10 Rules for an Executive’s Early Ulcer

Posted by: Terry Smith Post date: June 27th, 2010

Came across this list when I was going over my archives (Us accountants just don’t throw anything away) …

1. Your job comes first – all personal considerations are secondary.
2. Go to the office evenings, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
3. Take your brief case regularly with you – in this way you can review completely all the troubles and worries of the day.
4. Never say “no” to a request.
5. Accept all invitations to meetings, banquets, committees etc.
6. Don’t eat a restful and relaxing meal – always plan a conference for meal hour.
7. Regard fishing, golf, etc as a waste of time.
8. Believe it is poor policy to take all your holidays.
9. Never delegate responsibility – carry the whole load yourself.
10. If your work calls for travelling, work all day and drive all night, so that you can keep the next day’s appointments.

Can’t remember where this came from … It does makes you reflect on our time management. How often have you heard your families and friends tell you to “take a break”.  But we know better and we continue to work 24/7 (well, at least that’s what you’re being told!). Have you ever heard anyone say on their deathbed that they wished they spent more time at work?

Mac v PC

Posted by: Patsy Lim Post date: June 26th, 2010

Talk to any Apple Mac user and they will tell you that you’re crazy to use a PC. Talk to a PC user and they say they just cannot make the switch since their businesses are run on PCs.

So – 6 months down the track, after much soul searching (and lots of debates in my head), I took the plunge and went out and bought myself a 27″ iMac. Argghhhh! If anyone says its simple, they lied! I discovered that my accounting package MYOB just didn’t run as well on a Mac. Even the Microsoft Office was slightly different. So you can imagine my horror when all those little tricks that I had for working my way around Microsoft Office just didn’t work anymore!   Even the feel of the Mac was different. So it was back to Kindergarten to learn all about the Mac!

Did you know that there’s hardly any true ergonomic keyboards for the Mac ?!?!?!? I mean … what on earth are they thinking? I was told that my PC ergonomic keyboard would still work with the Mac … But what they don’t tell you is that some of the shortcut buttons on the PC ergonomic keyboard does not work with a Mac – nor do the Numeric Keypad. On the other hand, if you buy an Apple Numeric Keypad, it doesn’t work with the Windows software installed in the Mac.  Total frustration!

Was it worth it the pain and agony to switch to Mac? On balance, I would have to say YES. The Mac is faster, the graphics and design software are definitely better. And once I got use to the way the Mac works, it was brilliant. My recommendation? Buy a Mac – but if you have a business, keep your PC as well. The accounting package works much better on Windows PC and it will help to reduce the amount of gray hairs you will get trying to make some of your business software work on a Mac.

In My Dreams I Have A Plan

Posted by: Patsy Lim Post date: June 25th, 2010

How many of us can relate to the words of this Abba song?

I work all night, I work all day, to pay the bills
I have to pay
Ain’t it sad
And still there never seems to be a single penny left for me
That’s too bad
In my dreams I have a plan …

But how many of us really do have a plan?  Apart from the fortunate few, most people do end up working all day to make enough to pay the bills and for some, they even earn enough to buy some luxuries in life. We drag ourselves from one day to the next. We dream, but we do nothing about making sure that dream comes to fruition. There’s an old saying: “Most people aim at nothing in life . . . and hit it with amazing accuracy.” It’s a sad commentary about people, but it’s true.

Plans are not just for businesses. All of us should have personal goals and plans (although the thought of just watching life go by sitting on the beach on some remote island does have its attractions … at least until I want that ice cream or chocolate – I don’t think they have those on desert islands).

I love this analogy that I heard a while ago from a pastor at a church “If you want a job, you must first apply for the job. If all you do is suntan yourself at the beach, then God will bless your suntan” or the blonde who kept praying to God to let her win the lottery, and finally God replied “Work with me … You have to buy a lottery ticket!”.

Yes Prime Minister

Posted by: Patsy Lim Post date: June 24th, 2010

History was made in Australia today … Today Julia Gillard was sworn in as Australia’s first female Prime Minister in a quick coup. What can we expect? The issues that brought down Kevin Rudd remains to be addressed – boat refugees, emissions trading system, the infamous mining super profits tax … to name but just a few.  It will no doubt affect every single Australian as policies are changed (or not) in terms of income tax, government welfare benefits, work choices, etc.  I’ll leave the politics to the political commentators.

What is fascinating to note is the obsession that some reporters appear to have with regard to Julia Gillard’s hair and fashion sense … Shouldn’t the focus be on her abilities and leadership rather than her hairstyle and dress sense? Would we have the same attention paid to this if Australia’s new Prime Minister is a man?? I’ll leave you to ponder that one!

Behind the Menu

Posted by: Patsy Lim Post date: May 10th, 2010

Passionate about food? Love cooking? Ever thought of throwing caution to the wind and following your passion?

Is it as simple as that? Unfortunately, run headlong into this and you may just live to regret it. The romantic notion that you will spend time in your restaurant surrounded by good food, great wine and chocolate desserts (for the chocoholics) couldn’t be further from the truth. In reality, running a restaurant is hard work.  It requires creativity, business acumen, perseverence, sheer guts … and (more…)

Can you hide behind an “anonymous” blog?

Posted by: Patsy Lim Post date: August 20th, 2009

It seems that you can no longer remain as anonymous on the Worldwide Web as you think.  Google’s Blogger has now been directed by the Manhattan Supreme Court to reveal the identity of the blogger who made defamatory statements about a model Liskula Cohen. (more…)

How to improve office morale by providing …

Posted by: Patsy Lim Post date: July 9th, 2009

Special High Intensity Training

In order to assure the highest levels of quality work and productivity from employees, we recommend that you introduce a policy to keep all employees well trained through a program of Special High Intensity Training (S.H.I.T.)

You should try and give your employees more S.H.I.T. than any other company. If you feel that your employees do not receive their share of S.H.I.T. on their jobs, we recommend (more…)

Our body, our temple

Posted by: Patsy Lim Post date: July 8th, 2009

I’ve reached the age where it’s harder and harder to think of my body as a temple. (It’s more like a building project that got out of control)

- Barbara Johnson

More stuff to comply with for your property

Posted by: Patsy Lim Post date: July 7th, 2009

As part of the work we do in property project management, we keep an eye on legislation affecting the property market.

Did you know … That from 9 August 2009, sellers of Australian residential properties MUST have 2 residual currency devices (RCDs) installed in the property? These safety devices must be in place by the settlement date. The same law applies to owners of newly leased rental properties. And if you’re lucky enough to have an existing tenant, you have till 9 August 2011 to comply. The only exemption (more…)

Are you keeping up?

Posted by: Patsy Lim Post date: July 6th, 2009

According to the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), small businesses are falling behind big businesses in getting online. Last year, 96% of big businesses have a web presence. This compares to just 27% for small businesses.  Is this affecting small businesses? (more…)