Being an accountant can be demanding a lot of the time and like anything else in this world we have to find a balance in it. The last thing your employer should want is for you to overload and overwork yourself. Overloaded team members make mistakes, their health (both mental and physical) suffers, and their stress can impact the entire team. Here are a few ways to keep you as an accountant as effective as possible. This will help you not only professionally but in your personal life outside of your company as well.
Protect your Time
Time is something that can seem like we do not have enough of it in the day when we become task saturated and unorganized. The best thing you can do is start to look at unnecessary tasks and shift focus to the actual tasks that need to be done that day. As an accountant you are often juggling different items at once. Stay organized on critical tasks and focus on key assignments individually.
Speak up
Often times your to-do list may seem like it has no end in sight. This may be a clear indication that you may have too much on your plate, this is the time you talk with your managers to help with the workload. Sometimes we do not want to speak-up because we fear that our managers will lose faith in us to complete tasks. Keep the lines of communication open with your managers and this will relieve stress on both you and your coworkers.
Be Strategic With “yes” and “no”
We tend to find ourselves taking on more than we should if we cannot learn how to say “no”. Keeping a good balance of your workload will help you from becoming overworked. It is too easy for us to want to please our managers and just say “yes” to any request they may have. Before you say anything to additional tasks for your day or week be sure to keep an accurate gauge on what you have left to be done that day.
Give Yourself Time for Mental Breaks
Staring at computer screens, numbers and charts all day becomes taxing on the mind. Of course, our mind is our most valuable asset and it needs a break from time-to-time. Put in time throughout your day to take small mental breaks so that you stay sharp though-out the day. Your lunch break is a good period for you to take time and step away from your work and engage in something outside of your daily accounting roll.
Start With the Most Important Task First
The most important task of the day should have your full and undivided attention and the start of the day is the perfect time for that. Your accounting skills will be sharp from a good night’s rest and this will set the tone for the rest of your workday. Once you have finished the most important task and it is not even lunch time yet you will feel a great deal of relief for the rest of the day. All of this, is in an effort to make sure that balance is maintained and your work day runs as smooth as possible. When you start with the highest priority task the rest of your day or week will seem easier to manage keeping you from feeling overworked.
