It’s six weeks to the end of the year.  What should you be working on?  Here are a few thoughts:

• Taxes: Have you tallied your third quarter numbers and delivered them to your tax accountant? Have you projected your fourth quarter results? If not you risk missing the tax breaks the stimulus plan granted.
• Budgets: While 2010 maybe equally as rocky as 2009, it’s no excuse not to budget.  I would recommend you implement a scenario-plan type budget approach:  worst, best and somewhere in the middle.
• Technology planning: Take an inventory of where you are in terms of staying up to date with the current technology. If you put off 2009 expenditures because of the economy, identify what needs to be updated first when cash frees up.   Plan to stay moderately competitive with what’s available today.  For a few ideas on technology upgrades, see the Wall Street Journal article “Three Best Ways to Reduce Tech Costs“.
• Marketing Plan: How will you reach your customers next year?  What aspects of social media will your company adopt?  In the often slow time between Thanksgiving and New Years try to attend the free or inexpensive seminars offered on social media.  Use this new knowledge to write a killer marketing plan you can launch on January 2nd!

With six weeks to year-end it’s time to focus on 2010.