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It’s Fun Team Friday!- A Day In The Life of an Accountant

By PRETTY BOOKS ON October 15, 2020
DAY IN THE LIFE is a snapshot of the life of an accountant, taken one day at a time. If you ask an accountant what they do, they will probably tell you “it depends on the day.” Because an accountant’s scope of responsibilities is vast and integrated into the decision making and operations of a business, it frequently shifts depending on the time of month, day of the year, and the needs of their clients. While you can’t pinpoint a typical day for an accountant, there are some days that pay out similarly throughout the year.

Today is Fun Team Friday. Instead of a day packed to the brim with number problem solving, analytical deep dives, and model building, the accountants have an easy-going day. This Friday is spent catching up with work and each other, networking, and taking a breather from the hustle and bustle of a consulting firm. Here is one accountant’s Fun Team Friday.

9:00 AM: Burst through the office doors in a ray of sunlight. Birds are chirping and I can’t help but smile, knowing that today is going to be a great Friday.

9:15 AM: Peruse the tea we have at work. Grab one that smells like lavender and tastes like heaven. I also make myself a coffee with almond milk and a teaspoon of ghee. One of my coworkers told me its great to help you focus and it has health benefits. (It’s not for everyone, but anything for health!)

9:30 AM: My first meeting of the day is with a tax CPA to talk about a possible mutual client who is looking for a new day-to-day accountant. Since the CPA only does taxes, he wanted to recommend us to the client. It’s business as usual but ends with some light-hearted chit chat.

10:15 AM: Time for a Zoom meeting with another client to talk about their cash flow expectations and budgeting. I love meetings where we can discuss forecasting. It gives everyone a clear picture of what’s happening and how much they can spend to purchase inventory.

11:00 AM: Team meeting time! I refill my tea and head into the conference room to talk to my teammates. Even though we work in the same office, we rarely get to spend time together and just talk through our challenges and goals. We usually work in small teams or in pairs, so we use these team meetings as a time to catch up as a group. First up is an icebreaker or a game, then it’s on to discussions about challenges and how we can overcome them. We share our experiences, give accolades to each other, and talk about what’s for lunch.

12:15 PM: The catering company comes into the office and sets up lunch. Delicious aromas swirl through the air and waft in through the cracks of the door, enticing us into ending the meeting early and eating. On the table is a wonderful spread of Thai food: curries, rice, coconut soup, and more. It isn’t long before we each have heaping plates and are sitting together again in the conference room to eat and chit chat. (The Tom Kha soup is AMAZING!)

1:00 PM: Time for another quick meeting with a CPA. One of our mutual clients is preparing taxes and wants to go over a checklist of items needed to file for each of his many businesses and investments. We already created a tracking system earlier this week, so all we have to do today is present it to the CPA.

1:45 PM: Grab another tea. It’s just so good, I can’t resist!

2:00 PM: Sit down with my content team to talk about directions for a new project. We brainstorm ideas, share inspirations, and get lost in conversations about branding and our business. We don’t have any big decisions to make, so we just talk through our dreams for the future of the company.

3:15 PM: Check in with a client via phone call to catch up and clear up a miscommunication from earlier this week. She’s happy and we are both now on the same page.

3:45 PM: Head back to my desk to answer emails. One of my teammates needs help solving a problem. She is looking through a formula she is using to connect the dots between two data points, but something is missing. It’s a fun puzzle to solve together, and after some hard work and analysis, we figure it out! It is like finding a needle in a haystack.

4:45 PM: Go back to see what else I have to do today. Wait, my email inbox is empty. Slack is silent. My teammates are already packing up! I think I’m done! Early on a Friday? I can’t believe it! I pack up my stuff, toss my mug into the dishwasher, and head out, feeling good. I took care of my clients, took care of my teammates, and took care of some business today. I feel great, and I’m leaving with enough time to meet some friends for happy hour. I love Fun Team Fridays!

 

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The information provided in this post is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. Consult your financial, business, or tax advisor with respect to matters referenced in this post. Pretty Books assumes no liability for actions taken in reliance upon this information.
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