"Time is money" is a saying almost everyone has heard, and few professions feel it more than accounting. An accountant who manages time well earns more, and spends less time earning it. Yet time is something most accountants struggle with. Everyone can improve.
Managing your time well leaves more of it, and more money, for the work that grows your practice. Here are some ways to start.
- Know where everything is. Hunting for a misplaced document costs time now and causes trouble later. Set up a filing system, paper or electronic, and keep to it.
- Set hours for calls and email. You can't stop clients calling, but you can set times for returning calls and answering email, and tell clients what to expect.
- Track your time. It takes effort, but knowing where the hours go shows you which work pays and which doesn't.
- Use your best hours. Most people have times of day when they think most clearly. Keep those for the work that needs the most concentration.
- Cut the paper. Go digital wherever you can: client portals, electronic workpapers and e-signatures save handling time.
- Rank your work. Sort tasks by deadline and importance, and start with what matters most.
- Learn to say no. Turning down work you can't do well protects the quality of the work you take on.
When the hours still run out, preparation work can be handed to another firm while yours keeps the review and the client. See our services or our prices.