Stefano Alderuccio

8.00 AM

Whether you're working from, the office or, in this case, working from home, routines are essential.

Even though the work commute has shrunk from 60 minutes to 60 seconds it's still important to get ready for work and have breakfast.

8.30 AM

It's time to head into the home office and start the workday. A key work-from-home tip is to have separation between work and living, if possible. Try to set up a dedicated workspace. And, if you have the room, a work space that isn't in your bedroom. I found working in a separate room broke up my workday and gave me the space to relax and switch off in the evenings and on the weekend.

To start my day, I check my emails and add items to my to do list, and highlight items based on priority and what tasks I should do today.

9.00 AM

My first task of the morning is drafting letters to banks requesting bank statements. The purpose of requesting bank statements is to undertake bank statement reviews, where we can examine the company’s statements to identify any transactions that we would like to know more about. If the funds have been improperly transferred to avoid paying creditors for example, it may be a potential claim that we can make to claw back money for creditors.  

10.00 AM

I then have a Microsoft Teams meeting with some colleagues and a Director. In the meeting, the Director explains that there will be opportunities for us to undertake advice work on behalf of a client to assess relevant solvency and risk issues that may arise in with a firm’s suppliers.

10.30 AM 

So, given there's no office water cooler chats, I still like to check in with someone from my division over Teams. This morning I have a quick chat with Ryan where we discuss what we are working on currently, anything new we've learnt and our plans for the weekend. We also discuss our earlier meeting. This is a great time to grab a coffee, tea or snack and charge through the morning.

10.45 AM

I receive a call from a colleague asking if I have capacity for a task, which I do and gladly accept. I query the timeframe for the task, as some items will be urgent, whereas others not so urgent. Working out what’s a priority as soon as possible helps you to plan so you can avoid missing any deadlines. Even though we can’t communicate in person, asking questions is easy, and functions like sharing your screen ensure you and your colleague can be looking at the same document at the same time.

11.00 AM 

A not so urgent task that I decide to undertake is an Income Assessment, to determine how much income a bankrupt company has earned and whether they have reached their income assessment threshold in order to contribute to their bankrupt estate.

12.30 PM

It's time for lunch and I am fortunate enough to have my partner as a work from home buddy. We always try, weather permitting, to go for a half hour walk to get some fresh air and hopefully enjoy the sunshine!

We head back inside and have some leftover risotto for lunch while chatting.

1.30 PM

Another Teams meeting this time with a partner and manager to discuss a current liquidation. It seems like there are a few hold ups with this one and the partner needs to make some calls to get the file moving along again.

2.30 PM 

It is time to call the ATO and follow up once again on an updated Proof of Debt to be submitted by the department. It seems like there will be a dividend in the liquidation, but before this can occur, we need updated Proof of Debt paperwork from creditors.

5.00 PM

I check my emails for the last time today and organise my to do list in preparation for the next day's work. I have now realised that being organised now will save you later on when things are busier, and you don’t have as much time to prepare.

6.00 PM

It's time for some exercise and I have recently signed up to F45 to work off a thoroughly enjoyed summer break.

8.00 PM 

After dinner it's time to get stuck into some CA study. It's now my second unit and I realised following my first that it is best learnt by chipping away at it and studying multiple nights of the week in smaller blocks rather than in one big chunk over the weekend.