First, thank you to everyone who participated in my recent survey. I am so grateful for the feedback. The overwhelming response was clear: you want more content on IRS representation, practical technology, and practice management. That is exactly where we will be focusing in the months ahead.
Now for the big announcement… congratulations to Matt Gaylor, winner of the 16-key Elgato Stream Deck! I will be in touch to get this sent your way.
And speaking of Stream Decks… If you are a member of the InCite.Tax community you can see a workshop Matt Metras, EA and I did on using a Stream Deck in our tax practices. It is a great community that I recommend you join.
A Quick Snippet: The Best Technology
After a lifetime of trying more gadgets than I can count, here is what I have learned: the best technology is not the newest or flashiest, it is the technology you actually use with intention.
I have been teaching people how to use technology for more than 30 years, which hardly seems possible since I will be turning 30 (just ask my older sister) next month 😉. I really did start in junior high, helping teachers get more out of the clunky tools we had. I have watched the world move from DOS and early networks like token ring to cloud-based everything, and one thing has stayed the same: people learn best when no one makes them feel dumb for asking a genuine question. That is how I try to teach.
Here is the trap. It is easy to get distracted by shiny new objects. There will always be another gadget, app, or “must-have” tool. If you do not use what you already have, and if you do not finish what you start, the tools do not matter.
We can all have one hundred ideas, but unfinished ideas do not count. At the end of the day we are judged on what we complete. That can be a hard pill to swallow, but it is also freeing. It means success is about focus, execution, and intention.
Thank you again for being part of this Substack. What started as a way to write more and scroll less has grown into something bigger than I expected. I am excited about what is ahead.
Thank you, Josh, and congrats to Matt!