Wednesday, January 20, 2021 | Welcome to part two of Granger’s Productivity Series, where team members across departments share tips and techniques they use to maintain focus and improve productivity at work. In this feature, Granger Project Accountant, Amy Baldwin, shares her advice.
Organization is key to my routine. As an accountant, I am especially aware and respectful of timelines and try to abide by the rule of first in, first out. That is to say that documents submitted first get processed first. Turning documents in late creates a processing bottleneck and forces us to condense preparation timelines, resulting in stress and inefficiency. To avoid bottlenecks, preparation is key. Be prepared to complete your work in a timely fashion.
When dealing with lots of fires throughout the day, you have to be able to ask yourself, ‘What needs to be put aside to deal with something else?’ When your focus is divided or interrupted, prioritizing and reshuffling tasks is key to handling stress and maintaining process efficiency.
Freedom to take a break from a task when it becomes too stressful is important; be self-aware in doing so. Returning with fresh eyes after a moment of pause is sometimes all you need to get that task back on track. When you need clarification or a fresh perspective, direct communication with someone makes you truly feel part of a team, all working toward a common goal. Granger’s company culture is something I find especially valuable. The workday is much more enjoyable when you really like the people you spend nine hours a day with!
I also can’t say enough about mentorship. It’s the quiet hero in a personnel success story. One of the most fun aspects of my job is to interact with young project managers and see them grow and thrive with the mentorship of an experienced project manager. Granger’s Vice President of Operations, Rob Train, is a great example this mentor mentality. He continually mentors young Project Managers, helping grow their knowledge base and confidence until they become successful mentors themselves. This type of leadership is significant within Granger.
