Welcome to our June Newsletter!

Is your tax return prepared yet? If not, stop what you’re doing and book an appointment online now, with us as your tax agent, you could have a year to pay! This month we talk about habits, (the good kind) meal prepping and a couple of fascinating books on the minds connecting and habit forming.

I hope you are having a productive June!

Michelle xx

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The 11 productivity habits successful people use

 

Often, we get stuck in our daily routines and habits, and we don’t think to evaluate how the ingrained, automatic aspects of our day can affect how productive our days, weeks, months and years are. Sometimes, all it takes is seeing how someone else gets the most out of their days, to make us re-evaluate how we use our time. Here are 11 productivity tips of successful people.

1. They don’t multitask

This might come as a surprise, but focusing on just one task at a time increases yourperformance and your output. Start, with your most important task and focus solely on it, without any distractions from your email or your phone. See if your performance increases!

 2. They outsource

But they carefully choose what they outsource! Productive people know which tasks create the most tangible return, e.g. selling, writing, or building customer relationships, and they outsource anything that takes them way from doing these tasks. Or, they simply eliminate it.

3. They limit distractions from technology

They are able put away their phones, log out of their emails or social media accounts and focus on the task at hand.

4. They have the perfect way to say no

We often default to saying yes, which can also mean we default to biting off more than we can chew. Sometimes, this can be because we simply do not know the best way to say no, so taking the time to craft the perfect “no” option could help you lift those unnecessary commitments! For example, you might simply say, “I’m sorry, but I am already too busy with other commitments”.

5. They don’t make ego commitments

Think of what you do with your time. Understand if it provides you with value, or if it just strokes your ego because it seems “cool”. For example, giving radio interviews just because it makes you look important, feel cool, or appear smart, is an ego commitment. It may be best to re-evaluate what you commit to and learn to say no.

6. They acknowledge the Pareto Principle, (the 80:20 rule)

Successful people keep in mind that 20% of their effort, produces 80% of their results, were the other 80% of their effort will give the last 20% of their results.

7. They automate repetitive tasks

When you find yourself doing the same small tasks over and over, it may be time to revaluate. There are hundreds of productivity apps designed to make your life easier, and free up your time, so take advantage! Also, learning shortcuts is a great way to become more efficient with tasks you can’t automate!

8. They maximise down time!

Successful people embrace the idea that there is always something new to learn! Find something you have a desire to learn, and segment your free time accordingly. Try to spend one hour practicing, half an hour reading/watching videos to learn more, then half an hour researching people’s work on the topic that inspires you. Repeat.

9. They take breaks strategically

Take your break/s when your productivity levels start to dip, rather than at a scheduled time. You will feel fresher, and your output will increase!

10. They set hard timelines

Ever noticed that your work tends to expand to fill the deadlines you set? When you set two hours, it will be completed in two hours, when you set two weeks, it will expand to fill two weeks.

11. They have a nightly routine that prepares them to hit the ground running the next day

What you do first thing in the morning will set the tone for the rest of your day, so be smart and wake up prepared to hit the ground running! Successful people implement a nightly routine that will takes the work out of their mornings. For example, pack your gym bag the night before so you can grab it and go.

 

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Good Bookkeeping Habits

Record due dates for payments and payables. Reminders of an upcoming payment help you and your team manage your cash flow and ensure that these obligations are met promptly. Payments include payroll taxes, regular bills (such as rental and utilities), payroll and so on. Reminders of payables becoming due will help you avoid late fees.

Maintain consistent records. Using the same system throughout your record keeping procedure makes it easier for everyone.

Keep proof of transactions. Receipts, paid bills, deposit slips, sales slips and invoices should be organised and kept in their proper folders for easy reference.

Keep track of bank account statements. This is the easiest way to keep accurate data or catch unauthorised activity. Keep all bank statements filed properly in a folder.

Secure your paperwork. Keep records in a safe and preferably fireproof place. Use separate boxes for each year on record. If you are keeping your records at home, it becomes all the more important to secure your paperwork and keep it away from children to prevent losing important documents. Some businesses rent a small storage space where they keep all their company documents and important papers.

What are your favourite bookkeeping tips? Let us know on Facebook!

 

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Important Dates

7th of July – due date for income tax returns if you are not on our agency list.​

28th of August – Provisional tax instalments, student loan interim payments, June/July GST returns and payments are due.

The first instalment of provisional tax is due on 28 August for people who have a March balance date.

 

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Meal Prepping

It’s not easy to choose healthy foods when you lead a busy life — and let’s face it, we all lead busy lives. That’s what makes Meal Prepping so great.

Meal Prepping is simply preparing some, or all of your meals ahead of time.

Not only does it save you time, but it also helps to ensure you eat healthier foods more often with the proper portions, instead of reaching for quick processed and prepackaged snacks or meals that go over your caloric needs.

It’s important to remember to not get overwhelmed when you are a beginner. Too often people get bogged down in details when sticking to the basics will do more good.

The first thing you should do is pick a day to prepare all your meals. For most, Sunday is the best day because it’s a day when you are off work, kids are home from school, and you can enlist the help of the entire family if you need it.

You need to decide which meal you are going to prepare first: Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner.

If you are preparing for a family, then prepping your dinner meals seems to be where you would get the most from your efforts. However, if you are single, or cooking for one or two people, then you may want to try to prepare breakfast or lunch meals first.

How you choose to store your meals can make or break your meal prepping efforts.

For starters, you want to be able to divide each part of your meal. You don’t want foods cross-contaminating each other.

So what you need is a container that’s air tight, with divided sections that are also air tight.

Put simply, you want containers that are:

• BPA Free
• Freezer Safe
• Dishwasher Safe
• Microwavable
• Stackable
• Reusable

In the kitchen, focus on simple meals, learn to multitask, don’t forget fruit, (fruit salads, smoothies etc) and slow cookers, (see last months’ newsletter for inspiration).

For more detail on how to get started, click here.

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Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal

How do successful companies create products people can’t put down?

Why do some products capture widespread attention while others flop? What makes us engage with certain products out of sheer habit? Is there a pattern underlying how technologies hook us?
Nir Eyal answers these questions (andmanymore) by explaining the Hook Model—a four-step process embedded into the products of many successful companies to subtly encourage customer behaviour. Through consecutive “hook cycles,” these products reach their ultimate goal of bringing users back again and again without depending on costly advertising or aggressive messaging.

Hooked is based on Eyal’s years of research, consulting, and practical experience. He wrote the book he wished had been available to him as a start-up founder—not abstract theory, but a how-to guide for building better products. Hooked is written for product managers, designers, marketers, start-up founders, and anyone who seeks to understand how products influence our behaviour.

Eyal provides readers with:

• Practical insights to create user habits that stick.
• Actionable steps for building products people love.
• Fascinating examples from the iPhone to Twitter, Pinterest to the Bible App, and many other habit-forming products.

Check it out here.

LiNK: The Fascinating Ways Our Minds Connect by John Serpa

John Serpa presents a fresh look at seventy years of scientific research that gives us the reasons “why” organisations can be transformed with little expense. How? By harnessing the intriguing ways our minds link. Throughout the book, he shares insights from neuroscience experts and spitfire organizations such as a public boarding school that boasts one of the highest college enrollment levels, a company that achieves 99.9997 percent accuracy with no training, a hospital that radically improved the care for premature infants, and how blind children were taught to make movies. The lessons they’ll teach will benefit you. With this knowledge in hand, organisational and personal development can be taken to a whole new level by leveraging the unique communication functions of our mind. John Serpa is an author and public speaker who has spent over twenty-five years linking the minds of people in organisations ranging from non-profits to Fortune 500 firms.

Check it out here.

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Six Habits to Make you Happier

Winter can be hard enough to get motivated and stay productive, making minor changes to your routine can have a major impact on your day. Here are six scientifically proven mood-boosting strategies, from avoiding the snooze button to a good old-fashioned feel-good tune.

1. Don’t hit snooze!

How you feel when you first wake up doesn’t have to set the tone for the day, your mood will naturally lift once you get up. Make sure you open the curtains – natural light will stimulate the feel-good hormone serotonin, which will make you feel more awake and boost your mood.

2. Listen to your favourite happy song

As you’re getting up, put on your favourite song (or at least turn on the radio). Music and mood are inherently linked. Songs you love are shown to bring pleasure, engagement and meaning. Scientists have found that listening to a particularly happy song changes the way we perceive the world for the better.

3. Notice the good

Good things are happening all of the time, but when life takes hold it can sometimes be difficult to give them the attention they deserve. We focus instead on the things we’re unhappy with, anxious about or finding difficult. It’s important to remember you have a choice in where you direct your attention – if you shift your focus and notice the everyday things that make you feel good (rather than waiting for the big things or wishing time away) it can make a real difference to your mood.

Add in some gratitude and you’ll feel even better. People who are grateful tend to be happier, healthier and more fulfilled.

4. Laugh

Make time for some fun and have a giggle. Research shows that laughter soothes tension, improves your immune system and even eases pain. It’s a brilliant way to boost mood, switch off and it’s good for your brain. Smiling also has a great effect, it triggers feelings of happiness (even if you’re not feeling happy) as our facial expressions influence our emotions.

5. See a friend

A new study called the Origins of Happiness has found that on average people have become no happier in the last 50 years, despite incomes more than doubling. Whilst it might feel like you’ll be happier when you can afford a new car/outfit/bag, it’s investing in our relationships and health that is most important.

Friends make you feel good and are good for you. Relationships enhance your quality of life, reduce isolation, are protective against depression and are a great source of support, fun and love.

6. Perform a random act of kindness

Perform a random act of kindness and give someone else a smile. A random act of kindness is anything that helps others or makes them happy (typically at a cost to you) whether it’s holding the door open, helping someone with their stroller down the stairs, writing a kind message or donating blood.

You’re not only doing a good thing, you’ll feel good too as committing regular random acts of kindness can significantly increase happiness levels for several weeks.

It stimulates the release of endorphins and there’s a strong relationship between this type of activity and increased self-esteem and self-worth.

Let us know a random act of kindness you have received over on Facebook!

 

 

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