Episode 6 – The Concept of Client Blocking

The Concept of Client Blocking

We are letting our clients dictate the work versus telling clients how the work will be performed. Let me introduce you to the concept of client blocking. By blocking your time out by client, you could create more boundaries with your client and allow you to be more efficient in your practice.

Show Notes

I recently had someone say to me that they felt like slaves to their clients. Then, not 30 minutes later, I heard the same complaint again. This is definitely not an uncommon feeling.

But, how can we fix this feeling? We definitely shouldn’t be living a life where we feel like slaves to our clients. (And, let’s be clear, feeling like slaves is a simile – we are not actual slaves to our clients. That would be a whole different far more serious conversation.)

The point is that we are letting our clients dictate the work versus telling clients how the work will be performed.

People actually like boundaries.

  • It is far more comforting to know what to expect
  • Kids go insane without boundaries in place

So, I created a way to create boundaries for me and my clients while increasing my efficiency. (And, remember, the more efficient you are, the more profitable you can be.)

Here’s my concept of Client Blocking:

  • A client gets a specific day each week when they know that I am looking at their stuff
  • They know that any emails sent throughout the week will be taken care of on their “day”
  • If they do have an emergency, they can let me know in that email and I can try to fit it in
  • Now I have an idea of what my work will look like on a weekly basis – for just my weekly clients
  • If a day starts to get too stressful, then I switch a client to a different day

When it comes to Month End:

  • I have my own boundaries as to when work should be performed
  • I layer this on top of my weekly work
  • Then, I schedule the month-end deadlines around my weekly work

After it is all said and done, I end up with 1-2 weeks at the end of the month with extra capacity. This ends up being a great time to take on projects, etc.

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Cathy Iconis

Cathy Iconis, CPA is the creator and facilitator of the weekly tweetchat #QBOchat and the website QBOchat.com - a community for QuickBooks Online Users. She is also the founder of Iconis Group, an Intuit Top 20 Firm of the Future, that supports small businesses all over the United States with their bookkeeping needs. She is a five-time recipient of the prestigious CPA Practice Advisor 40 Under 40 Award, given annually to just 40 people nationwide.

2 Comments

  1. Lori on August 20, 2020 at 8:32 pm

    Great episode Cathy! This is something I know I need to do and never seem to get myself organized enough to schedule my work. It’s going to the top of my list!

    • QBOchat on August 21, 2020 at 10:38 am

      Thanks so much, Lori! I think I posted in the newsletter a week or two ago about a “leap date”. So, when are you going to take the leap to schedule out your work? I always love doing it on the last Friday of the month for the following month.

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