Do you ever feel like you’re always on top of things and never quite getting your personal life behind you while your professional demands keep getting higher and higher?
You’re not alone.
The Secrets of successful CFOs The report reveals a stark reality: Only 27% of CFOs achieve a satisfactory work-life balance, 87% cope with stress, and 83% regularly report burnout.
These numbers highlight a critical issue facing today’s finance professionals: Is it possible to find personal harmony with a demanding role?
The answer is yes, but not alone. Technology could be your best ally.
Consider the case of Sarah, a fictional CFO of a mid-sized technology company.
Because of her demanding job, she missed her daughter’s important soccer game — a moment she will never experience again.
These sacrifices were all too common until her company adopted AI and automation technologies. This change transformed their month-end close from a relentless marathon to a streamlined process.
- Now Sarah leaves the office on time and can reclaim her evenings and weekends. She cheers on her daughter’s soccer games on the sidelines, completely present and incredibly proud.
- At work, she focuses on strategic initiatives rather than tedious tasks. Technology has not only improved Sarah’s work efficiency, but also enlivened her personal life and allowed her to enjoy the moments that matter most.
You’ve probably felt it too — the constant pursuit of productivity that makes it easy to overlook what we’re all really working for — a better quality of life.
Although Sarah’s story is fictional, it may reflect your own experiences and tell a larger truth: technology can help you balance your professional and personal life.
Like Sarah, you may have your own “missed moments.” But what if technology could help you reclaim it and transform your workflow and life outside of the office?
Lewis Dangerfield is CFO of Osprey, a company that uses Sage Intacct technology to manage its financial processes. He says:
“Like most CFOs, I often exceed the average of 37.5 hours per week. However, I really enjoy what I do. It’s more than just work.”
The report’s findings show that work-life balance remains achievable through the strategic use of technology.
In this article, learn how AI, automation, and other technological advances can help you reclaim time and enrich your personal and professional life.
Here’s what we’ll cover
The constant challenge of work-life harmony
The need for balance becomes even more important as the chief financial officer’s responsibilities extend beyond traditional financial management to include broader business strategy and technology integration.
Mastering new tools will help you adapt to the accelerated pace and complexity of the financial landscape. This evolving dynamic can easily lead to longer work hours and increased stress as you strive to stay ahead of technology trends and keep your finance teams working effectively.
But adopting new technologies like AI and automation streamlines your operations. It will require a new level of commitment from you, but if done right, it could significantly reduce your workload and give you more time to focus on what matters most — both in and out of the office.
As a financial professional, maintaining a healthy work-life balance is crucial. Not only for personal well-being, but also for maintaining a high level of performance at work. Juggling these can be daunting, but it will help you achieve professional and personal success.
Achieving this balance helps prevent burnout, promotes creativity, and improves decision-making skills – critical to successful leadership.
Since it will also impact your teams, it is essential to extend this change to all areas of your business. Make work-life balance a key consideration in all roles so your employees can continue to perform at their best without sacrificing health and happiness.
Driving strategic decision-making with technology
It is an encouraging truth that using AI and automation increases efficiency and helps you focus on strategic planning, leading to better team success. So how does it work?
By using AI for tasks like data entry and financial reporting, finance teams save time and can focus on higher-value tasks like strategic planning and collaboration.
Automating routine processes also saves time that can be reinvested in forecasting and scenario planning, which informs decision-making and develops your business strategy with deeper insights.
For example, such technology can simplify the accounts payable process by automating invoice capture, approval, and payment processing. It also reduces errors associated with manual entries and speeds up the payment cycle.
AI’s outlier detection capabilities help your team quickly identify anomalies in financial data, which is critical to mitigating risk and ensuring the accuracy of financial reports.
CFOs who embrace collaborative tools within their departments promote a more connected and transparent work environment.
These tools quickly improve communication between departments, enable faster decision-making across teams and data, and reduce organizational silos.
This connects the operational efficiency of your teams and creates a more cohesive company culture, significantly reducing personal and collective stress.
Ultimately, by using technology to automate and optimize financial processes, you increase the strategic impact of your role and achieve a better work-life balance for everyone.
Stay up to date on technical advances
There are two main reasons to stay up to date with technology:
- Understanding and adopting new technologies can improve the efficiency and accuracy of financial operations, from automated data analysis to real-time financial reporting.
- Using technology to automate routine tasks can save time. This time can be repurposed to focus on strategic initiatives and personal well-being, resulting in a healthier work-life balance.
How to learn continuously
If you have a busy schedule, taking an hour each week to supplement your learning may be enough.
This small commitment can keep you current without added stress and help you better manage the rapid changes in your field.
Little tactics to try:
Plan learning blocks
Incorporate fixed, short learning periods into your weekly schedule to ensure continuous improvement without interfering with daily tasks.
For example, you could read industry publications or explore new financial software to stay informed.
Online courses and webinars
Many institutions and companies offer short, impactful courses and webinars tailored to busy professionals.
This can be an excellent way to learn about specific advances or deeper strategic concepts without the time commitment required by more traditional educational routes.
Peer learning
Join or form peer groups with other finance professionals to provide collaborative learning, networking and insights.
Meet regularly to discuss new technologies, strategies and challenges in the financial sector and provide a shared pool of knowledge and support.
Conferences and seminars
Attend high-quality conferences or seminars annually to familiarize yourself with new ideas and tools.
These events are also great for networking, which can lead to further learning opportunities through new professional relationships.
Use technology to learn
Use technology as a learning tool – for example, by subscribing to curated newsletters, listening to podcasts while commuting, or following thought leaders on social media.
Make learning more accessible and incorporate it into your everyday life to stay up to date on technology trends without feeling overwhelmed.
Final thoughts
The path to balancing work and private life will be a personal and organizational challenge.
When you prioritize your well-being, you create an environment where high-level strategic thinking and decision-making thrive.
Use advanced technology to achieve the best time efficiency and better balance your professional and personal responsibilities.
By committing to continuous learning and using the right tools, you can redefine your role, reduce stress, and achieve harmony.
These technologies improve business outcomes, but in some ways, more importantly, they ultimately protect your well-being.
Are you ready to reclaim your time and reduce stress?
Our comprehensive guide, Secrets of successful CFOsexplores how AI and automation are future possibilities and current solutions.
