Before I get started, I just wanted to mention that it’s the one year anniversary of starting The Smarter Accountant Podcast and I’m sincerely appreciative of all of you for listening and sharing this podcast with other accountants.  As a token of my gratitude, I have created The Smarter Accountant Podcast Guide.

If you have ever listened to an episode and thought, “That was helpful. Now what do I DO with this information?” then this guide will be a game changer.  

Because I want this podcast to be different from other shows you probably listen to, this one-of-a-kind podcast guide will help you apply what’s in each episode.  You just need to go to www.thesmarteraccountant.com/podcast-guide to sign up and we’ll email the Podcast Guide right to you.

Okay, now let’s talk about something I love helping accountants with: time management.  I bet you’ve said, “There’s not enough time,” many times. 

Believe me, I’ve been there too, buried under my workload, tax returns, and looming deadlines, wondering how to squeeze more hours out of the day.

But here’s the hard truth: time management is NOT taught correctly to accountants.  In fact, we’re typically given work to do, maybe a budgeted amount of time to do it, but not shown how to actually manage our time.

That’s why I’m passionate about teaching accountants better time management—it’s a crucial skill for success in accounting.  Whether you’re in public or private accounting, mastering the art of time management is essential if you want to meet expectations but also maintain your sanity in the face of ever-increasing demands.

As we know all too well, in our line of work, every minute counts. But with so many competing priorities vying for our attention, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and bogged down by the sheer volume of work on our plates.

That’s where effective time management strategies come into play. I’ll be sharing various aspects of time management on future episodes of this podcast. Over the next year, I’ll be exploring various time management tips and tricks tailored specifically for accountants like us. 

From topics like conquering procrastination, to effectively prioritizing, I’m also going to explain the brain science behind effective time management.  But for this episode just know that you can reclaim control over your schedule.

The reason I think this is so important is because in the fast-paced world of accounting, time is truly our most valuable asset. Unfortunately, it seems impossible to create more of it, but hopefully, you’ll see that it doesn’t have to be as difficult as you might assume.

The truth is that you’ve just never been taught time management the way I teach it so be on the lookout for future episodes where I dive deeper into every aspect of time management for accountants.  For this episode, let’s dive into my 3 secrets to creating more time.

Secret #1 – Your Time Management BFF

If you’ve been listening to this podcast for awhile, you know I love blending brain science with accounting.  But what I also like to explain is blending brain science with time management.

In previous episodes, I’ve explained how our brains work, but here’s a refresher – there’s the primitive, lower brain that I refer to as the Toddler and there’s the higher, planning and decision-making part of the brain that I refer to as the Supervising Parent.

The primitive, Toddler brain is all about seeking pleasure, avoiding pain, and conserving energy.  It’s the part of our brain that we’ve had since humans lived in caves and it’s always on the lookout for anything that might help us survive. 

Then there’s the Supervising Parent, planning part, also known as the prefrontal cortex, that has developed over time and is only present in humans. This part of our brain is like our brain’s personal organizer, helping us think ahead and make smart choices.

For accountants, tapping into the Supervising Parent is a game-changer, not just for getting accounting work done, but especially for time management. It’s like having a secret weapon to not only manage your time, but also create more time.

How?  Because the Toddler, survival-mode brain isn’t always a fan of planning. To this part of your brain, planning is a waste of energy and it would rather just go with the flow, seeking immediate gratification in the form of doing easier things. 

But here’s the biggest problem – it is not onboard with a lot of the work we do as accountants.  In fact, because a lot of what we do is often complicated and takes a lot of mental energy, our Toddler brain would rather us do easier things like check email or procrastinate that big project or complicated tax return.

Just like an actual toddler, the Toddler brain wants what it wants when it wants it and looks for a hit of the feel good hormone dopamine.  So, when it comes to time management, convincing it to get on board with scheduling our time takes a bit of effort.

But trust me, it’s worth it. When you make a plan and stick to it, you actually end up with more time on your hands because the Toddler brain is extremely inefficient and unproductive and it’s the part of the brain that you’re using 80 – 90% of the time without you realizing it. 

The truth is that when we use the higher, Supervising Parent part of our brain, our time management BFF, to manage our time, we can get more done in less time. It’s all about truly working smarter, not harder.

I’m not going to get into how to effectively calendar your time because it’s one of the things I teach in The Smarter Accountant Time Management Program, but for now, just know that planning your time is one of your super powers.  The key is that humans are the only species that have the higher, prefrontal cortex part of the brain, so when you learn how to use it more often, you also can create more time than you ever thought possible. 

Let me share an example – Imagine you’ve got a mountain of accounting work to tackle – reports to write, tax returns to finish, and meetings to attend. If you just dive in without a plan, letting the Toddler brain be in charge, you might find yourself bouncing from one thing to the next, wasting precious time along the way. 

But if you take a few minutes to map out your week or your day and assign time slots to each task, you’ll be amazed at how much smoother things go.  Again, planning and making decisions ahead of time is the best way to create more time because you’re using your higher brain to do it.

For example, you could allocate 30 minutes to write reports, followed by 2 hours to finish a tax return, and maybe an hour for meetings. By creating boundaries around your time, sticking to these time limits, and not bleeding into other time slots, you’ll stay focused and productive, without getting bogged down by distractions.

And the best part is that planning isn’t just about work. It’s also about making time for the things and the people you love.

Whether it’s taking a walk, reading a book, or spending time with loved ones, planning your time with your Supervising Parent brain is key to maintaining balance in our lives.

Even though you might be resistant to the idea of planning and calendaring your time because it might take a little effort upfront, I promise that the payoff is worth it. 

Bottom line: You’ll be more efficient, less stressed, and have more time to enjoy the things that matter most. 

Secret #2 – Sticking To It

So once you’ve got your time planned out, now it’s time to stick to the plan no matter what. This is where my coaching clients have the biggest issues – following the plan.

Here’s the thing – once everything is on your calendar, you need to treat your calendar as a promise to yourself – no backing out, no matter how you’re feeling that day.

When I teach accountants better time management, I show them how their emotions control what they do or don’t do. By pushing through even when you don’t feel like it, you learn how important it is to stick to your plans.

Here’s the most important thing to know – when it’s time to start working on your plan, be ready for your Toddler brain to try and talk you out of it. Remember, your Toddler brain is NOT onboard with accounting work.

In fact, it might make you think things like it’s a bad idea, that you should wait, or that you can’t do it. But if you create a plan and stick to it no matter what by using your higher, Supervising Parent part of your brain, you’ll be able to ignore those doubts.

Here’s why this is so important – because not having and then sticking to a plan can waste a lot of time. It’s like deciding to drive from NY to Florida but then changing your mind halfway and turning back. Making a plan and sticking to it helps you make the most of your time.

This is true whether you’re making big decisions like planning a trip or just deciding what to do with your day. Sticking to your plan is how you make sure you get things done.

For example, let’s say you’ve scheduled time to complete a complex tax return from 9 AM to 11 AM. If you don’t manage your brain and you let the Toddler be in charge, you’ll start the task but then get distracted by emails or other easier tasks.

You’ll end up wasting the two hours and still have the tax return to finish.

But if you use the Supervising Parent part of your brain, you would set your schedule, close your email, silence your phone, and commit to focusing solely on the tax return for those two hours. When distractions pop up, you push through and stay focused on your task.

If you’re like most of my coaching clients and you find it hard to stick to your plan, make sure you know why getting the thing done in the time you’ve decided is important. When you have a compelling reason why, you can override your Toddler brain’s knee-jerk reaction for immediate gratification.

Remember, your Toddler brain is not onboard with anything that’s not pleasurable and takes effort. Having a compelling enough reason to override that Toddler brain is incredibly important.

It’s like giving yourself a pep talk and sticking to your plan. Deciding why something is important puts the Supervising Parent in charge of your time and that’s exactly what you want to do if you want to create more time.

Bottom line: be on to your Toddler brain when it throws a temper tantrum or tries to convince you not to follow the plan. Your future self will thank you for creating and sticking to the plan.

Secret #3 – The Gift Of Focus 

As accountants in this fast-paced world, we can often find ourselves inundated with tasks and information, leading to feelings of overwhelm and stress. Whether it’s managing financial reports, coordinating meetings, or balancing budgets, the demands of the profession can sometimes feel never-ending.

With so much on our plates, it’s easy to fall into the trap of distractions. From emails and phone calls to social media and news updates, the constant barrage of information can pull us away from our priorities and affect our productivity.

But there’s a simple yet powerful strategy that can help you navigate this sea of distractions – the power of focus. By honing in on one task at a time and seeing it through to completion, you can improve your efficiency and get more done in less time.

Here’s what I tell my time management coaching clients all the time – when you learn how to manage your brain and your time, you’re better able to get more done in less time and thereby create more time.

For example, let’s say you have several tasks on your agenda for the day: preparing financial statements, reviewing tax returns, and responding to client emails.

Without focus – You start by working on financial statements, but then you get distracted by an urgent email from a client. You switch gears to respond to the email, only to be interrupted by a colleague asking for assistance with a tax return. 

By the end of the day, you realize you haven’t made much progress on any of your tasks, leaving you feeling frustrated and overwhelmed.

With focus – You recognize that completing the financial statements is your top priority for the day because they’re due by the end of the week. You set aside dedicated time to work on them without any interruptions, turning off email notifications and silencing your phone. 

As you tackle the task at hand, you find that you’re able to make significant progress and produce high-quality results. By the end of the day, you’ve completed the financial statements ahead of schedule, leaving you feeling accomplished and in control.

By prioritizing focus and dedicating uninterrupted time to each task, you can overcome distractions and optimize your productivity. So, the next time you’re feeling overwhelmed by your workload, remember the power of focus.

To summarize:

• Pick one thing to focus on
• Make a plan and stick to it
• Take action and see it through
• Reflect on your progress
• Repeat the process for continued success.

I promise you, creating more time is simpler than you think when you understand how to manage your brain.  That’s the missing piece that no one else teaches accountants about time management and it’s your secret weapon if you want to create more time.

Bottom line: Even though there are so many things waiting to distract you, you have to take charge with the higher, Supervising Parent part of your brain to focus even when your Toddler brain doesn’t want you to.

Becoming a Smarter Accountant: Creating More Time

I’ve worked with many accountants on better time management, but let me tell you about one particular client who really turned things around.

This client is a CPA in a mid-sized firm.  Before we worked together, she felt like she was drowning in work – between handling client accounts, going to meetings, and dealing with all sorts of other tasks, she was always behind schedule. 

She’d end up working late into the night, missing out on time with her family, and feeling totally overwhelmed by everything she had to do. It seemed like she could never catch a break, and she was desperate for a way to get her life back on track.

After working together, she decided to try a new approach to managing her time. Instead of trying to do everything at once, she started by learning a much more effective process for focusing.  

I walked her through a simple but powerful process for prioritizing and she made sure to set aside uninterrupted time to work on those tasks. By ignoring emails and phone calls during these focused periods, she was able to get a lot more done in a shorter amount of time.

Suddenly, she found herself finishing her work faster and having more time to spend with her family. She felt like she had her life back, and she was happier and less stressed because of it.

She also learned how to effectively calendar, to prioritize, to handle interruptions, and to set and stick to boundaries.  In an incredibly short amount of time, she was able to create more time than she had ever been able to create; but most importantly, without feeling stressed and overwhelmed.

Her story shows that with the right strategies, it’s possible to take control of your time and create more space in your life for the things that matter most. So, if you’re feeling overwhelmed by your workload, remember – there’s always a way to create more time when you understand how to manage your brain so that you can better manage your time.

Before I end, don’t forget to go to www.thesmarteraccountant.com/podcast-guide and download the guide.  I have questions for you to answer for yourself based on this episode and all the episodes for the past year.

As I tell my coaching clients all the time, “Knowledge isn’t power; applied knowledge is power.”  This guide will help you apply the knowledge you get from the podcast.

Well, that’s what I have for you.  Thank you for joining me as I discussed the 3 secrets to creating more time.  As always, I hope you’ve gained valuable insights and practical tools.

If you are struggling with any aspect of being an accountant, especially when it comes to time management, you can simply go to www.thesmarteraccountant.com/calendar and book a free session with me.

As I tell accountants all the time, you worked hard to become an accountant; it’s time to make it easier to be one.  That starts with taking The Smarter Accountant Quiz at  www.thesmarteraccountant.com. 

You’re going to want to know if you’ve been underutilizing your accountant brain so that you have a starting point for becoming a Smarter Accountant..

Also, I would appreciate it if you could get the word out to other accountants about this podcast.  The more accountants find out about it, the more we can begin to change the narrative in the accounting profession.

The truth is that you’re already smart, but this podcast will show you how to be smarter.