Getting Comfortable with "Good Enough"
We have an interesting blog post on Managing Perfectionism in an Imperfect World – a topic I struggled with when I was in public accounting, and I'm sure many of our readers encounter problems in this arena as well. Keep in mind that I worked in the pre-paperless world where scanners and electronic document management systems did not exist. Our document management system was a file room with minimal security. But I had a system, and I taught workshops at my accounting firms on how to create stellar tax workpapers.
My annual appraisals were filled with glowing compliments on how exceptional my recordkeeping was, how no numbers fell through the cracks, how you could open a file I had prepared years ago and immediately find exactly what you were looking for in terms of the source of a number on the tax return and the accompanying documentation supporting the deduction. And then my appraisals would spiral downward into how many hours I was billing and how hard it was to bill that time to clients, and couldn't I please find ways to streamline my workflow so that I wouldn't eat up so much time (but still keep up the good work on those workpapers!).
The point of the post referenced above is key – your concept of perfect isn't going to be the same as that of the others with whom you work. In particular, your superiors are likely to have their own ideas about how something should be done, and probably have specific expectations of what they want from you. Make sure you have a clear understanding of what is expected of you (and how much time it should take!) before you start that next task.
My annual appraisals were filled with glowing compliments on how exceptional my recordkeeping was, how no numbers fell through the cracks, how you could open a file I had prepared years ago and immediately find exactly what you were looking for in terms of the source of a number on the tax return and the accompanying documentation supporting the deduction. And then my appraisals would spiral downward into how many hours I was billing and how hard it was to bill that time to clients, and couldn't I please find ways to streamline my workflow so that I wouldn't eat up so much time (but still keep up the good work on those workpapers!).
The point of the post referenced above is key – your concept of perfect isn't going to be the same as that of the others with whom you work. In particular, your superiors are likely to have their own ideas about how something should be done, and probably have specific expectations of what they want from you. Make sure you have a clear understanding of what is expected of you (and how much time it should take!) before you start that next task.
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Gail Perry is Publisher at Sift Media US, Inc. and oversees the content on the Sift websites, AccountingWEB.com and GoingConcern.com. She has been the editor-in-chief at Sift Media US since 2007, overseeing the content on AccountingWEB.
Perry is a CPA and a former senior tax accountant with Big Four firm Deloitte. She maintains a small tax practice, she is a personal finance instructor, and the author of thirty books, including Surviving Financial Downsizing: A Practical Guide to Living Well on Less Income (Adams Media); QuickBooks on Demand (Que); Excel 2007 Macros Made Easy (McGraw Hill); The Complete Idiot's Guide to Doing Your Income Taxes (Alpha/MacMillan); and, most recently, Mint.com for Dummies (John Wiley & Sons). In addition, she is a former columnist for the Indianapolis Star and Indianapolis News daily newspapers.
Perry is a nationally recognized speaker who advises public accountants on using Internet tools to improve their accounting practices. She also taught a college-level introductory accounting class and was on staff at the Indiana CPA Society as a computer applications instructor. For five years, she was a contributing editor for Accounting Today magazine before taking over the helm at AccountingWEB.
Perry is a graduate of Indiana University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She returned to school to study accounting at Illinois State University, passed the CPA exam (in one sitting!), and worked for Deloitte in the Chicago tax department.
Gail has been named one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Accounting by CPA Practice Advisor magazine and the American Society of Women Accountants.
Perry is a CPA and a former senior tax accountant with Big Four firm Deloitte. She maintains a small tax practice, she is a personal finance instructor, and the author of thirty books, including Surviving Financial Downsizing: A Practical Guide to Living Well on Less Income (Adams Media); QuickBooks on Demand (Que); Excel 2007 Macros Made Easy (McGraw Hill); The Complete Idiot's Guide to Doing Your Income Taxes (Alpha/MacMillan); and, most recently, Mint.com for Dummies (John Wiley & Sons). In addition, she is a former columnist for the Indianapolis Star and Indianapolis News daily newspapers.
Perry is a nationally recognized speaker who advises public accountants on using Internet tools to improve their accounting practices. She also taught a college-level introductory accounting class and was on staff at the Indiana CPA Society as a computer applications instructor. For five years, she was a contributing editor for Accounting Today magazine before taking over the helm at AccountingWEB.
Perry is a graduate of Indiana University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She returned to school to study accounting at Illinois State University, passed the CPA exam (in one sitting!), and worked for Deloitte in the Chicago tax department.
Gail has been named one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Accounting by CPA Practice Advisor magazine and the American Society of Women Accountants.
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