Crunched for time? You’re in good company. Fortunately, there a few quick steps you can take to ease the strain — and still get all the vital stuff done.

Here are three ways to make the most of your time — without sacrificing your controls or high level of professionalism:

1. Answer ‘em in advance. Joe wants to know why his travel expenses haven’t been reimbursed yet; Sue thinks (incorrectly) that you withheld too much tax from her last paycheck. You could spend all day answering employee questions if you wanted. Instead, make a list of the most common questions you get, and post answers somewhere other employees can’t miss them. That might be on the door to your work area, the company intranet or a well-trafficked break room.
2. Give yourself a “time out.” They aren’t just for naughty toddlers — they can be a real boon to productivity. Consider setting aside a few hours each week where Accounting is “uninterrupt-able.”  If you don’t think that’ll fly in your company, try the reverse: Set “open door” hours when you encourage other departments to approach with questions, requests, etc. If they know they can always get your attention Monday and Wednesday afternoons, they’re less likely to interrupt the other days of the week.
3. Build flex-time into your deadlines. A certain percentage of your co-workers will never meet a given deadline. So tell a little white lie. If you need expense reports in by Thursday at noon — tell them they’re due end of the day Wednesday. It gives you a little wiggle room to accommodate stragglers. And if everyone gets them in on time, so much the better.

Tags: Best practices, Efficiency booster