There’s around nine weeks until Christmas – scary thought, isn’t it? This makes October a good time for PAs to ensure that everything is running smoothly before we enter the busy lead into the Christmas holiday period.

The key is to start tasks early so you’re not overwhelmed as the year closes and the silly season starts. Some tasks have to be done before the break, others will simply make the New Year start so much easier.

Here are the Hour Hands recommended actions for October/November – broken down into a handy checklist!

Christmas – Book the team party

You may go all out with a formal company Christmas party or your team may prefer more informal drinks and a meal. Whichever your preference, you need to book your table now. The run up to Christmas is one of the busiest times for restaurants and hotels, so choose your venue and make that booking. Remember to tell everyone to save the date and gather any dietary restrictions in advance.

Christmas – plan and order client cards, gifts or alternative donations

If your company sends out cards or gifts, or makes a charitable donation in lieu of this, you need to get this sorted straight away. Speak to your directors, place the orders and/or organise which charity you will support. If time is against you, the Hour Hands PA team could help – give us a call today.

Check your directors’ plans for Christmas holiday leave

Many offices close for a day or two to give the team an extra day’s leave – if this is happening in your office, make these plans now and tell everyone so they can make their own plans.

If your boss is going away, ensure that their leave is scheduled and the relevant people are advised. You may wish to schedule leave yourself or use this quieter time to clear your own to do list. If you need holiday cover, consider the Hour Hands PA team to ensure that emails are answered and any project work is completed.

Get ready for the new year start

If there’s a new project starting in the new year – or if you’ll have new starters joining the team – get planning now. Set up those folders, order any desk or equipment needed and ensure that key team members are all informed. This is all about preparation so you can hit the ground running in January.

Review your contacts list

Clients move offices, contacts move roles, suppliers change. This is a great time of year to update your contacts lists, adding new clients, deleting old ones and making any changes needed. Encourage your sales and marketing teams to do this same so you can start the new year with a much more valuable clean list.

Review your budgets

If you or your boss are budget holders, this is a sensible time to review your actual spend or income against your budgeted numbers. If you’re under or over in any way, you have time to either curb or increase spending or push for more sales.

Schedule key dates for the new year

January appears so suddenly and before you know it, we’re half way through the month and it still feels like you’re just getting back into things. By scheduling dates now, you’ll hold those meetings in early/mid January and get the year off to a good start. Consider dates for board meetings, quarterly reviews, and strategic planning sessions, amongst others. If you’re kickstarting a project, ensure kick off and review dates are in the diary well in advance too.

Think about yourself too – prepare for your own performance review

We think that it’s useful to look back and consider what we’ve achieved this calendar year. It’s good for the soul as well as being of practical help. No matter when your review is scheduled, jot down what you’ve achieved and consider what you would like to achieve next year. Would you benefit from some training? Do you need a sabbatical or already have a holiday planned? Put it in writing now so it’s stored ready for when it’s needed.

How can we help?

October and early November is a useful time to finish up projects and prepare for new ones to start. The tasks you complete now will give you back so much time when the December party time starts or when you return from your Christmas break.

Many of the tasks that we’ve listed above are prime candidates for outsourcing to experienced professional PAs. We can take these off your hands to give you back time to focus on strategic activities that support your directors or even drive growth.

Add us to your contacts list if you need help with any aspect of your business from planning a Christmas party, sourcing gifts or writing Christmas cards, bookkeeping or acting as a virtual PA.

Simply fill in the contact form or give us a call. We’re always on hand and happy to help!