We've all got tips and tricks up our sleeve to make life that little bit easier. From Excel shortcuts to knowing what to say to the automated HMRC answering system to put us through quicker - we know what works for us.
This question is inspired by a post I've recently read on Life Hacks - useful tips and practical solutions to everyday problems!
So have you got any other shortcuts, tips or tricks for practitioners?
One of my favourites from the post, is to take a picture of a business card while networking when you're handed it in case you lose it later.
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I'm just choking on my Nutella and ice-cream...
... over the idea of photographing your friends, so that you remember them! I expect that helps if you lose them too!
"While" networking?
Other business owner : Why are you taking a picture of my business card?
You : In case I lose it later
Other business owner : I'm not sure I feel confident using an accountant that thinks it likely they will lose something before getting home.
I'm never quite sure what constitutes a "life hack". I keep stuff where I'm waiting for replies in in-trays, and have done most of my working life. Keeping it out of the way but within reach is useful, but is it a life hack?
Or .....
Other business owner : Why are you taking a picture of my business card?
You : In case I lose it later
Or .....
You : So that I always have it to hand.
Other business owner : I'm immensely flattered.
Smooth
Truly thou art a master of network-fu.Other business owner : Why are you taking a picture of my business card?
You : In case I lose it later
Or .....
You : So that I always have it to hand.
Other business owner : I'm immensely flattered.
Ah but .....
Truly thou art a master of network-fu.Other business owner : Why are you taking a picture of my business card?
You : In case I lose it later
Or .....
You : So that I always have it to hand.
Other business owner : I'm immensely flattered.
To be fair, I'd never do it. But it's important to put the right spin on your PR.
I always carry an indelible marker pen
When people introduce themselves to me, I write their name on their forehead. Now I never forget a face.
It makes for a great party game, as well, when you are all totally sh**-faced.
Your question has gone
Your question has gone unanswered on AWeb?
Post the question again, but this time include accounting or tax facts that are incredibly wrong. Shortly after, someone will come along to put you straight.
Windows Updates
As soon as you see that window updates need to take place, update NOW !!
Or wait until you are in a rush to go somewhere, close your mahcine down and then wait for 1 of 147 updates to process while you mutter under your breath about not doing it earlier !!
Another one I have come across (by accident) is that if you swear whilst on the phone to Apple which is a voice recognition system, it will put you straight through to a human.
When interviewing prospective employees always throw half the CV`s you get in the bin - that way you avoid employing anyone who is unlucky.
But what if ...
When interviewing prospective employees always throw half the CV`s you get in the bin - that way you avoid employing anyone who is unlucky.
... it is you who is the unlucky one Tim1?
ML
I find that ignoring anything related to money laundering frees up a great deal of practice time. Being old-school if I see a dodgy character I ring 999. It's a number most people can remember without writing down.
The best hack
- disregard all training, forget everything ever learnt. Just use aWebbers to assist me all day...
Ahh the simple life
.
Ignore any legislation that does not result in a fine or penalty for non-compliance for a first offence. Chances are it is not very important, and you can do it if you are asked to.
A to do list in notepad.exe that pops up every time I start windows. Always adding to it, it's always there. And very satisfying marking off jobs done and knowing when you are sat around bored, of what you can be doing!
Excel
Have a standard template where all the sheets interlink and is easily adjusted for each client.
Saves a shed load of time. Sorted
Thanks for all the comments and suggestions
This one has definitely taken on a Friday feel - so much so that some of the suggestions have made their way into our weekly Editor's notebook.
Thanks for keeping us entertained - but as we mention in the jokey blog post, it would be nice to get some sensible suggestions like the ones from A-TS and whitty_2k too.
Have a good weekend all!
Upside of 20% VAT rate
If you want a client to pay a monthly direct debit for their bill, then the monthly amount is 1/10th of the net annual figure. The 20% VAT on top gives the extra two "months" to make calculating the monthly VAT-inclusive figure easy.
Didn't work as well under 17.5% ;-)
i still use word
And auto text allows me to knock out letters and templates in a jiffy and excel simple sorting and subtotaling of data tidied up client files
CIS refunds...
I know many of you will already do this but I have come across some (dare-I-say) of the more old fashioned accountants who dont but any clients refund goes straight into my Client account.
This is written in my LOE so any quibbles...
Old Fashioned
I know many of you will already do this but I have come across some (dare-I-say) of the more old fashioned accountants who dont but any clients refund goes straight into my Client account.
This is written in my LOE so any quibbles...
Less of the old fashioned please Jennifer. I think you meant experienced. I've never had a client bank account since I won't accept monies due to a client.
It's one less piece of book work to do and I wouldn't feel comfortable with for example taking my fees out of the said account. It's much easier to finance the business properly and to not worry about cash flow. Likewise I don't get involved with monthly fees, direct debits and other upfront payments because I'd hate to get run over before I'd completed the accounts. It also avoids the need for constant reconciliations between what's been received and what value of work has been actually carried out.
Actually I suppose it is old fashioned.
Not accountancy related but...
When in an electrical shop like Curry's and I need some help from sales staff for something inexpensive, I go stand near the biggest, most expensive TV they have. You have their attention immediately! Go stand near the toasters and you're waiting forever for someone to see you.
Perception of old-fashioned
"I know many of you will already do this but I have come across some (dare-I-say) of the more old fashioned accountants who dont but any clients refund goes straight into my Client account."
My perception is that it's the old traditional accountancy practices that take the clients refund and then extract their fees before issuing the remaining refund to the client.
I think most modern practices get payment as soon as the job is finished, or sooner.
Every so often I resolve to tackle the two 'in trays' that I have (a desk one for paper, and Outlook) starting from top to bottom - with no option to put anything back and chose something different instead.
I find that, with the passage of a bit of time, most of the stuff in the trays can be ignored or just filed - and it is nice to end up with thinner piles of 'stuff'.
Other days I chose to ignore the in trays and work on interesting project work instead.
I am 'industry' based though, so not much of my work is time/compliance/fine based.
I have separate trays for everything payroll / vat related compared to all the day to day accounts stuff.
Just thought of another
Start the week off with a recurring task (in my case weekly cash flow forecasting) rather than coming back from the weekend and just dealing with whatever random s**t you can see.
This breaks the week in gently.
Try to finish the week in a similar fashion - helps to 'put the week to bed' and get your out of work head on.
Of course the middle part of the week may well be complete chaos.
Music in the office
DON'T waste money on expensive iPods. Simply think of your favourite tune and I hum it. If you want to "switch tracks", simply think of another song you like and hum that instead.
© Viz Comic
Some great tips
DON'T waste money on expensive iPods. Simply think of your favourite tune and I hum it. If you want to "switch tracks", simply think of another song you like and hum that instead.
© Viz Comic
Spend less money on coffee by drinking more tea.
Also © Viz Comic
Those 100 things pale into insignificance when I remember that blessed day when I was told that CTRL + Colon puts todays date in a cell.
Over the past five years I must have saved a total of at least five minutes.
I only discovered this a few months back but the seconds it has saved me!
.
Gmail combined with:
Canned response - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zW6OEpeglOE
Bommerang - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud0yDhAAUVw
Outlook is so yesterday!
Audit teams: When you have travelled from the office to the client's premises on the first day of the audit and arrive an hour or so late because some members of the team had to do some shopping on the way, always warmly greet the client with: "Sorry we're late, but [insert name of audit partner] kept us talking."
Ctrl Colon
Those 100 things pale into insignificance when I remember that blessed day when I was told that CTRL + Colon puts todays date in a cell.
Over the past five years I must have saved a total of at least five minutes.
Direct debits
Switching clients from standing order to direct debit has saved us hours of admin time on fixed fee clients. Now we can change the amount we get once a new fee is agreed, rather than waiting for the client to get round to changing the standing order, and then having to chase them when they didn't do it.
I agree, Mouse House
Direct debit, and/or payment before submission has saved us endless time chasing debts, and also weeds out the ones who never intend to pay.
goodbye ugly office machines
Being paperless (rah rah rah) we have been able to cut down on the usual ugly office machines, like bulky scanners, fax machines, photocopiers etc.
We do have a very small scanner for the post and large batches but for anything else we use genius scan - an app for smartphones - which is great when you're out of the office at meetings AND we are very excited about this new product pocket scanner - geeks!
We don't have a fax machine (does anyone?!), we use soho66 which uses email to send documents to arrive at someone's fax machine and we receive a pdf of an incoming fax in our email inbox.
We use echo sign for electronic signatures and finally gocardless for our direct debit payment system.
Does anyone else have any more tech advances up their sleeve?
Ooh last one I forgot - we ditched the timesheet! :-O