5 Tips to Be Productive Today

5 Tips To Be Productive Today

Everyone has had those days; no matter what you do, it's tough to feel productive. When it happens to me, I try not to stress too much but just follow my task list in order of priority and hope I'm not missing anything important! But what happens if one of those days hits you on a day that you absolutely need to be productive? Here are five tips that will help you get going and complete your necessary tasks.

Tip #1: Give Yourself a Deadline.

It’s easy to put something off when you have an open ended timeline or deadline. Instead, set a deadline to complete tasks on your list today. Set a goal to end your workday at a specific time and have everything done before then. A good trick is to add the task to your calendar and give it an allotted amount of time, just like you would a client meeting. Set a 5-minute warning, and if you find you need more time or there will be follow-ups, reschedule it later in the day if you have time available or later in the week if it can wait. This psychological trick will help you to get more done and allow you to have more time to enjoy your life instead of worrying about all you haven’t completed.

Tip #2: Get Your Body Moving.

Exercise is a four-letter word! Ok, maybe not for many of you, but seriously, I find it a chore, and I will admit, it often finds its way to the bottom of my list! Experts say that by exercising first thing each day, you’ll help your brain to get more oxygen and nutrients, and this boost of nutrition will help boost productivity throughout the entire day. But if you spend too much of your day sitting, the effect will fade. So here's my tip, get up every 30 minutes and walk for 5 minutes. Get your body moving. Bonus if you can go outside and soak up some vitamin D at the same time - walk up and down the driveway a few times; if you have stairs, take a few trips up and down the stairs, walk around your office or house - the point is to get at least 5 minutes of movement in (picking up your coffee cup multiple times does not count!) After a day or two of doing this, let me know in the comments how much your productivity picked up!

Tip #3: Avoid Multi-Tasking.

Many people think that being able to multi-task is a good thing. But in the end, it can actually mean that you’re not focusing on anything. Believe it or not, the human brain is not designed to multi-task, and by doing so, you are decreasing productivity, and you may not be getting anything done well. It can take our brains up to 25 minutes to get back into a work rhythm after we’ve been interrupted. When we multi-task, we switch quickly between tasks and never get into a rhythm, which kills our productivity and stresses us out needlessly. Instead, carve out specific times for specific tasks and focus only on them (See Tip #1). The phone and emails are often to blame for taking attention away. Try to set a specific time for returning phone calls and emails. You may want to schedule several times each day to do this, but don’t leave it open-ended.

Tip #4: Set a Timer for Tasks.

If you’re struggling to focus on getting something done, try setting a timer to focus on the task and then allow yourself to have a break. This can help you to break a task into smaller chunks and avoid the paralysis of feeling overwhelmed. For example, I had a pretty big project I was working on. I immediately broke it down into segments and fit it into my calendar, along with my other client tasks. The larger chunks of time, let's say 3 hours, I would set a 45-minute timer. I worked steadily for 45 minutes, then took a 15-minute break. I usually only needed about 10 minutes to stretch, walk around, grab some tea, etc.; the point is, I stayed focused and actually finished this project ahead of schedule! Here's an idea, use the timer trick along with Tip #2 to keep your body moving and your focus going!

Tip #5: Write It Down.

If you’re the type of person who gets sidetracked with brainstorms of new ideas (raises hand), it’s a good idea to write them down. Keep a pen and paper handy (or an electronic document file) so that you can write down your ideas. This allows you to put them down so you won’t forget them and get back to what you need to do. At the end of the day, you can look over your list and decide if you need to do anything with those brilliant ideas instead of taking time away from the rest of your day. My trick? Sticky notes! My desk is full of sticky notes! I'll be working on something, and a new idea pops into my head. I quickly jot it down on a sticky note, post it on my wall, and continue working. I may not always look them over at the end of the day, but I do set aside time once a week to review all my notes and decide which to keep and put into action.

Client Management Through Daily Planning & Organization

Accountants, Accounting Firms, Bookkeeping, Business, Customer Care, Goals and Business Planning, Helpful Tips, Time Management

Client Management Through Daily Planning & Organization

What do client management and daily planning have in common? For starters, they are two essential skills for any business professional. When done well, these activities can help you stay organized and on top of your work.

Effective client management is essential for ensuring successful productivity. To make sure all of your clients get the attention they deserve, here are some effective strategies you can use for daily planning & organization. Doing this will help you maximize your productivity and ensure swift service to all your clients.

Strategy 1: Establish Clear Goals and Objectives for Each Client

Establishing clear goals and objectives with each client is an important step in building a successful client relationship. Having clearly defined goals ensures that everyone is on the same page and helps to ensure that the project runs smoothly from start to finish. It also allows you to measure progress and success, as well as identify areas for improvement. By setting specific goals with your clients, you can help them achieve their desired outcomes in a timely manner. Furthermore, it will help you build trust with your clients and ensure that they are satisfied with the services provided.

Strategy 2: Use Automation to Your Advantage, Make Your Job Easier

Automated systems can be extremely beneficial for tracking client progress and scheduling appointments. With the help of a calendar app for clients, digital appointment scheduler, and workflow automation software, businesses can save time and money while providing better customer service. Automation also eliminates manual tasks that are time-consuming and prone to human error. By automating these processes, businesses can focus on more important tasks, such as creating content or marketing strategies. Automated systems also allow businesses to track client progress in real time, which helps them make informed decisions quickly. Additionally, automated systems provide an efficient way to schedule appointments with clients without any hassle or confusion.

Strategy 3: Stay Organized With Technology

Staying organized is essential for productivity and success. Setting priorities and utilizing technology are two of the best practices to help you stay organized. With the right task list manager app, you can easily create and manage tasks, prioritize them using various task prioritization methodologies, and track your progress. This will help you stay focused on what’s important and ensure that you don’t miss any deadlines or important tasks. By utilizing technology in this way, you can make sure that your daily tasks are completed on time and that you remain organized throughout the day.

Get Out Of Your Head For Success

Business, Helpful Tips, Virtual Assistant News

Get Out Of Your Head For Success

Success in business stems from success in other areas of your life. You can’t really succeed to the extent that you would like to financially without making sure you’re up to par in other parts of your life, such as your mental state and physical fitness.

By keeping up with those parts as well, you’ll be much more well-rounded and able to succeed so much easier. Mental wellness is a very important aspect of your life and it’s extremely important for your success.

Mental health, for many years, was overlooked and not seen as a priority. A new term has emerged in recent years: “high functioning anxiety.” Although it is not yet a mental health diagnosis, it helps to describe something so many are experiencing. It has been shown that mental health is extremely important and is directly linked with your success in life.

You can’t go far in life when you’re struggling with things like anxiety because you’ll always be in your own head and unable to make the advancements you need for success. In her book, The Happier Approach, Nancy Jane Smith, walks people through how to get out of their head and into their body. Shifting your focus is sometimes just what you need!

In order to have a healthy mind, you need to give yourself time to relax and decompress, because, if you’re crowding your life with all work all the time, you’re going to get burnt out and start to dislike the job you’re doing. If you don’t enjoy what you do, it’s going to go downhill fast. You’ll put in less and less effort and you’ll never attain that success that you want.

Just as your mental well-being is important, so is your physical health.

Good physical health allows you to wake up each day feeling refreshed and ready to go, something that’s very important for your happiness and for your success. Being physically active and fit is good for your health, and it also helps you find happiness more frequently.

Keeping your body hydrated, properly nourished, and challenging yourself physically are the best ways to keep you in top physical health. I can hear you saying “but I don’t have time to workout”. Guess what, you really do have the time, you just need to find it.

“Workout, workout as hard as you can, and workout without excuses nor apologies. The discipline of tough physical training is obviously great for mental and physical strength, but over time, it also instills many more important lessons in a gradual and subtle progression. … It is the sheer effort but also the rest, nutrition and focus. These same skills, that are so important to our business and personal life, cannot become better engrained than through challenging training." --Itay Rosenfeld, CEO of Voxbone, a provider of Communications-as-a-Service (CaaS)

Without a healthy mental state and physical fitness, life can become a bit stale. Tracking progress in both of these categories is crucial. When you’re journaling or making notes about your day, talk about things that you’ve done to better your physical and mental health and be specific.

By keeping notes on your progress, you can tweak your methods in order to have better results, especially after seeing what worked for you and what didn’t. Everyone has different needs, so what might work for one person might not work for you. Find your balance.

Remember, as tempting as it is to only focus on success, you need to focus on all aspects of your life in order to truly be successful,. Take a look at 33 Daily Habits, which gives you simple, daily habits of successful entrepreneurs. There’s no fun in being financially well-off if you’re depressed and out of shape.

7 Tax Time Tips

Bookkeeping, Helpful Tips, Income Tax Preparation

7 Tax Time Tips

Prepare Now, No Stress Later

April 18^th will be here before you know it (March 15th for many small businesses). Start getting ready today with our FREE Tax Guide and Checklist. Preparing ahead of time for the filing of your income taxes can reduce your stress.

For many reasons, feelings of dread and the tax season seem to go hand in hand. Waiting until the last minute to file and scrambling to find your documents will only add to that sense of dread and elevate your stress levels. Follow these seven tips to get organized and file your taxes on time:

1. Collect all income related documents

W-2 Forms: If you held a job in 2022, you should have a W-2 for each job. Find the W-2s for each person in the household that worked. A W-2 contains your wage information and the various taxes that were withheld. Your employer is responsible for getting this form to you by January 31, 2023.

1099s: You should receive a 1099 based on the source of income such as NEC: contract labor, G: unemployment, MISC: school loans, gambling winnings, DIV: Dividends, INT: Interest Income.

1098: You can find payment information on your 1098 for items such as property taxes and school loan payments.

Other income-related documents and Information:

- Various income and interest statements from your bank or brokerage. Ensure you have a statement for each account.
- Bank account number: If you’d like your refund deposited into your account, you’ll need your account number and routing number. This information can be found at the bottom of your checks.

Be sure to review all the forms and information. Is everything accurate? It’s not unusual to find a mistake or two. Take the time to review all documents with a fine-tooth comb!

2. Collect all paid receipts

Collect any work-related receipts for anything you purchased for your job and didn’t receive reimbursement. If you are self-employed, the list of qualifying items is likely to be much longer. Computers, furniture, marketing expenses, and utilities are all viable deductions for the self-employed. Using a Profit & Loss (Income) statement during the year is a great way to keep it all organized. Bonus: you can track your monthly cash flow at any point and adjust your goals as necessary.
Hiring a bookkeeper will take the burden off your plate, and in many cases, it's tax-deductible!

3. Collect proof of energy-efficient improvements

Did you make any energy-efficient improvements during 2022? You may be able to take a credit of 30% of the cost, limited to $500. Items like insulation and energy-efficient doors and windows qualify. Have your receipts handy.

4. IRA/Retirement Documents

Collect proof of your IRA contributions. Cancelled checks or the brokerage statement are ideal. Your employer will provide your 401(k) contribution information.
You will also need any payouts you received such as lump-sum distributions. You might have gathered this with your income related documents, so go ahead and put it in a separate pile. This type of distribution is not considered income, but may still be taxable.

5. Social Security Documents

Collect social security information for everyone in the household you will be claiming on your return. The social security number is required to ensure that each child/dependent is only claimed once. If you have a young child, it might be necessary to apply for a social security number. IMPORTANT: You must have a social security number for all dependents before any applicable tax credits will apply. This includes credits such as Earned Income Credit (EIC), Child/Dependent Care Credit, and Child Tax Credit.

6. Charitable Donations

Collect information regarding charitable donations. It’s becoming more important with each passing year to be able to detail and substantiate your charitable donations. Receipts are especially important. Taking pictures of donated items isn’t necessary, but recommended. Cancelled checks and credit card statements are also important.

7. Review Last Year

Review last year’s tax return. Last year’s return can be useful. You might find a carry forward from last year that should be applied to your current tax return. This is especially true for business gains/losses and depreciation.

Filing taxes doesn’t have to be a stressful process. Organization is the key. Keep track of your important documents and receipts. Take pictures of items you’re donating.

Make next year better than this year. After your return is filed, develop a system to manage your documents and receipts for next year. Choose a place to store everything you’ll need for the next time. A small amount of preparation can make everything easier in the future. When tax season rolls around, you’ll be ready to go!

The Handwritten Letter

Business, Customer Care, Helpful Tips, Sales and Marketing

The Handwritten Letter

Letter writing seems to be a lost art in today's age of instant messaging and email. However, whether it's the power of the written word or the belief that a handwritten letter is more meaningful and unique, it is still alive and kicking as many people prefer to receive handwritten letters and cards.

I remember receiving my birthday card, or an encouraging note (on a notecard!) from the VP of our division, back in my Corporate life. I cannot express how I felt opening that card and reading the handwritten note from her. Even more amazing, was knowing that she took the time to write a personalized message in all the notes and cards she sent out, to all the employees. This is the same tradition my mother instilled in us girls, and I hope I have passed it on to my daughter. The handwritten letter or note is about as personal as you can get, and something I do in my business today.

The process of letter writing has changed over time as we moved more into a digitalized world. However, some people continue to put pen to paper because they believe that there is something more personal about it than other digital formats. Handwritten letters can be more personalized than an email because they can show personality in their words through the actual handwriting itself, or drawing pictures on the letter or card. This personality cannot be replicated in an email or text.

While some people may argue that handwritten letters are less efficient than paperless postcards or emails, there are many benefits to handwritten postcards and letters.

Surprise and delight your clients

Companies should not underestimate the power of handwritten letters. It can increase clients' enthusiasm and surprise them with a personal touch. A handwritten letter helps to form a bond with your client.

Improves your memory

Handwriting helps us remember things better. The act of writing by hand engages more of the brain than typing on a computer or using predictive text on your smartphone. It's easier for us to remember what we've written down if it's in our own handwriting.

Promotes mindfulness

The simple act of handwriting something generates a sense of calm and mindfulness that you can’t get from typing or even talking on the phone. This is the same sense of calm we feel when coloring. Some people use handwritten letters as an excuse to send snail mail – hand-written postcards, letters with drawings, thank you notes, etc. Others use them as a creative outlet – drawing doodles or little sketches on their envelopes for no reason at all.

Allows for reflection and a more thought-provoking message

Handwritten letters are deliberate, thought-provoking, and represent a deeper meaning than an email can. As we move deeper into the digital age and instantaneous writing with predictive text, we sometimes forget how important it is to be intentional with our words and expressions.

Sends the message that you care

Companies that use handwritten postcards or greeting cards for clients show that they have taken the time to personally put something together for them - which is an unexpected touch.

A handwritten letter is a time-honored tradition. It is the perfect way to show someone how much you care. Whether it's a heartfelt note, a long overdue apology, or even an invitation to be your date for the evening—a handwritten letter will express all of your feelings in just the right way.

Handwritten letters are not just about saying what you want to say—they are about who you are as well. Understandably, there are many things that people send by email these days that would have traditionally been sent by paper mail. But if you're looking for something personal and thoughtful, nothing beats the intimacy of the written word on paper!

Tips For A Smooth Return After The Holidays

Business, Helpful Tips, Self Care, Time Management

Tips For a Smooth Return After the Holidays

Taking some time off during the Holidays? Looking forward to enjoying some festivities, but dread the mountain of work you know will be waiting when you return? Make a few preparations now, before you leave, and follow some tips when you return, to help ease you back into a routine and maybe even stretch your relaxed and festive mood well into the first week or two of the new year!

Tips Before You Leave:

Automate Your Email

Create Rules to Filter Emails:

Setting up filters to determine which emails should receive priority upon your return is a huge time saver! Gmail allows you to mark which email type, or contact, as important or with a star. You can even color-code your stars in order of priority in the Settings section.

In Outlook, go to “Rules & Alerts”. There you can fully customize how you want your incoming messages to behave. Sending them to a folder or marking as high priority, are just a couple of timesaving filters.

Out of Office Automatic Reply:

First, take time right now to set up your Out-Of-Office and Voicemail message. These are probably the two most overlooked yet simplest tasks to quickly take care of. Outlook’s “Automatic Replies” and Gmail’s “Vacation Reply” will let you schedule the OOO in advance. Your message can be anything from “I’m outta here!” (not really recommended 🤭) to something more elaborate with information the sender may need. You can also decide if you want the automatic reply to go to everyone, even those outside your organization, or contact list only.

Most voicemails will let you schedule an outgoing message to run at a specific time, but if your phone system doesn’t allow for advance messaging, write the message out now and have it ready to quickly record.

Remember, the idea of advanced settings is so you don’t stress yourself unnecessarily by waiting until 5 minutes before you’re trying to get out the door!

Organize Your Calendar Now

Schedule Meetings Now:

That New Year staff meeting can wait until Tuesday afternoon – 2:30PM to be exact – after you return. A study by YouCanBookMe, shows this to be the very best time to schedule a meeting. Also, don’t forget to schedule a reminder, preferably with a scheduled email in addition to the popup reminder notification.

And, while you’re adding meetings to your calendar, I want you to schedule 3 lunches your first week back. As you ease your way back into the routine, time away becomes paramount. Schedule alternate days (I recommend this!), or consecutively, but do it in “ink” and do not allow yourself to cancel.

Make Time to Socialize:

Michael Kerr, an international business speaker and author of "The Humor Advantage,” recommends:

"If your work situation permits it, leave a day after you've 'officially' booked off and arrive a day before you've announced your official return. This buys you an extra distraction-free day at both ends of your vacation so that you leave feeling better prepared and more relaxed and return to work without feeling overwhelmed."

Another wiggle room tip is your catch-up time. Everyone wants to catch up, get the details of your holiday, whether they stop by your desk, or catch you in the Zoom meeting, these quick “water cooler” chats can quickly morph into a time vampire! Block about 30 minutes of “catch up” time to socialize and catch up with your office pals. Scheduling this time will help avoid unnecessary interruptions and keep you focused.

Prioritize Your Task List:

Make a complete list of all the projects you are working on. Are there any projects that have been on a backburner for over a year, take a good look at it – are you really going to work on them? Can they be delegated or even discarded? Take a few minutes to prioritize everything – use the Eisenhower Matrix to help organize these projects. Your “vacation brain” will thank you when it’s time to jump back into things.

The Eisenhower Decision Matrix

Set up your return task list now for at least the first two days back. When adding tasks, keep it real! Don’t set unrealistic deadlines for your first day back and don’t try to do everything on that first day, this will only leave you overwhelmed, underproductive, and put you behind in your work.

The first day should be sorting through and answering priority emails, just dip your toe in the water, no cannonballs on this day!

Day two should consist of your top three priorities, in order of deadline dates.

Schedule Social Media Posts

Schedule your Holiday messages now using programs such as Hootsuite and Sendible. You can also schedule posts directly on your Facebook and Instagram business pages using Publishing Tools.

If you have a lot of customer interaction, you could hire a Virtual Assistant to reply to comments and private messages, and keep the engagement going.

Communicate

Get in touch with your clients and let them know you’ll be away. If you’re able, have a backup contact for them in case any urgent needs arise. Clients will appreciate the high-touch service.

Kerr says:

"Contact any high-priority clients before going to make sure you've answered any questions and addressed their needs before heading out. It's not only a great customer service habit to get into, it will give you greater peace of mind. It also gives you a simple but legitimate excuse to reach out to clients you may not have talked to in a while."

If you work with a team, make sure everyone is aware of your travel plans and how to reach you in case of an emergency.

Clean Up Your Desk

About 20 minutes before the end of your day, take some time to clean up your desk. Put away the files you’ve been working on, put books back where they belong, straighten up the supplies. Take one last look at your Task list. Are there any projects that have been on a backburner for over a year – are you really going to work on them? Can they be delegated or even discarded?

Tips For Your Return:

Stealth Mode

Try to stay in a selective stealth mode the first few days back, giving those that “need to know” a heads up about your return. Break up the first few days into little chunks. For example, take care of emails and phone calls on the first day, and review reports on day two.

Do Not Stay Late

As tempting as it might be, slowly easing back into that full “work late” schedule will help you be more focused and productive.

Part of the lure of a vacation is that you're free to do as you please. Work often seems like the end of the fun part of your vacation. Nonetheless, with a bit of strategic planning, and following a few return tips, you can help relieve the stress of the return and harness the excitement and happiness of your vacation.

Happy Holidays!

Why Do We Need Cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity, Helpful Tips, Online Security, Tech and Security, Working From Home

Why Do We Need Cybersecurity?

Wednesday, November 30, 2022 is Computer Security Day and I want to answer the question:

Why do we need cybersecurity?

"Data Breach", XYZ Company Hacked", "Your information has been compromised"...these are just a few common headlines we are so used to seeing today we've become blind to them. We need to become more aware; we need to take a more active approach to our individual cybersecurity, as well as our business.

Cybercriminals can make changes in a system without being detected by antivirus, and they know about the software vulnerabilities. They are smart and find ways to get into our systems and create havoc in less time than we expect. One of the most common transgressions is phishing or social engineering--deliberately trying to get you, a family member, or an employee to download malware or give up their credentials by pretending to be someone they trust. Security experts predict that these malicious activities will only increase in the future, so this is a serious issue that needs our full attention.

Still asking why we need cyber security?

Here are five pretty good reasons why:

Reason #1

Hackers are everywhere; your business rival, your neighbor, or simply a person out to take over your computer. Hackers make use of software loopholes and hijack your computer through backdoors, usually installed programs, or through cracking software. They can gain access to possibly all your personal and sensitive information such as bank accounts, credit cards, or top trade secrets. They can also use your computer to attack other networks, with you oblivious to all the malicious operations.

Reason #2

Internet scams and frauds are rampant. These include phishing, a very organized cybercrime, which deceives people into giving their banking and other sensitive details by pretending to be representatives from legitimate financial institutions, sending e-mail messages, and asking unsuspecting people to verify their passwords, account numbers, and other vital information.

Reason #3

A virus can slow down your computer. Worse, it can cause your system to crash. The virus reaches your system through a number of entryways. One is through unsecured and unknown websites from which you download files, programs, applications, or tools for free. As much as it can infect home computers, viruses can leave damaging effects on companies, both big and small.

Reason #4

Spyware, as the name hints, can spy on you. A computer program automatically installed on your computer, spyware tracks personal information you entered and sends it to its creator. Unlike computer viruses, spyware leaves the computer owners totally unaware of its presence. Most users with infected systems don’t even know that spyware has been installed into their computers.

Reason #5

Adware can fill your screen with those annoying popups. Like spyware, adware penetrates the system through shareware. On its own, it downloads ads and allows them to run and pop up. This proves to be quite annoying for computer owners. But what’s even more troubling is that adware can sometimes contain spyware. This increases the risk for cyber threats.

Computers today are faster and more advanced, and so are the cyber bad guys trying to gain access to your information. Computer Security Day reminds us to protect our computers. The nature of the Internet as a tool for communication and education has been used and misused for personal gain, which has resulted in an unprecedented rise in cybercrime rates. We need Cybersecurity to protect our people and data from threats like ransomware and hackers. The threats are real and they happen more often than we think.

So take a few minutes today to review your cybersecurity habits. Use the #ComputerSecurityDay checklist below to secure your computer.

☐ Enable Windows Update.

☐ Install and keep running antivirus software.

☐ Turn on Windows Firewall.

☐ Keep all software updated.

☐ Always use strong passwords.

☐ Don’t share passwords and don’t write them down.

☐ A password is required to access my computer.

☐ Remove unused programs.

☐ Secure your wireless network.

☐ Back up critical data.

☐ Use caution when browsing the Internet.

☐ I log off the computer when I’m not using it.

☐ My web browser does not store or remember my passwords.

☐ Periodically remove temporary Internet files.

Spread the word on social media using #ComputerSecurityDay to inform others how they can secure their data!

For more information on how you can protect yourself, your family, and your home-based business, grab my e-course "Cybersecurity for the Remote Office". Get it today and use Coupon Code: CSD2022 for a 30% discount!

Don't miss out! Coupon expires at Midnight on December 1st!

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7 Strategies For More Productivity

Accountants, Accounting Firms, Bookkeeping, Business, Goals and Business Planning, Helpful Tips, Time Management

7 Strategies For More Productivity (and why they work!)

One of the most difficult things about planning your day effectively is prioritizing your daily goals. With so many things that we want to accomplish each day, it can be tough to decide where to start. I’ve put together eight different strategies and why they work. Choose the best one for you, or mix them up. There is no right or wrong way as long as you make the most of your time and achieve your goals!

The Warren Buffet Strategy

This strategy has three steps:

Step 1: Write down your top twenty-five goals. These could be career goals, personal goals, weekly goals, annual goals, etc.)

Step 2: Go over your list and circle your top 5 goals. Make sure to take some time with this part; don’t rush it!

STOP – Do NOT proceed to Step 3 until you have first done the two steps above.

Step 3: Now you essentially have two lists: the circled items are List A, and the remaining items are List B. So logically, the next thing to do is start on your most important tasks. Well, not exactly. Here’s the catch – Buffet says this, “Everything you didn’t circle just became your Avoid-At-All-Costs list. No matter what, these things get no attention from you until you’ve succeeded with your Top 5.” For Step 3, you only want to focus on working on the items on List A.

Why it works:

Eliminating things you care about is the most difficult part of this productivity method. Those twenty items on List B are things you care about, just like the items on List A. They are tasks that important to you for one reason or another. It’s super easy to tell yourself that you’re being productive while spending time on those twenty tasks. But when you hold them up to your top five goals, those other tasks are simply distractions from your biggest goals. Spending your limited time on secondary priorities may just be the reason you still have twenty half-completed projects instead of five finished ones.

The Ivy Lee Strategy

Step 1: At the end of each day, jot down the six most important tasks you must accomplish the next day. ONLY six. Don’t write more than that. These can be work or personal tasks. (You could actually do a separate list for both!)

Step 2: Prioritize those six tasks in order of how important they are and how much they will impact your end goals.

Step 3: The next day, when you start working, focus ONLY on the first task. Work on it until it is finished before you move on to the next item on the list.

Step 4: Continue down the list, marking off each item as you complete it. Remember, you prioritized this list yesterday, so there’s no need to jump around between tasks – stick with the priority order you already lined up.

Step 5: At the end of the day, move any tasks you didn’t complete to a new list of six tasks for the next day. This is also a good time to re-evaluate each item and decide if it’s really one of the most important tasks you need to complete.

Step 6: Repeat this process every day (or every working day)

Why does it work?

Simply put, it works because it’s simple. This strategy requires you to make hard decisions. Trimming the fat is one of the best things you can do when your brain is full of ideas or you feel overwhelmed by your to-do list. It forces you to get really serious with yourself when you focus on eliminating those tasks that aren’t absolutely necessary. We all have a myriad of things we’d like to do, and we may even consider many of those things to be tasks we must do. But the truth is that imposing limits on yourself can make you a more productive person. If you try to do everything, you usually get nothing meaningful accomplished.

This strategy also eliminates the friction of starting. For most people, getting started is the biggest hurdle! Creating your prioritized list the day before allows you just to sit down and get to work the next day without spending hours waffling back and forth about what to work on. Just getting started is as important to your success as finishing.

Finally, effective productivity strategies require focus, and this strategy works because it gets rid of multi-tasking. As much as people like to think they are multi-tasking machines that can accomplish all the things at once, science says otherwise. Multi-tasking has been shown repeatedly to be inefficient. You can’t do great on the task when your attention is divided a million ways.

The Anthony Trollope Strategy

This strategy is even more simple than the others. Trollope simply did the following:

Step 1: Set a timer for 15 minutes.

Step 2: Write 250 words before the timer goes off.

Step 3: Repeat 12 times throughout the day for a total of 3 hours.

With this simple method, Trollope completed 47 novels, 18 non-fiction books, 12 short stories, and 2 plays, in addition to multiple articles and letters.

“This division of time allowed me to produce over ten pages of an ordinary novel volume a day, and if kept up through ten months, would have given as its results three novels of three volumes each in the year…” —Anthony Trollope

Why does it work?

Anthony Trollope was an author (obviously), and writing a book is a pretty big project. It’s impossible to complete in one sitting, much less one day. So instead of tracking progress by how many books or chapters he wrote, Trollope simply aimed for 250 words in 15 minutes, multiple times a day. This made him feel accomplished and successful each day because, even though he wasn’t writing an ENTIRE book that day, he was completing 3,000 words towards the overall project daily.

Measuring progress in smaller increments helps you to keep the momentum going throughout a bigger task. And more momentum means more progress, which means even more tasks will get completed overall. This strategy applies to any big projects, not just writing ones. Think about how you can break your tasks out into highly productive, 15-minute segments throughout the day.

The quicker you finish a task and check it off of your to-do list, the faster you will feel like you are being productive and effective each day. This early win can be a crucial part of keeping your attitude upbeat, and your drive going as you complete the remainder of your tasks throughout the day.

Simply put, Anthony Trollope’s strategy allows you to get the immediate payoff of finishing a task quickly and the long-term value of working on your most important goals.

The Eisenhower Matrix Strategy

The Eisenhower Matrix strategy uses a decision matrix to help you prioritize the tasks on your to-do list. There are four different categories: urgent and important, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, and neither urgent nor important.

Urgent and important – these are tasks you need to do right away

Important, but not urgent – these are tasks you should schedule to do later

Urgent, but not important – these are tasks you can (and should!) delegate to someone else

Neither urgent nor important – these are tasks that you should just remove from your to-do list completely

As you start each day, it’s important to look back at the previous day’s matrix to see what urgent and important tasks you didn’t complete. Those need to either be at the top of your list for the day or decide if you can delegate them right away. Or they aren’t as urgent as you initially thought, and you can move them to the section of the matrix for later scheduling. Remember, urgent tasks are those you need to react to or take action on right away, whereas important tasks help you reach your long-term goals.

Why does it work?

One of the best things about the Eisenhower Matrix is that you can use more than one for bigger plans (weekly, monthly, etc.) and for smaller daily tasks as well. The other great thing about it is that you can use it to help you make decisions and prioritize over and over.

But what really makes it shine? The Eisenhower Matrix requires you to make tough decisions about your goals and all the tasks on your plate. The secret is the fourth quadrant of the matrix, the tasks that are not important or urgent.

Too often, we equate busyness with productivity, and that is not the case. In fact, the fastest way to get something “done” is to eliminate it entirely. This strategy allows you to regularly evaluate each task and ask yourself, “Do I really need to be doing this?” It takes a little more thought and effort, but the time and energy you save on those eliminated tasks will be well worth it!

The Essentialism Strategy

Essentialism, at its core, is about discernment in how you make decisions – with a slow, carefully considered “yes” or a quick, decisive “no.” It’s about recognizing all of your responsibilities and homing in on what is most essential to you. Being more intentional about your choices will give you more control over your daily life and, therefore, more time and energy available for productivity.

Step 1: Write each task down on a separate piece of paper (like a sticky note).

Step 2: Look at everything you have written before you and ask yourself, “If I could only keep one of these, which would it be?” Place the chosen task’s paper face down.

Step 3: Repeat Step 2 again with the remaining tasks. Once you’ve selected one, place it face down on top of the first task you selected.

Step 4: Repeat until all the papers are in one stack.

Step 5: Flip the stack over and work from the top, as you’ve just prioritized your to-do list!

Why does it work?

Saying “yes” to everything (or making no decision at all) means giving up your choice and losing control. Your purpose is greater than just being someone else’s workhorse. When you don’t make your own choices, you can’t work towards where you want to be, in either work or life. This often results in being overextended, stressed, frustrated, and less effective. Practicing discernment and saying “no” more frequently can take some work, but it gets easier as you go.

Personal Kanban Strategy

Personal Kanban is a system based on Lean manufacturing principles but applied on a personal level. Personal Kanban only has two rules: make your list visual and limit your work-in-progress (WIP). It’s a strategy that anyone can use, regardless of their situation, age, or learning style. Its visual nature is also great for those struggling with figuring out where to begin working on daily tasks.

Step 1: Create a board or poster with three columns: To-Do, In Progress, and Complete.

Step 2: Make a sticky note (also called a “card”) for each thing you need to complete.

Step 3: Add each sticky note to the To-Do column.

Step 4: Label each sticky note task as high, medium, or low priority

Step 5: Choose 2-3 tasks, place them in the In Progress column, and get to work.

Step 6: Move it to the Complete column as you complete each task. Then take another task from the To-Do column and move it over to In Progress.

Step 7: Rinse and repeat.

Why does it work?

Personal Kanban gives you a visual system to prioritize your tasks to promote balance and productivity. People often overextend themselves or bounce between unfinished products, so having a visual reminder of the In Progress tasks helps keep you on track and focused. Make sure to always move a new task into the In Progress column as you complete other tasks. This ensures that you will have a steady flow of tasks, which leads to increased productivity and effectiveness. It’s also a great way to keep you focused on only 2-3 tasks at any given time, helping prevent overwhelm and burnout.

The Attention Span & Energy Strategy

This strategy utilizes block scheduling to maximize your most productive times during the day. Your attention span and energy levels greatly impact productivity and distractibility. Focusing on harder and more time-consuming tasks during your most alert and productive hours will yield much better results.

Step 1: Evaluate your current calendar/schedule – Start by tracking how you spend your time for a week. Include every activity (even the mindless social media scrolling!) and how much time you spend on each thing. Once you have a better idea of how you are spending your time, it will be much easier to create a new, more efficient schedule.

Step 2: Look for patterns – Review your activities from the previous week and group the tasks into categories such as meetings, creative work, email, social media, household tasks, family time, etc. Alternatively, you can categorize tasks based on how you feel while doing them or how they impact your energy levels on a scale from 1 to 10. Any method will work; it’s all about what makes the most sense for you.

Step 3: Organize your time blocks – Use the categorization in Step 2 to help you lay out blocks of time throughout the day. Be sure to plan the most intensive tasks during your high-energy times. You may have to play around with the schedule to find what works best for you, but here’s an example for inspiration:

8:00-9:00 am – Check and respond to emails
9:00-10:00 am – Marketing tasks
10:00-10:15 am – Snack/walk break
10:15 am-10:45 am – Fold laundry and clean bathrooms
10:45-11:45 am – Phone calls
11:45-12:15 pm – Lunch/walk break
12:15-1:00 pm – Prep things for dinner
1:00-2:00 pm – Outsourcing check-ins/assignments
2:00-2:30 pm – Customer support tasks
2:30-3:30 pm – Graphic design work
3:30-4:00 pm – Evaluate today’s progress and create a schedule for tomorrow

Bonus Tip: Create day themes – some people find that switching gears during the day causes them to get distracted and lose focus. If that’s the case for you, try day themes instead. Monday can be marketing day, Tuesday can be a creative workday, etc. If you choose to go this route, be sure to schedule in a family/rest day as well to rejuvenate yourself.

Why does it work?

Block scheduling can be a great tool to combat procrastination. When you know you only have 30 minutes to get something done, staying focused and on task is much easier. It’s also a good way to get a better grasp of how much time it takes you to complete different tasks. We tend to underestimate how long things will take to complete – using a block schedule for a few weeks will give you a better idea of how much time you really need to complete things. Finally, when your schedule doesn’t allow space for mindless tasks like chatting with friends or scrolling social media, you’ll find it much easier to pay attention to the task at hand.

And finally, Newton’s Third Law of Motion says,

“When one body exerts a force on a second body, the second body simultaneously exerts a force equal in magnitude and opposite in direction on the first body. (Equal and opposite forces.)”

Your typical productivity and efficiency level result from your life's productive and unproductive forces. Productive forces are things like focus, motivation, drive, and positivity. Unproductive forces include things such as poor sleep quality, stress, poor eating habits, and overextending yourself.

To become more productive and efficient, you must either increase your productive force or eliminate unproductive forces. Increasing your productive force is possible but often results in exhaustion and burnout. The better option is to work to remove unproductive forces from your life instead. You can do this by reducing stress, taking on fewer responsibilities, living a healthy lifestyle, setting appropriate boundaries, etc. It’s all about removing those obstacles that are holding you back.

Effective Daily Planning: Getting Things Done

Accountants, Accounting Firms, Business, Goals and Business Planning, Helpful Tips, Time Management

Effective Daily Planning: Getting Things Done

It's no secret that the world is a fast-paced place. We're constantly inundated with new information, technology, and change. For many Accountants and CPAs, this pace can be overwhelming. If you don't take the time to plan your days, you can easily lose focus and become less productive. This can lead to even more stress and anxiety as you try to play catch-up.

Not planning your day can lead to missed opportunities and goals and can hurt your client relationships.

Learning to be more productive in your everyday life is important to combat this. And while there are many different ways to increase productivity, one of the most important is learning how to effectively plan out each day.

First, you must define what "done" means to you and your staff if planning their day. Knowing your "done" will help you plan realistically (and stop when it's 'done' – no perfectionism allowed). This may mean setting a daily or weekly goal for what you want to achieve. For example, if your goal is to complete your continuing education plan, "done" could mean completing two hours daily. If your goal is to engage more with your followers on social media, "done" could mean posting and interacting three times a week. Once you clearly understand what "done" looks like, you can start to really plan your days.

Next, you must decide what end results would make the day a success for you and your team. This will help you focus on what's truly important and let go of anything that isn't. This step involves really thinking about what you want and need to achieve. If you don't know what results you want, it's pretty hard to plan your day effectively!

The next step is to break down those desired results into tasks - the actions you need to take to make the day a success. Be mindful of what you choose to prioritize, you don't want to waste time doing tasks that won't help you achieve your daily goals. This is also a great time to note any tasks that you can delegate to your virtual assistant to lighten your load.

Planning and Preparing

Now that you've decided what "done" looks like, selected your goals for the day, and broken them down into tasks, it's time to start planning and preparing.

What does that look like? For many, it involves planning out times throughout the day for specific prioritized tasks. Start with the most important tasks first.

Part of the planning process also involves preparing. Ensuring you have all the necessary resources is an important piece of the productivity puzzle. Try sketching out a general plan for the week in advance and list the resources you need to obtain or access for each task. Especially if it’s something you need from someone else or if you need to provide it to a staff member so they can do their task. Preparing in advance allows time for you to get all of those things together.

Another part of the process is to plan ahead. Use a weekly or monthly planner in addition to the daily plan. Planning ahead allows you to allocate your time appropriately to achieve your goals. If you want to complete a large number of work tasks, but you also have several doctor appointments, meetings, kids’ activities, etc., scheduled that week, you’ll quickly see that you do not have as much time as you thought and you can prioritize tasks accordingly.

Bonus tip: Publishing the company's weekly or monthly plan also helps your staff better plan their day!

You can also use productivity technology that's available to you to make your tasks easier. Many tools are available today that can automate processes or at least make them simpler or faster to complete. Digital planners, Google Calendar, productivity apps, AI tools, scheduling tools, etc., are all technology resources you can utilize to make your life (and work!) easier. Don’t get so caught up in finding the “perfect” technology to use either – the best tools are the ones you will use consistently.

If you are not as productive as you think you should be or if your staff hangs out more at the water cooler, using a strategy like the ones shared above can be an excellent way to get things done by focusing on the goals and tasks most important to your accounting firm. And finally, check your plans often to ensure they match your goals and adjust when necessary. What works in the summer months may not be realistic during Tax season.

What Is Your Time Vampire?

Accounting Firms, Business, Goals and Business Planning, Helpful Tips, Time Management

What Is Your Time Vampire?

Part I of our Time Management Series

One of our most valuable resources is time. In fact, in some ways, time is the only limited resource. Every person has the same time each day to accomplish whatever it is that they desire. On average, most people have approximately the same number of years of life to achieve all that they want too.

If that’s true, why do some people seem to get a fantastic amount accomplished, while others seem to lack time to do the same, even given the same time to get things done?

The truth is that many people sabotage themselves when it comes to being productive. They waste time without even thinking about it, in ways that do not notice, and then wonder how they’ll ever be successful with the limitations given to them.

The first thing to do to eliminate time wasters in your life is to recognize them for what they are and how they affect your life. Once you identify what is wasting your time, either delegate the task or item or eliminate it. That sounds easy, but some things may be more challenging to identify than others.

Grab a pen and paper, find a quiet place, turn off your phone – set up a no distraction zone, and find your time vampires.

Be Honest About How You're Spending Your Time

You’ll need to get real with yourself. It’s so easy to say that you don’t have time for things, but how much time are you really spending on Facebook, watching TV, surfing the Internet, gaming, and doing things that do not lead you toward meeting your responsibilities and realizing your life’s goals? Can you spend your time better? Absolutely!

What is a Timewaster?

For most people, time wasters are apparent. They consist of activities like watching TV, surfing social media, playing games, and doing things that get in the way of productivity haphazardly. For others, they may need to dig to figure out where they’re leaking time. For example, is a friend calling you every day and talking to you an hour or more? Does a co-worker stop by your desk for “one quick question” that turns into a 30-minute chat session?

Even things that seem significant on the surface, like talking to your co-worker, can end up becoming a time sucker if you are allowing it to get in the way of your overall schedule. Write down any item that you think might be a timewaster.

Do you procrastinate on this task?

Now let’s look at some tasks at which you tend to procrastinate. Make a list of them without any judgment. Right now, don’t deem them as timewasters or essential tasks. If you tend to put it off, or often don’t do it until the last possible minute, or even at all (even when it’s needed), write it down.

The truth is, most of the items you procrastinate about are going to be timewasters, but they might not be something you think of immediately as a timewaster. Of course, you must pay your bills, but if you put it off, pay them late, do it last minute, and aren’t scheduling and organizing, you’re wasting time someplace.

What Bottlenecks can you Identify?

Look at a day, or a week, of your life. Write down any times of the day that seem overwhelming in terms of the time you have available versus what you need to accomplish. For example, are you having trouble preparing healthy meals on practice nights? Are you missing deadlines to submit work to clients? Do you often feel rushed and overwhelmed? Write down each time that happens during the week that you monitor.

Each situation needs to be analyzed so that you can figure out how better to accomplish your tasks. For example, on practice nights, eat leftovers for dinner, such as leftover turkey wraps that can easily be thrown together in 15 minutes and eaten with the hands.

Are You Losing Track of Time? Why?

During some portions of your day, you may find that you’re losing track of time when you’re doing those things. For example, some people lose track of time while surfing on the internet, or social media. They’re looking for a 30-minute recipe to cook their favorite meal, but they get sucked into the internet, and it takes an hour or two to find the recipe.

Other things might be less noticeable. However, if you think something takes 30 minutes to do and it really ends up taking an hour or more to do, you’re either losing track of time for some reason, or it really takes longer, and you’ve scheduled incorrectly.

Can You Identify an Outside Source That's Distracting You?

Some timewasters almost seem as if they’re utterly uncontrollable because they come from outside sources. They can be family, friends, colleagues, and bosses, and others, causing the issue for you. Identify these issues for yourself. Once you realize what’s happening, start setting boundaries, or find a way to work around the person or thing distracting you.

People really cannot multitask/ Our brains are simply not wired for it; we just think we can. If you have set aside time to journal each night to become more thankful, you may be wasting time by keeping the television on while doing it. However, knitting a birthday sweater while you watch TV might work out great. The only way to know whether you’re more productive without multitasking or not is to try doing things without multitasking and time yourself.

What Is and What Is Not Getting Done?

Believe it or not, sometimes, the things that are getting done don’t even need to be done and get in the way of you getting important things done.

Make a list of things and tasks that are and are not getting done. What was the purpose of the tasks you completed? Were they a part of your plan, or did you get sidetracked? What about the tasks not getting done at all by you or anyone due to being overlooked. Put all these in order of importance. If you want them to get done, put them at the top of the list. If they don’t matter in the scheme of things, put them at the bottom, and then eliminate them.

Time Vampires

Let's talk about a few of the typical time vampires that you probably want to work on stopping right now. You'll likely find more as you work toward discovery in your situation, but most people can agree that the following are common time suckers that you should stop doing now.

Not Setting Goals

The very first thing you should do is to set goals based on your morals and values for your entire life. Set life goals for your life psychologically, physically, and spiritually in each area of your life, including personal, relationships, and work. For example, if you want to be healthy, you’ll need to set healthy eating goals, healthy exercise goals, and so forth, according to the results you desire.

Once you have set your goals, you need to look hard at the tasks you perform and ask yourself:

Does this task align with my goals?

If you feel any resentment at all about a task, it’s important to ask yourself questions about your goals and how the task helps or does not help.

What deliverable will result from doing this task?

When you do this task, what is the result of doing it?

Does doing this task move me closer to my goals? How?

All of us can be guilty of doing busy work in life. By asking how the task moves you nearer your goals, you will find you can eliminate most busy or filler work. If the task is not moving you toward your goals, and you can do it another way, you should examine that other way to figure out if it’ll work for you. A task that many can identify with is going to meetings. So many meetings are useless and time vampires.

Not Planning and Scheduling What’s Important to You

Once you have identified what’s important to you, it’s essential to create a plan and make a schedule of the steps in chronological order of what you need to do to get to success and reach your goals in the time frame you’ve set up for yourself. For example, if you believe it’s important to eat dinner with the family four nights out of seven, what are you doing to ensure it happens? Likewise, if you want to publish an 80,000-word novel by December, what do you need to do to get there?

Lack of Organization and Systemization

One reason people don’t reach their goals promptly has to do with not organizing based on the actual amount of time you have to do the tasks. If you want dinner on the table at 7:00 pm each night, plan the meal carefully, consider the time it takes for prepping, cooking, and setting the table.

Plus, not creating systems with automation in place is a huge time sucker. For example, there is no reason to spend hours paying bills each month when you can automate the process via your bank. You can even organize and systemize family dinner by assigning each person a task to do that ends up with dinner being on the table by 7:00 pm in a realistic manner.

Not Delegating and Always Doing Everything Yourself

Whether you’re a stay-at-home parent, a salary earner, or an entrepreneur, you can’t do everything yourself. It’s imperative to your future that you learn to delegate and stop trying to do everything yourself. There are people in your life that can help you, and if you don’t have those people yet, you can find them.

Ask yourself: What is the point of doing this task? What is the reason you’re doing it? Assess every task to decide whether you need to do it yourself, or you should let someone else do it.

Delegate any task that you do not need to do specifically. Underline any task that you can transfer, even if you don’t think you know who to ask or you don’t think you can afford it. Just note the ones that you can delegate.

Not Setting Boundaries and Saying Yes Without Thought

This is usually related to being a people pleaser, too. Some people call these people “yes” people. You see them in every single PTA, Church Group, Office, and volunteer opportunity. Some may see this person as the “go-for,” who gets things done for others. These people are often stressed, overwhelmed, and have low self-esteem.

Many people-pleasers say yes to every single ask of them without even thinking. This is a huge time vampire because there is no reason why you need to say yes to everything. First, weigh the things people ask you to determine if it’s worth being involved or not. An excellent way to decide is to have criteria for saying yes.

Ensure that doing this will get you closer toward your goals in each life area. Check your calendar to be sure that you do have the time available before saying yes. Say yes with enthusiasm or no without guilt.

Now take a look at your own life and start identifying time vampires. Only you can truly determine what a time sucker is and what is not. Spending five minutes on social media is a time suck for some people, but it might be how you schedule your downtime. It’s your time, so if you can reach the goals you set for yourself, you can choose what tasks you want to do and what responsibilities you don’t want to do.

Tell us what your Time Vampires are in the comments.

Use the workbook along with the other guides in this series to take control and manage your time.

TIME MANAGEMENT WORKBOOK

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Part I – What Is Your Time Vampire

Part II – 12 Steps to Vanquish Your Time Vampires

Part III – Improve Focus and Productivity for Better Time Management

Part IV – The Truth About Procrastinating

Anatomy of a Data Breach

Accountants, Accounting Firms, Business, Cybersecurity, Helpful Tips, Online Security, Tech and Security

Anatomy of a Data Breach

Arguably no phrase has dominated the tech world in the last 24 months more than the term "data breach." The past two years have been saturated by headlines of cybersecurity mishaps, from breaches that have impacted critical infrastructure like the Colonial Pipeline to hackers compromising healthcare records at UC San Diego Health. Yet, despite the prevalence of the breach-centric news cycle, many everyday individuals may not know what a data breach is, how they typically start, and why they occur.

According to IBM, the average time it takes to identify that a breach has occurred is 287 days, with the average time to contain a breach clocking in at 80 days. And with 81% of businesses experiencing a cyberattack during COVID, individuals must be familiar with the anatomy of a data breach to keep their data and their client's data safe.

With that in mind, here is some helpful background on data breaches and why they are so problematic.

What is a data breach?

While it may seem complex, a data breach is straightforward to explain once you clear away the jargon fog. According to Trend Micro, a data breach is "an incident where information is stolen or taken from a system without the knowledge or authorization of the system's owner." And while data breaches can result from a system or human error, a vast majority of data breaches result from cyber attacks, where a cybercriminal gains unlawful access to sensitive system data. For example, 92% of the data breaches in Q1 2022 resulted from cyberattacks.

What kind of data can be breached?

Unfortunately, cybercriminals look to get their hands on any information they can, ranging from more sensitive information such as social security numbers and credit card information to more obscure data like past purchase history.

What are some of the tactics used to execute data breaches?

Cybercrime is getting more sophisticated each day. However, cyberattack tactics do not have to be cutting-edge or advanced to be effective. Here are a few examples of popular tactics used by cybercriminals:

Phishing: Phishing is when a cybercriminal pretends to be a legitimate party in hopes of tricking an individual into giving them access to personal information. Phishing is one of the oldest tricks in the book for cybercriminals, but it is just as effective as ever. For example, 80% of security incidents and 90% of data breaches stem from phishing attempts.
Malware: Another tried-and-true method for cybercriminals is malware. Malware is malicious software that secretly installs itself on devices – often by a user engaging with fake links and content – and quietly gains access to the data on an individual's device or a business network.
Password Attack: Through password attacks, cybercriminals seek access to sensitive data and networks by "cracking" user passwords and using these credentials to get into networks and extract data from a given network.

The best way to stop a data breach is to stop it before it even starts. This includes taking steps from making sure passwords are long and complex to reporting all suspicious emails. If you suspect you have been the victim of a breach, immediately contact your IT department or device provider to notify them and follow subsequent protocols to help them scan, detect, and remediate any issues.

For more information on protecting your data, your client’s and your family, visit our Cybersecurity page.

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4 Easy Steps to Keep You Secure

Accountants, Accounting Firms, Business, Cybersecurity, Helpful Tips, Online Security

4 Easy Steps to Keep You Secure

Cybersecurity has become one of the biggest hot topics inside and outside technology circles over the last two years. From securing learning devices due to a rise in digital learning during the COVID-19 pandemic to coping with the fallout of high-profile breaches of national infrastructure such as the Colonial Pipeline, there is a seemingly endless news cycle dedicated to cybersecurity mishaps and concerns.

And with this onslaught of negative news, it can be easy for everyday individuals to become overwhelmed and feel powerless in the face of the “insurmountable” threats posed by cybersecurity. But in actuality, nothing could be further from the truth.

With all of the jargon that is typically thrown around about cybersecurity, there is a longstanding misperception that cybersecurity is beyond everyday people and that it should be left to professionals. Moreover, there is a prevailing sense among the public that breaches are simply a fact of life and that we should just learn to deal with them. But this just isn’t true. In fact, everyday people have a huge role to play in cybersecurity threat prevention, detection, and remediation. For example, according to IBM, 95% of breaches have human error as the main cause. Therefore, everyday technology users are very much the first line of defense when thwarting cybercrime. Unfortunately, many individuals are unaware of some of the best practices for boosting cybersecurity and how easy they are to use.

With that, here are a few key best practices that everyday people can implement today to enhance their own cybersecurity and create a more secure world for everyone.

Watch Out for Phishing

Phishing – when a cybercriminal poses as a legitimate party in hopes of getting individuals to engage with malicious content or links – remains one of the most popular tactics among cybercriminals today. In fact, 80% of cybersecurity incidents stem from a phishing attempt. However, while phishing has gotten more sophisticated, keeping an eye out for typos, poor graphics, and other suspicious characteristics can be a telltale sign that the content is potentially coming from a “phish.” In addition, if you think you have spotted a phishing attempt, report the incident so that internal IT teams and service providers can remediate the situation and prevent others from possibly becoming victims.

Update Your Passwords and Use a Password Manager

Having unique, long, and complex passwords is one of the best ways to immediately boost your cybersecurity. Yet, only 43% of the public say that they “always” or “very often” use strong passwords. Password cracking is one of the go-to tactics that cybercriminals use to access sensitive information. And if you are a “password repeater,” once a cybercriminal has hacked one of your accounts, they can easily do the same across all of your accounts.

One of the biggest reasons that individuals repeat passwords is that it can be tough to remember all of the passwords you have. Fortunately, by using a password manager, individuals can securely store all of their unique passwords in one place. Meaning, you only have to remember one password. In addition, password managers are incredibly easy to use and can automatically enter stored passwords when you visit a site.

Enable MFA

Enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA) – which prompts a user to input a second set of verifying information such as a secure code sent to a mobile device or to sign-in via an authenticator app – is a hugely effective measure that anyone can use to drastically reduce the chances of a cybersecurity breach. In fact, according to Microsoft, MFA is 99.9 percent effective in preventing breaches. Therefore, it is a must for any individual that is looking to secure their devices and accounts.

Activate Automatic Updates

Ensuring devices are always up-to-date with the most recent versions is essential to preventing cybersecurity issues from cropping up. Cybersecurity is an ongoing effort, and updates are hugely important in helping to address vulnerabilities that have been uncovered as well as in providing ongoing maintenance. Therefore, instead of trying to remember to check for updates or closing out of update notifications, enable automatic update installations whenever possible.

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