If you’re struggling to focus, you end your days only achieving half of what you wanted or you constantly wonder where the time went, stop and take a look around your office. Does it make you feel calm and energised or overwhelmed and stressed? If it is the latter, this clutter is most likely the reason for your struggle with productivity. To reduce your stress levels, regain focus, and increase your productivity, here is an 8-step guide to becoming a productive accountant.
A cluttered space equals a cluttered mind
Clutter cause distractions, severely affects focus, and increases stress. Therefore, it stands to reason that an organised space will have a significant impact on productivity.
With a clean and organised office, there is room for thinking and creativity with minimum distractions. All of this will 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.
Organising your office in 8 key steps
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.
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.
Clean as you go
Before placing every day, essential items which you will keep out in the open where you want them, clean all of your surfaces. Clean surfaces make the room appear a lot more open. It also creates an environment that is better for your health!
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.
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.
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? Then, the 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.
Start using your walls to motivate and inspire you
Invest in a whiteboard so that you can have your to-do list visible as well as any important reminders or inspirational quotes.
Make organising a part of your daily or weekly routine
Make sure to take the time to stay on top of your office organisation. 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), just make time . 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.