The Number 1 secret to increasing your productivity as an accountant

Do you know this number 1 secret to increasing your productivity? This is one of the best productivity tips for accountants out there.

Productivity tips for accountants: organise your area

Until the profession embraces paperless working, paper and clutter are always going to be part of an accountant’s life. It sounds like a fairly simple idea, but have you realised that piles of paper, clutter, and a disorganised working environment may be adversely impacting your stress levels, productivity and decimating your focus?

To reduce your stress levels, regain focus, and increase your productivity, here is one of our best productivity tips for accountants – organise your working area. 

Productivity tips for accountants: A cluttered space equals a cluttered mind

Clutter cause distractions, it severely affects your focus, and it increases stress, therefore it stands to reason that an organised space will have a significant impact on productivity. (Remember the best productivity tips for accountants are often the simple stuff!)

With a clean and organised office, there is room for thinking and creativity with minimum distractions, all of which help you to zone in on what you need to focus on so that you get it done. 

Put simply, the ultimate productivity hack is to organise your office space. (It really can be that simple)

8 Steps to Organise Your Office

Tip #1: Make time in your schedule to do it

If you don’t schedule it, it won’t get done. Don’t try and do it in insignificant chunks either, such as a drawer here or some filing there. Set aside ample time and plough through to get it done. Think like a chef who is always cleaning and tidying their workspace. If it works for them in their high-pressure environment it will work for you.

Tip #2: Aim for minimalism

Clutter is what causes stress and distraction, so before you sort or organise anything, think about how minimalistic you can be. What items in your office are unnecessary? Rehome them. What do you use the most? Keep these out in the open. If your firm is thinking about going paperless, how can you start now?

Tip #3: Clean as you go

Before placing those every day, essential items that you will be keeping out in the open where you want them, clean all of your surfaces. Clean surfaces make the room appear a lot more open, not to mention that a clean environment is better for your health!

Tip #4: Organise your desk according to functionality

When deciding what goes on your desk, think about what you use every day. You can save valuable time when not rifling through drawers to find what you need, so keep the necessary items within reach and the rest away in drawers.

Tip #5: Create a system to file paperwork 

Organise your files into a simple system that makes sense to you and start using this system moving forward so that the paperwork doesn’t build up.

Tip #6: Prioritise the sorting and organising

If there’s a lot that needs to be done, sort the jobs into urgent – what needs to be organised for you to start working productively – and non-urgent – what can be left until later. Start with the urgent tasks first and then schedule in the time to finish the less urgent tasks.

Tip #7: Start using your computer screen to inspire you

Given that most of us don’t have the luxury of our own office, or even our own ‘cubicle’ (don’t you just love open plan working), how about pinning digitally to your computer screen motivational quotes and your to do list?

Tip #8: Make organising a part of your daily or weekly routine

Whether it’s 5-10 minutes at the end of each day or a larger block of time at the end of the week (e.g. Filing Friday), make sure to take the time to stay on top of your office organisation. If you don’t, you’ll soon be back where you started.

Focus and be productive

Being organised and having a clean, minimalistic space to do your best thinking and work is the key to being a productive accountant. If you set aside the time to get organised, only keep what you use within reach, and keep on top of any clutter that builds up, your productivity will be unstoppable. Reducing your clutter may be simple, but it’s one of the best productivity tips for accountants you can find.

For more resources on how to improve your productivity read:

• 4 tips to help you achieve more with your paperwork and filing
• 8 fool-proof productivity hacks for accountants, lawyers, and consultants

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