Marie Kondo’s decluttering series has proved a global sensation – even before arriving on Netflix on New Year’s Day, her books had sold 11 million copies in 40 countries. But when you’re handling important and sensitive paperwork, can it really work for accountants?
Looking at Marie Kondo’s methods of compartmentalising into threes can help. Try seeing paperwork with this mindset too – there are papers you can destroy, papers you need to keep forever and papers that could go back to the client as quickly as possible.
Where is your ‘spark of joy’?
Marie Kondo recommends hugging all your personal possessions, and if they don’t produce a “spark of joy” in you, thank them and say goodbye. Whilst this might seem a little esoteric for the workplace, are there methods accountants can use to distinguish between stuff you really need, and things you can do without?
Key to the accountant’s decluttering strategy is the knowledge that whilst the law says you need to retain records from the past six years plus the current year, “you can hold that data electronically – it does not have to be a paper trail. The clients we are fondest of are those who maintain all of their invoices electronically.
Having a more organised office also helps significantly with good mental health and productivity. “We are being bombarded with information 24/7,” says Heather Townsend, “and this can easily lead to being overwhelmed. Whereas a tidy desk and office can help to remove distractions and help staff just focus on the job at hand.” Less clutter also means you know what to look for, and you know where to look for it.
Some clients “go their own merry way,” Furniss concludes ruefully, “and you can’t do anything about that!” But by adopting a Kondo-minded lifestyle for yourself – and promoting it to clients – you can make life a lot calmer.
Treat the office with respect. A practice management system helps you see the bottlenecks, attach tasks efficiently and effectively, and visualise the work you need to do.
Aim for paperless nirvana. Get on the cloud, and get your clients on the cloud; but commit to this 100%, or you can fail to keep records when you dispose of paperwork.
Break jobs down into achievable chunks. The mountains of work can be oppressive – use the ‘rule of threes’ and attack jobs in manageable sections.
Thank you, and goodbye! Keep a flow of paperwork through the office and dispose of things when they are no longer needed. With everything safely on the cloud, you do not need to keep everything on paper.