If you can make a habit of just this alone, your efficiency will increase significantly.

3. Do not say yes to everything

Almost all accountants are short on time, yet one of their quirks is they have a habit of saying yes to the majority of requests or enquiries that come their way.

So next time, instead of agreeing right away, think about what you’re being asked to take on and ask yourself:

• Will this add value to my practice?

• Will my practice profit from it?

• Am I the only one in the team who can complete this task?

Unless you answer yes to at least two of these questions, it should be a no.

This is especially important if you are a manager or partner. If this is you, remember your key role is to provide leadership, innovation and strategic direction. You need to free yourself from the nuts and bolts of delivering services to allow the time for this.

4. Do not give accounting advice for free

How many times in the past week have you taken a phone call from a client with a question, or discussed matters during a meeting that go beyond what the catch-up was originally scheduled for? This is guidance that costs you time but provides significant value to your client—and you’re giving it away for nothing.

Rather than refusing to give this advice, the solution is to move to a value-based pricing model and charge for this service up front. Not only does this mean you’ll receive a greater profit for work you’re already doing, but you’ll be rewarded for being more efficient, rather than having to justify every hour of work you bill for.

5. Do not keep knowledge to yourself

No matter what level of your practice you work, there are probably processes that you are always responsible for, which the rest of the team constantly rely on you to complete.

Often this will be because you’re the only one who knows how to complete them. Whether this has happened intentionally or organically over time, keeping this knowledge to yourself will only hold you and your practice back.

Documenting these processes is vital if you want to boost efficiency and grow your firm. It will help your team know exactly what to do and how without needing to ask you. And it also means that others can take the most repetitive and time-consuming tasks off your plate, enabling you to focus on your clients, your business and/ or your work life balance.

Free up your to-do list

If you can cut these items out of your day and make improvements to your firm’s operations in the process, the rewards will follow almost instantly.

While you’ll still need to rely on a to-do list or action plan for each day, you’ll notice it becomes filled with tasks you actually look forward to competing—the ones adding greater value to your practice.