Build Your January Game Plan Now: Deadlines, Calendar, and Who Does What

January gets easier when deadlines, owners, and documents are planned in October.

Consider this a simple kit for your staff. We are glad to share structure that helps, even when we are not the ones managing your books.

Why this matters in October

January feels hard because everything comes due at once and ownership is unclear. A short calendar, a named owners list, and a living PBC list reduce stress and protect focus.

Map the milestones

Post a calendar through mid January with close dates, information return milestones, board deliverables, and audit preparation checkpoints. Make it visible to everyone who contributes.

Assign owners and backups

Create a one page list of core tasks with a primary owner, a backup, due dates, and brief notes. If everything is shared, nothing is owned.

Build the PBC list now

Start from last year and keep it living. Include where each item is stored. Examples include bank confirmations, major contracts, leases, fixed asset activity, restricted net asset roll forward, and revenue detail by source. (Thank us later!)

Decide what can wait and what must ship

Monthly musts include reconciliations, releases, coding clean through, and the board packet. Items that can be annual or quarterly should not crowd December unless they change decisions.

One short meeting that helps

Add a weekly twenty minute huddle through January. Review blockers, upcoming deadlines, and ownership changes. Keep it tactical.

One week implementation

Day 1 draft the calendar.

Day 2 build the owners list.

Day 3 start the PBC list and file locations.

Day 4 hold the first huddle.

Day 5 publish and schedule weekly updates.