Are your accounting tasks taking forever to complete because you don’t find them exciting?
You’re not alone. Monotony is something that even the most engaged employees can experience when faced with tedious tasks.
Fortunately, there are ways to make these tasks interesting and fun and stay motivated and engaged in even the most arduous activities.
1. Use accounting software
The first recommendation is to “let the machine do it for you.” If you use accounting software such as SunSystems which can be used to streamline, simplify, and automated some accounting tasks, you can eliminate some of the mind-numbing work.
When you hand over the majority of the manual tasks to computers, you free up a significant amount of time for more interesting tasks. This simple change will allow you to increase both productivity and fun.
2. Break up the tasks into manageable chunks
Depending on how much time you have, breaking up your tasks into manageable chunks will help you avoid the feeling that everything is overwhelming and that there’s no end in sight.
Completing smaller chunks allows you to see the tasks being completed one by one, which builds motivation and excitement for the big picture.
For example, if you have 30 invoices to process, break up the work into 3 groups of 10. At the end of each task, you will feel productive and positive about what has been accomplished thus far, instead of feeling like there is a big mountain to climb.
3. Switch between boring and inspiring tasks
There are days when you can’t wait to sit down and focus on your tasks, but there are also days where you don’t feel like engaging in any task.
Although it is unrealistic to assume that you will feel motivated every day, you can get close to this by alternating between having a lot of fun and being bored by changing up the routine.
For example, if you don’t want to spend hours ploughing through your accounts payable, take a break and get some exercise or chat with your co-workers for a few minutes. Then get back to work.
4. Combine boring jobs with things you enjoy
Have you ever tried playing your favourite jams on Spotify while running those boring numbers through the system? Or maybe you like to listen to a motivational podcast while performing mundane data entry on a spreadsheet.
If you combine enjoyable tasks with otherwise boring ones, it can be hard not to get excited about what you are doing.
Conclusion
If you are struggling to stay engaged in tedious tasks, there are ways that will help. For example, using accounting software can free up time for more engaging work and breaking the task into smaller chunks helps provide a sense of progress while avoiding overwhelming feelings.
And, don’t forget the benefits of switching between fun and boring tasks to stay balanced throughout the day or even combining boring tasks with the things you enjoy to ramp up positive energy.
If you follow these four tips, your accounting tasks will be more enjoyable and interesting.