpretation of the data the clients hold. Just because the processes are automating doesn't mean that businesses understand what it all means. Just because there are more automations and solutions doesn't mean businesses know how to set them up correctly, or manage them, or interpret them.  Gabrielle Osborne (BAcc) is a small business specialist who loves to help business owners focus on what they do best. An innovation enthusiast and determined problem-solver, Gabrielle is also fun to work with.
e: [email protected] m: 0410 546 000  'No-code Accounting', a somewhat oxymoronic term bouncing around the bookkeeping/accounting world that even Luca Pacioli could not have envisioned. I have always loved looking at new technologies and how they impact the way we live. Perhaps it was watching my Dad tinkering on IBM - compatible computers with a whole 5Mb of memory in the late 1980's. I recall some of them having a voice synthesiser where I could type in words and it repeated them out loud in a funny, jolty, robotic voice with an odd american accent. Typing in rude words with friends, out of earshot of my parents, was endlessly entertaining. In the 90's I read 'Clicking' by Faith Popcorn on the '16 Trends to Future Fit your life, your work and your business' over and over again fascinated and excited at this new world she described. In truth, she wasn't too far off the trends (cocooning, consumer vigilantes, down-ageing), she just couldn't have know the full impact of a little thing called the internet that was just beginning. (It's still in press if you're interested in reading it, click here) Since then many brands, businesses and whole sectors have faltered and failed because they didn't respond to emerging technologies in their space. Sometimes watching from the outside, it's obvious - we could all see the potential impact on Kodak of digital technology. Everyone, outside of the Australian car manufacturing industry, could see the writing on the wall. Sometimes it's a shock to us as much as the sector it impacts on -' no way will people put photos on the internet of their homes and allow strangers to come stay with them'. Ooooh yes they will. So now there's a loud knock at the front door of the accounting & finance industry, and innumerable technologies, automations and non-human ways of working are waiting on our doorstep. Whilst the temptation might be to rip the 'Welcome' mat right from under their feet, the reality is, there is no turning back. And, even for me as innovation-lover, there is an element of unease that comes with disruption and change. Will we lose our job? Our business? Our clients? Our sector? Lets look at what we know , right now, for sure? Businesses will be less and less willing to pay a bookkeeper $65/hr to manually transpose an invoice into an accounting programme when there are software solutions that can do that just as accurately and, maintain a scanned copy of the original source document at no, or minimal, cost. However, these apps, at this point, still need setting up and managing (particularly in the infancy of its use) by humans. Business owners, with assistance from machine learning and AI, are likely be able to have their books reconciled very accurately without us. Does that mean business owners will suddenly know how to set up a file and do all that we currently do behind the scenes to make it happen? I know it wont mean that they can understand their financial information any more than they currently do? Will they now know why their profit doesn't equal their bank balance, or what their performance ratios mean? Will they know how to check the accuracy of their data? Most will never even conceive the two-sides Lucia spoke of, and largely they may not need to, but we all know the benefits of thinking through tricky things by drawing up a t-account. Bottom-line financial literacy and interpretation is a skill built up over time with experience Consider also, that those investing in these innovations, aren't saying that EVERY transaction can be coded automatically in the near future. Click here to watch Xero founder Rod Drury's keynote at Xerocon. Even if 9/10 transactions will be automated in the future, this means, as Andrew Erkins of award winning Digit Book says, one in ten transactions will still need the assistance of a bookkeeper. Now there's positive embracing of change in action right there! (Click here to visit their site). Small businesses have more access than ever to open API integrations and software solution tailored to their business. Does this mean they know how to set them up correctly? Anyone, that's seen an ill-constructed mapping of an integration, three months down the track, knows the answer to that. Will the business owner know what integrations are best for them? Will they understand the information the data gives them? Will they have the time, let alone the inclination and expertise to research the plethora of eco-system partners? Lets not forget in all this, what else humans can offer that automations and innovations can't. 'Human-ness' - all those attributes that we hone and refine in this field through years of service; empathy, caring, kindness, emotional intelligence, insight, humour etc. Knowing our clients, and what they likely will or wont be open to, or what they actually need versus what they think will work. Thanks to technology, we are now connected to a large collaborative community that taps into trends and innovations way before most business owners know of them, and are willing to generously, share IP and knowledge openly. My experience has certainly been that the bookkeeping sector, step up and learn new technologies as they arise - this in itself is a strength. And, from another angle, does technology always end in tears for humans? According to an article in The Guardian (click here for full article) which looked at 140 years of data, technology has always created more jobs than it has destroyed. One of the key findings is that hard and dull jobs have declined (farewell inputting 178 invoices for a client on the last Monday of each month. I never loved you any way), but more pertinent, that in professional services, technology has raised productivity AND simultaneously employment levels. At the moment, we have time on our side and a degree of ambiguity as to how it might all play out. I clearly recall doing a project in primary school about how humans would fill in all their leisure time because the thinking back then was that robots would do all the work and everyone would be only semi- employed. Clearly, the reality is we've never worked longer hours in our recent history. Nor are we zipping around the sky in hover- crafts as 'Towards 2000' thought we would be by now. So lets not panic. Use this time to truly think about the implications of this new world and particularly how you can use it to your advantage by choosing what skills and talents you can leverage it with? Contemplate what parts you love about your work, and the impact technology might have on that. What can you do now to start to prepare? Is it moving more into the training space? Developing a business model around a more consultative practice, or finding an industry, such as building and construction to become the go-to for all integrations and system add-ons? You could start fostering relationships with software solution partners so that you become the conduit to your clients across many industries for your local area. Perhaps choosing on a niche from a function you perform now, such as payroll and becoming the go-to expert. I'll hazard a guess there will even still be some demand (though diminishing) for work performed the 'traditional' way because that's the way some clients want it to be. Make it clear you're that person, if thats where you want to stay positioned. But most importantly is being open to embracing change. Don't be the last Kodak shop open, slaving away clinging desperately to the old way. Be curious. Be imaginative. Be resourceful. Be nimble. Be prepared. But don't be scared - years of experience, wisdom, insights and knowledge can not be stolen from you by answering the knock at the door when it comes.
Wow. What an event. In excess of 2,000 Accountants, BAS Agents, Bookkeepers & Financial Advisors, and one monk all under a single roof. Of course, as the global trail-blazers, we expect nothing less from Xero - I mean what other accounting conference has swings and a DJ at their conference?  Photo courtesy of Xero  I suspect there's about to be an on-slaught of very useful technical blogs bouncing around the big wide world web today, so I thought I'd share a few personal thoughts instead. I'll skip over a few particularly personal tips like - 'never think a white dress at a conference is a good thing' and share my top four. 1. Collaboration creates community not competition. Many of the accounting and bookkeeping community have connected online and over social media platforms in the preceding twelve months, but never actually met IRL (as the people that swipe left or right call it). These on-line groups have been an immensely generous source for sharing experience and skills. The traditional wisdom of business would say, hold your cards close to your chest and don't share freely whats taken fifteen years to learn the hard way. But the amazing Xero community turns that on its head and shares like there's no tomorrow and that is an invaluable asset for every single one of us. It builds trust and this was echoed by a woman I have admired for many years, Rachel Botsman. Click here to watch here TED talk on Trust. 2. Ancient wisdom is timeless. Wait, what? There's a sage on the stage! With a beautiful lotus on the large screen, the sound of Tibetan pan pipes and soft beams of lighting, there was such a sense of peace when I entered the room for the talk by Hindu Monk, Dandapani, that I literally felt my shoulders drop and relax. This was a talk that had us using our minds to re-visit friend's weddings and dear one's we've lost - a practical exercise in our awareness of mind. I know I wasn't the only one trying to wipe away a little tear. It was a talk that was both remarkably simple at the heart of its message, but with the possibility of profound transformation. I loved Dandapani's question about who we'd go spend time with and what we'd do if we knew we only had five hours to left to live - AND then use this information as a guide for how we actually spend our daily life. (Another tear for family & friends for whom I am not present enough sometimes). Another idea was thinking about our energy as a finite resource, in the same way, we do money and, therefore, mindfully considering how we 'spend' that energy. That is, where we let our awareness go throughout our day. As someone with a PhD in Worry, this was a timely reminder to manage my thoughts/awareness instead of being pulled along by it as it senselessly jumps from one (imagined) catastrophe to the next. Dandapani offers an online course on Mastering Your Mind - click here for more details. 3. The pace of change is increasing Xero's founder and visionary, Rodd Drury spoke about the future with machine learning and artificial intelligence and it pretty much blew my mind! You can watch the whole talk here (please do, it's awesome). My take out was if you thought we were currently moving pretty fast in terms of technological impacts on the finance and accounting industry, then hang on to your virtual reality goggles, cause it's only just begun. Nothing is static for long anymore, and if you don't ride with the wave, you'll end up with a mouthful of sand at the bottom of the ocean. For me it's staying educated and informed, and being nimble enough to adapt. It's exciting! New technology always brings new opportunities. 4. Being In Service Rather Than Being Terrified! When Melanie Power, Xero Head of Bookkeeping, rang and asked me if I'd get up on stage at Xerocon and share my experience of creating an online presence, I didn't hesitate, I said yes. The reason I didn't hesitate, wasn't because I thought golly gee that's exactly what I love doing, it was because I knew if I did hesitate, I would say no! The five second rule. I spent the weeks in the lead up to the event, breaking into a sweat every time I saw the word 'Xerocon' pop up on my Facebook feed. I catastrophised the full gamut of all the usual suspects; falling over as I walked on the stage, opening my mouth and no words appearing and just essentially looking and sounding ridiculous. A skype with outstanding speaker and all-round admirable buddy, Polly McGee (check her many flavours of awesome out by clicking here) gave me a re-frame that changed the whole thing. Basically, 'be in service to others' - that is, less focus on me, more on the people it might help. Someone in the audience might get something that makes a real difference for them and my work is done. I did get through it with actual words coming out of my mouth, with no falling over and, to be honest, might of kinda loved it, once I got going. Click here for a blog I did previously on positioning yourself on line that goes into more detail than on the day.  So, my question to myself post Xerocon is, "How can I leverage what I learnt at Xerocon South that supports the direction I want to go in?" I'd love to hear what your big question is? Feel free to share in comments below.
 It's been a big few months. Big deal stuff has happened, like having a 7cm gash taken off the top of my head to remove a melanoma, having one of my sisters be diagnosed with breast cancer and coping with my eldest daughter who has struggled to adjust to high-school in a gut-wrenching kind of way. Little stuff too. Stuff, that without the biggies would normally not register - like someone hitting my car in a car park and not leaving their details, that dang hook on the dishwasher that's broken and stops it closing properly every.single.day and switching phones and losing all contacts and messages. Throw into the mix the exponential growth of my business (kind of a great problem, right?), my on-going inability to say no to businesses out of a desire to help, the end of the financial year and a 'flu that has slowly but surely taken down each and every family member in the last fortnight including me and hullooo ...my old friend (fiend) overwhelm. Lately, juggling business owner, mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, work colleague and just good ol' fashioned human has been a struggle. And, as my kids would say - THE STRUGGLE IS REAL. Today I had to take a break and go back to basics. None of it revolutionary but if you're in overwhelm too, I hope it helps. Here's my tips - the 5 P's to deal with overwhelm. PAUSE: Just stop. Do you know that image of Looney Tune's Tassie Devil? He just kind of incessantly spins. Maybe it's because I like to think of myself as a bit of a Tassie devil too (being from Tasmania 'n all) ...but that's what I do when I am overwhelmed. I whirl and twirl. I'm lead by each and every landing email. I'm vacuuming a room and then open a cupboard and I'm sorting a cupboard, and then I'm colour-coding it, and then I'm on a horse with the Old Spice man. And then it's dinner time and I remember what I was meant to be doing and.... yeah. Not productive. PERSPECTIVE : When you're in the grips of overwhelm it can feel as though the world will end if you don't get this or that done. Catastrophising sets in, the world shrinks and it gets stifling. The burden weighs so heavy that you can't take the next step as if you're stuck moving through tar. Life's got small and restricted. The best thing to do when the walls close in is a scene change. Like a favourite matinee show, close the curtains on that set, and re-set for the new. Basically just get yo'self outta there. A walk around the block, a coffee in a cafe, a stroll to the park - even just a gaze out the window to the big blue sky. Grasp the vastness and get perspective. The world won't stop. PRIORITISE: This is the big kahuna. If you speed read the other tips, read this closely. Overwhelm loves a lack of priorities. If you haven't ordered stuff, then our mind just crazily blurs and put it all together. For me, the number one cause of overwhelm is I am not in the driver's seat of my priorities, of what needs to happen....I am in the back seat or possibly the kids restraint. Or the boot. It is a crazy juggle, no doubt - but if we don't define some order, it ALL feels equally overwhelming. Write it all out. EVERYTHING. And then number it all - 1. = Absolute priority, 2. = Get done next 3. = Good to get done when time. De-flummox and strain your brain from the overwhelm broth. It will thank you. 4. PURPOSEFUL: This is the spirited and preferred cousin to procrastination. We all know the bad ass cousin, procrastination - "I'll just watch this show/look at Facebook one more time/hang the washing on the line/check my emails/perfect my Vogue routine ...then I'll get going on that project!" . A lot of the time, without the watchful eyes of purpose it can feel completely valid. Purposeful action is thinking about end results (identified by priorities) and watching what we are actually THEN doing with our time. It can be a free ticket into Awkesville when we watch HOW we actually spend our time but ultimately, it invites us to have an integrity with our time and our goals. 5. PRACTICE self -compassion. In all this, find some self-compassion. This is not the time to self-berate. We might have to miss a dead-line, let someone down, send our child to school with a slice of cheese. We know it's not us at our best, but sometimes we need to just get by.  Gabrielle Osborne (BAcc) is a small business specialist who loves to help business owners focus on what they do best. An innovation enthusiast and determined problem-solver, Gabrielle is also fun to work with.
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