As a financial professional, you’ll have distractions at work, as you would in almost any profession. But you’re keeping track of important numbers, figures, dates… If you’re unorganized and distracted, things can go very wrong. That’s why proper organization is so important in your role.
Here are five organizational tips to be more successful in your financial role:
Prioritize what matters.
How much time do you spend on things that don’t really matter? Try to take a bird’s-eye view of your tasks and divide them into a few categories. First, what is urgent and important? That’s what you need to tackle first. Next, what’s urgent but not important? Take care of those things soon, but don’t prioritize them over the most urgent tasks. Finally, relegate un-urgent and unimportant tasks to the back of the line.
Practice inbox management.
If you’re like most people, you spend quite a lot of time sifting through your inbox, trying to decide where even to start. This is a huge time-waster. If you improve your inbox management skills, you’ll be amazed at the time you save and the organization that helps you in your job. Organize your inbox into folders, perhaps divided into urgent, semi-urgent, and low-importance categories. That can help you decide what and when to answer, ultimately saving you a lot of time.
Plan ahead.
Getting ahead is always a good way to become more organized. Planning for your day, week, or even month is a fantastic organizational tool that will make your life much easier. First, make a list of what you have to do that day, that week, this month. Then, check things off as you go and see what a difference it makes.
Time block.
Have you ever considered blocking off your time for specific tasks? For example, set aside one hour to work on a particular project, and then when the hour is up, move on to something else. Continue doing this until you’ve completed your projects. For many, this organizational structure is a helpful way to avoid getting overwhelmed with too many things at once.
Clean up your workspace.
If you’re working at an untidy desk with papers and supplies strewn all over, your head is going to be as cluttered as your environment. Working in an organized, tidy workspace translates directly to your work itself. Get organized in your workspace, and your tasks will follow suit.
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