March Break and Government Fiscal: Competing Forces for Our Attention

It’s that time of year. You know it… maybe, you wish you didn’t. You might be seeing other families and friends booking trips for March break, debating the merits of Cuba vs. Hawaii, and you? You are scrambling for a March break kids’ camp and trying to get EVERYTHING done before March 31 – that mystical day when budgets for most governments change over to a new fiscal year. The day when unspent money disappears and perhaps smaller budgets replace past budgets, but with longer lists of deliverables.

Breathe. We often have clients ask about a “little” engagement to be done and invoiced by March 31. Or the first three-quarters of government fiscal are gone, and now we are going to do a year’s worth of work in a quarter, a month, or a week. It’s challenging and predictable.

So, while you may not be going somewhere warm, and you might still need to find that camp for the kids, I would encourage you to breathe. Invest in yourself and time with family and friends. When we all “get back,” there will still be that engagement sprint before the summer holidays!

Maybe you could take two Fridays off, or maybe a few afternoons off, or perhaps you could book some quality time with people you love. I firmly believe (saying this as someone who has gone nowhere for three years) that we don’t need to go far for rest. It can be a walk in the woods, a delicious latte at a new coffee shop, an afternoon nap, or a board game marathon (always better with wine), but I encourage you to do something big or small that fills your cup after a long winter. Happy March Break!