the right kind of lazy: innovative approaches to streamlining workflows | accounting arc

arc hosts discuss redefining efficiency in the accounting profession and when it pays to ‘slack off.’ 

accounting arc
with liz mason, byron patrick, and donny shimamoto.
center for accounting transformation

in a recent episode of the popular accounting arc podcast, hosts liz mason, cpa, and donny shimamoto, cpa.citp, cgma; and byron patrick, cpa.citp, cgma; discussed an unconventional yet powerful concept: the right kind of lazy. this idea, which involves strategically optimizing workflows to eliminate non-value-adding tasks, offers a fresh perspective on efficiency and productivity in the accounting profession.

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mason, founder and ceo of high rock accounting, shared an anecdote from her early career at grant thornton. faced with the monotonous task of processing paper tax returns, mason decided to automate the process. she spent over 100 hours developing a script that streamlined data entry and document generation. although initially time-consuming, the solution saved significant time when implemented across multiple offices. “it was fun and a great learning experience,” mason remarks. “at scale, it saved a ton of time for people.”