CPAs, follow these smart tips to stay productive during the holiday season

Because once the holidays end, the tax season will commence!

With the spirit of Christmas at a high, it is becoming increasingly difficult to concentrate on work these days. Irrespective of profession, everyone wants to plan holiday getaways, attend parties and shop for gifts (in case they haven’t already!). The Christmas countdown has begun and it is already difficult to stay on-target with professional commitments.

For CPAs and accounting firms, January means the start of a 3-month long tax season! Hence there’s no scope of wavering attention for even a day! But then again – it’s almost Christmas, and completing the to-do list is a feat in itself for accountants! To fight such lulls at work – especially during this time follow this listicle:

1. Have an informal session with the team

Do it on a regular basis, if possible. Discussing work and clients informally will help everyone gauge the pressure they’re in and even come out with better ways to wrap up all the work. According to a 2015 Accountemps survey of 1,000 workers across USA, 22% of them revealed their productivity decreases during the holiday season.

Such informal meetings not only create a tempo but also motivate everyone to put their best foot forward.

2. Make a to-do list and check it twice

It’s a clichéd advice but it works provided you stick to it. Therefore, make one and check it at least two times a day to see where you have reached so far. Strike off the activities done. This will give you a sense of fulfillment and even further motivate you to wrap up everything on that list.

3. Focus on your tasks; don’t rush

Your work involves so much risk; there’s no way you can complete tasks in a jiffy even if you want to. For instance, reviewer comments are minor but if you don’t look into them with rapt attention, you are going to have a mutiny in your hands with your reviewers getting upset over the fact you didn’t make the mentioned changes. So read all comments, make adjustments and remove the task off the list!

4. Review other’s work with attention

Well – a lot of people are going to be absent from work. These planned and unplanned absences by managers and co-workers will prompt you to take over other’s work from the middle. This means you have to pay more attention to activities such as asset relocation and spreadsheet reviews.

5. Do take your lunch or frequent coffee breaks

Just because you have tons to do doesn’t mean you don’t give yourself a break from time-to-time and recharge your batteries. You can only be productive if you give your body and mind a break, irrespective of how small the break is.

Everything is pretty, shiny and frosty around you but your work! But it doesn’t need to be all work and no play for you.