Spending too long on admin & too little on the things you love? Here are our top tips for taking your time back

How does your working day unfold? Do you effectively prioritise your task list so you have plenty of spare time, or are you like the millions of individuals who end up working more and enjoying life less?

For example, did you know that the average small business also spends a whopping 120 hours per year on administration, with 20% of that time being taken up doing your accounts?

And, research from the University of Illinois found that when at work, we check our emails 36 times an hour (on average). It then takes around 16 minutes to get back on track after responding to an inbox ping (just think how that can add up!).

The result of this, especially for small businesses owners and the self-employed, is your precious evenings and weekends are then spent catching up on the work you just couldn’t get to during the 9 to 5.

But what if there was another way? What if you could reduce the time spent on work admin so you can get back to doing the things you love? We’ve taken a look at some of the best ways to conquer the admin To Do list so you can make the most of every day.

1) Don’t just manage, design your time

Thomas Davies has held roles such as the Director at Google For Work, and Director of Global Partnerships at Google Cloud. He’s written a great article for Fast Company that explains how he takes a different approach to his work day. It comes from his realisation that it makes sense to be strategic with your time, just as you would for other business decisions or projects.

By dividing tasks into four groups (which he calls quadrants) it creates a high-level view of everything that needs to be accomplished. You’re then in a position to ensure you balance time between business impact and personal enjoyment.

For example, based on this system, you may decide to design time for ‘Business Operations’ that relates directly to choosing and using the best accounting tools. With clear time allocated, you’ll then be free to focus on the other areas that made you start your business in the first place, such as meeting directly with clients or being able to make the most of a sunny afternoon, as your admin is all done.

 

2) Your environment matters

There’s a proven correlation between performance and work environment. Computing experts Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister carried out research for their book Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams that explored the link between how 600 individuals at 90 different companies performed at work, against how they rated their working areas.

The study showed that “participants who performed in the top quartile had much more positive things to say about their workspace than those who performed in the bottom quartile.” Therefore, it’s not about a ‘one size fits all’ working environment – you haven’t got to choose earth tones, lots of plants and classical music… if you’re one for a creative, vibrant space with the chatter of a radio to keep you company, go for it! You’ll get more done and feel better for it.

 

3) Get deep

In 2016, the Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University, Cal Newport, released the influential Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. In it, Cal explains how it’s essential that we block out long periods of distraction free time in order to be productive and to get through our workload.

This means turning off emails, phones, social media notifications and instant message popups. It also requires space or agreement with anyone you work alongside that when you’re in a deep work session, you’re not to be disrupted at all, even for the offer of a friendly cuppa or to share a funny story from the weekend. When we’re distracted, our productivity goes off a cliff, so you’ve little chance of carving out any extra time as you just can’t get things done.

4) Adopt the ‘Five Minute Rule’

We’re all guilty of procrastination to some degree, even when we know completing certain tasks will mean our work is done for the day.

The Five Minute Rule is a great way to stop wasting your valuable time. Andrea Bonior is a licensed clinical psychologist, professor, and author. Her piece in the Huffpost explains how the main issue we face when we’re procrastinating is usually our resistance to just starting.

Adopting the Five Minute Rule means you agree to just do the task you’ve been putting off for five minutes, after which time you must stop. This CBT technique makes it considerably more likely that you’ll return to the task again for another five minutes (or longer) so you’ll get it ticked off in no time.

A great example could be all the accountancy work that falls under the Government’s Make Tax Digital campaign. Whether you’re keen to use the Make Tax Digital software for income tax, or the new tools for VAT, it can be a daunting task initially. Committing yourself to five minutes will help you make that first step – and of course, if you’re looking to work with an experienced accountant in Cornwall who can help you with this process, get in touch.

 

5) Get the right tools for the job

The time you spend on managing your accounts could be considerably reduced with the right accounting software. There are lots of options out there to choose from, each designed to reduce the administration around balancing your books and reconciling your expenses.

If you’re unsure which accounting software to choose, our team includes specialists in the most popular platforms who help our customers decide. For example, as experienced Xero accountants in Cornwall, we’ve helped many local businesses use this system when they’re finding slow invoice payments are affecting cashflow.

Or perhaps you’ve thought about using Quickbooks for your bookkeeping? You’ll find lots of support and we can even deliver training if you’re looking for an experienced Quickbooks accountant in Cornwall.

 

Don’t let your precious time get swallowed up with unnecessary accounts administration. Get in touch with the Bickerstaff team and find out how we can help you crack the admin so you can get back to doing all the things you really love.