7 Tips for Accountants – How To Focus Wandering Mind

We are often caught up in a situation where we find our minds not able to focus on the tasks that need our attention. Instead, our mind wanders to things that are unworthy of our precious time. However, following some simple tips and techniques can help steer us in the right direction.

Here is how you can take control of your wandering mind and make the most out of your time as an accountant.

Let’s explore in detail.

1) Hide Your Phone

A study says that the mere presence of a phone reduces one’s focusing capacities. Although smartphones have put the world at our fingertips, they are the main cause of distraction today.

The notifications can cause distraction and lead to errors while filing a tax return or performing an audit. Keeping your phone as far as possible, in a different room, or even locking it up somewhere will help you to keep yourself away from its alluring pull.

2) Turn Off Email Notifications

Do you know that on average, a person spends 11.7 hours per week reading & responding to emails? This astonishing number adds emails to the distraction list.

Moreover, according to a study, 30% of the emails are not even worth the time. Hence, it is important to turn off your email notifications so that you can focus on at-hand accounting processes.

3) Bribe Yourself

A deadline is around the corner but does your mind seem to have a mind of its own? When you have too many tasks to complete and deadlines to meet, you can lose focus procrastinating about all the work.

To avoid losing clients because of your wanderer of a mind, try bribing yourself with a break, a delicious snack, or an episode of your favorite web series, once you complete a task.

4) Add A Deliberate Distraction

Some of the accounting tasks, such as maintaining records or updating client data can be repetitive and boring. Such tasks can cause you to lose focus and even make you feel low on energy. You can add a distraction by playing soothing music at a moderate volume to keep your mind from wandering.

Also, remember to play music with minimum lyrics to avoid further distractions.

5) Take A Moment Off For Daydreaming

According to a study by a Harvard psychologist, taking a break from work to think about something completely different from work can help increase focus when you return to work from the break. Thus, make some time for daydreaming in your schedule to boost productivity.

6) Try Breathing Exercises

Accountants can find themselves indulged with many clients at once, especially during the busy season. There are chances while working, your mind keeps distracting due to the constant need of keeping everyone updated. However, meditation and breathing exercises can help you clear distracting thoughts and gain focus back for the current task.

7) Prepare For Post Meeting Time

Long meetings with clients or team members can be extremely exhausting and bring down the productivity levels. To prepare yourself from not getting lost into another world after a meeting, try to take some time before the meeting and note down the tasks to be performed immediately after the meeting is over.

This can help you stay focused once you are back to the tasks you were doing.