5 Productivity Hacks for Accountants
If you're working as an accounting or finance professional, you already know that there is a lot of work to be done throughout the day. From communicating with clients to sitting in a spreadsheet all day, there's a huge range of things that need to be done, and a lot of them need to be done ASAP. Today I'm going to share with you some tricks to get work done faster as a working professional.
1. Checklists and Checkboxes
I maintain checklists and to-do lists to ensure I know what needs to be done. By consistently aggregating all the things you need to do into a single list, you can visualize and prioritize much better than if you were just looking through the email requests or your calendar. making and maintaining the list might require a few extra minutes, but those minutes can end up saving you hours. By creating a list of actionable items, you are providing yourself the direction you need to get something done in a simpler methodical process. This line of thinking also works while taking notes in meetings. Personally, I use the brackets on my keyboard to create checkboxes [] in my notes so I know what to follow up on before I hang up on a call or leave the meeting. Whenever I see a set of these brackets, it means there's something I need to do and check off. Doing this during meetings has helped me immensely with tracking the action items discussed and holding myself and everyone else accountable.
2. Use Your Calendar
Updating your outlook or Google calendar for the things you need to do that day by blocking time off provides structure and accountability to your workday. I know some professionals that structure their entire day around their calendar, including blocks for lunch and checking emails. If you're working at an organization that uses both Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft teams, then updating your calendar will also update your status on teams. If you appear busy because you have a calendar blocking your time, then people are less likely to bother you while you're trying to get things done.
3. Set Expectations Early
If you are delegating a task to someone or are the one being delegated to, it's very important to set expectations early for the quality of work product as well as the time commitment needed to get it done. By going out of your way to communicate and understand what needs to be done and how long it should take before you start doing it, you and your coworker are better set up to identify roadblocks and difficulties. In many cases, this could also involve walking through one example of what needs to be done along with your coworker so the more experienced person can show the other person how they would do it efficiently given their experience. Doing this not only allows for time that a more experienced person can teach the less experienced person, but it can also lead to conversations about what is or isn’t necessary, which can save much more time in the long run.
4. Excel Shortcuts
The entire financial industry is supported by data that is most often viewed in Excel spreadsheets. Naturally, accountants and other finance professionals will spend many hours in spreadsheets. On many days Excel can be both the cause of, and solution to, all of their problems. In addition to learning the functions that can make your life easier such as SUMIFS and XLOOKUP, it's also very useful to learn keyboard shortcuts to make more mechanical tasks that much faster. Start by using the ALT key on your keyboard and navigating to your commonly used functions by typing in the appropriate codes that pop up on the toolbar.
Doing this will train you to use Excel without a mouse, and over time you will learn how to execute those core functions much faster.
5. The Read Back
Getting into the habit of reading back what your co-workers are saying and soliciting a readback when you're delegating can save you hours of trouble due to miscommunication or poor note taking. Every time I have a phone call or a meeting with someone, I am sure to read back the action items at the end of the phone call to make sure nothing was forgotten. Doing this gives me a second chance to clarify any instructions and get the other person's input on prioritization.
There you have it! Those are five productivity hacks that I use to stay efficient while working. While some of these might seem small at first, consciously changing these small aspects can make a very large difference and I hope you can benefit from them.