Can we talk about last Friday arvo? It was a wild ride! If you're a bookkeeper, it’s a given that July is the busiest month. We’re all racing against the clock, juggling end-of-financial-year compliance tasks, and aiming to hit those stretch goals by the close of business. But last Friday was something else.
Picture this: there I was, furiously working away, so close to finishing my week of work. Only 3 month ends and half an hour to go. (In reality, 6 month ends and two hours to go!) The finish line was in sight! Then, bam—the CloudStrike IT outage hit. My first thought? “Darn you, Xero!” But it wasn’t just Xero. Nope, it was a worldwide issue. Suddenly, I wasn’t just miffed; I was part of a global meltdown.
But you know what? That realization brought an unexpected sense of calm. I wasn’t stuck in an airport because my plane couldn’t take off. Or at a petrol station with no fuel. I just had to stop work. I had already crammed four weeks of work into three, so maybe, just maybe, I deserved an early mark. It got me thinking about how we get so wrapped up in our own little bubbles, forgetting that external forces can swoop in and derail our best-laid plans. And that’s okay. Sometimes, it’s completely out of our hands.
I have this sticker on my laptop that says, "Be kind to yourself." I put it there because, let's face it, I’m my own harshest critic. I expect so much more of myself than I would from any employee. I need constant reminders to appreciate how far I've come, not just how far there is to go.
So, Friday was another one of those reminders. Instead of grinding through a few more BAS, I got to unwind. I spent those twilight hours chatting with my hubby and indulging in happy hour Margaritas with half-price tapas. Pure bliss. Honestly, I’m starting to think maybe I should wrap up at 3pm every Friday.
How about you? How did you cope with the CloudStrike chaos? Share your stories—I’d love to hear them!
Stay ‘Appy!
