Bidding 2024 Adieu

2024 really has been a mix bag.

From the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, to South Africa’s Government of National Unity to the recent US Presidential elections – there has been a lot to take in.

And for a lot of us, it feels like the day can’t come soon enough when we turn our “out of office” on – because yes, our office will be closed over Christmas and New Years.

But before we can start planning our days in the sun, there’s a few things we need to do to ensure we start 2025 on the right foot –

How we will be closing off 2024

We believe that in order to start 2025 the right way, we need to end 2024 off right first -

1. Finish up – as this time of year rolls around, leaving the drafting of a notice of motion until next year is just too tempting. Can’t we just turn our “out of office” on and be done with it? Even the Courts are going on recess on the 13th of December, so proceeding with anything except urgent applications will be almost impossible. Shouldn’t we just close up shop? You could. But the problem with this is, when you return from work those same tasks, the undrafted motions, summonses, and letters will still be on your desk, on top of possible other work that has come in. The result? A pile of work and immediate feelings of overwhelm - before the working year has really begun. So, push a little more and try get everything “off your desk” before you go on leave. And if that’s not possible, compile a to-do list for when you return, prioritising tasks so that you know what to tackle first.
2. Take stock – it may be a good opportunity to critically look at your year and acknowledge what went right and therefore what you should continue doing in 2025. But don’t be foolish, you need to highlight what went wrong too so that you can improve on your service offerings. You know - improve on what you can (and should) improve on. It may also be the perfect time to do a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis. It’s one of the oldest and most tried-and-tested methods of “taking stock.” It involves taking a look at the aspects of your business that work to your advantage. In other words – your strengths: like a niche area of law. Weaknesses will be anything that is currently standing in the way of your growth, like a team that’s not gelling. Know what’s going on so that you can fix what you need to.
3. Plan ahead – planning ahead can mean different things for different people. In the legal space, it means looking at the upcoming years calendar and ensuring that any trials or applications are diarised way ahead of schedule so that proper prep can take place. It also involves – from an estate planning perspective – the updating of a Will which should be done whenever a major life event happens, like a marriage, divorce, death, birth, retirement, purchase of a new property or a new investment. Your Will should be amended to reflect your current (and latest) financial (and life) situation. It’s always a clever idea to review your Will as the year comes to a close so that you can think about how you want to structure your estate and therefore your Will in the coming year. But as far as estate planning is concerned it's a matter of looking back so that you can carefully plan ahead for your future. Planning ahead for a small business, like a law firm, also involves looking around you - what are other firms doing? What have they incorporated? What’s the next new big thing? And if you are not seeing anything worthwhile – why not think outside the box? You can do this by creating an annual “vision board” that will help you manifest what you want out of life (and work). A visual representation of where you want to go is an extremely powerful (and fun) tool. You can learn how to create a vision board here. The important thing is to stay ahead of the pack.
4. Review the business plan – as the year draws to a close, it’s always a good idea to look back at your business plan, reviewing your 2024 strategies and goals. How did you fare? Were your predictions accurate? If not, this is a suitable time to make adjustments so that in 2025 you find ways to maximise your bottom-line. It’s also prudent to review your partnerships – who are your clients and business partners? Are your client’s paying their bills? If not, what are you doing to limit bad debt? What about your business partnerships? Is everything hunky-dory? Most importantly, this is a time to brainstorm - write all your ideas down. Don’t allow things to become stale and stagnant. Get excited about your business.
5. Budget – with our minds on Christmas gifts and a few days to recharge, the last thing we want is to think about budgets. But it’s necessary. As a small business, we need to be responsible with our spending – especially when January is 560 days long. And when you have a business to run, this is far from ideal. So, instead of sitting back and forgetting about responsibilities, we will sit down with our budget and look at ways that we can start reducing debt (not incurring more). Look at how you spend (what your spending habits are), what bills you must pay monthly and set finance goals. Draft a 2025 budget and take steps to not only keep in line with it, but to start saving too. Financial freedom is not only key, but so very empowering.
6. Clean your space – Mari Kondo your life! Don’t let the physical mess of 2024 carry over into 2025. We all feel a little stressed out and overwhelmed when we find ourselves working in an untidy (or dirty) environment. It feels chaotic and therefore makes us feel frazzled. Untidy office spaces can affect your mental health and reduce your productivity. Minimalism is key. To open yourself up to the positivity that a new year can bestow, clean, and declutter your workspace (and your living space). Inviting positive energy into your life and your workspace.
7. Rest – the fact is, whatever we have set out above will mean nothing if you don’t get some rest over the festive season. As lawyers, we understand how hard it is to admit – the need to disconnect from the stress, to disconnect from the pressure and to give yourself a moment of peace. Sure, the festive season is all about joy and new beginnings, but it can also be overwhelming. With all the family gatherings and festivities, you start to feel frazzled and already exhausted by the time you go back to the office in January. So cut yourself a break and give yourself a time-out. Rest can be the most important thing you do this holiday season. Work will always be there. Your health – physically, and emotionally needs to take centre stage, so that you can return to the office feeling refreshed and ready to tackle urgent applications, default judgements summonses and whatever else that hits your desk.

From all of us at NVDB Attorneys we wish you a safe and happy Festive Season and Happy New Year. May the year ahead be filled with positivity, prosperity, peace and joy.

If we can be of assistance in any of the following practice areas - insurance law, debt recovery, contract law, insolvency law, litigation, company law, property law, sports law or mergers and acquisitions – then please feel free to contact us to see how we can support you.

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