Tech-Zone Article

The Hidden Cost of Every Extra Click:
Save Hours During ITR Season with Built-In Windows Features

It wasn't a complex tax computation that delayed the filing.

It wasn't the Income Tax Portal.

It wasn't Excel.

It was twenty seconds spent looking for a PDF.

Another fifteen seconds searching for a downloaded bank statement.

Ten seconds reopening a folder that had just been closed.

A few more seconds copying a PAN number from one window into another.

Individually, these delays feel too small to matter. They don't even register in our minds. Yet during the peak of the ITR season, these tiny interruptions occur hundreds of times a day. Together, they quietly consume far more time than most CAs realise.

We often look for dramatic productivity improvements—a faster computer, a better internet connection, or a new software package. In reality, some of the biggest gains come from eliminating digital friction: the unnecessary clicks, searches and repetitive actions that interrupt the natural flow of work.

The good news is that many of these problems can be reduced using built-in Windows features. No additional software. No subscriptions. Just a smarter way of working.

Let's look at some of the biggest hidden time drains.

1. Stop Searching for the Same Folder Again and Again

Imagine processing twenty client files in a day.

Each time you download an AIS, an acknowledgement, a Form 16 or a bank statement, you navigate through the same folder structure repeatedly.

Each trip through the folder structure takes only a few seconds.

Repeat it a couple of hundred times during filing season, and those seconds quietly become hours.

Reduce the friction

Pin frequently used folders to Quick Access in File Explorer.

If you use the same client folders every day, this removes the need to drill down through multiple levels of directories every single time.

Better still, if you're working with multiple folders simultaneously, use File Explorer Tabs instead of opening several separate windows.

Instead of repeatedly navigating through folders, switch between tabs exactly as you would in a web browser.

Small change.

Hundreds of fewer clicks.

2. Stop Copying the Same Information Repeatedly

During ITR season, certain pieces of information are copied constantly.

• PAN
• Aadhaar
• CIN
• Challan numbers
• Bank account numbers
• Acknowledgement numbers

Most people follow the same routine.

Copy.

Paste.

Go back.

Copy again.

Repeat.

Windows already provides a better way.

Clipboard History (Win + V)

Instead of remembering only the last copied item, Clipboard History stores multiple recent copies.

Imagine you're preparing an ITR while repeatedly switching between the portal, Excel and client documents. You copy:

• PAN
• Aadhaar
• IFSC
• Account Number

Now, instead of going back to copy each value again, press Win + V and select whichever item you need.

During filing season, this alone can remove hundreds of repetitive copy-paste cycles.

Security Note: Clipboard History stores copied items locally on your computer. Unless cloud clipboard synchronisation has been explicitly enabled, copied data remains on the local device. If you routinely handle highly confidential client information, consider clearing Clipboard History at the end of the day.

3. Keep Related Windows Together

One of the most common productivity killers is constantly resizing and rearranging windows.

• Excel.
• Income Tax Portal.
• PDF.
• Browser.
• AIS.
• 26AS.
• Bank statement.

Every time one window covers another, you spend a few seconds reorganising your screen.

Use Snap Layouts

Windows 11 allows applications to be arranged into structured layouts.

Place Excel beside the browser.

Keep the PDF underneath.

Reserve another section for File Explorer.

Instead of manually dragging windows throughout the day, let Windows remember the arrangement.

Less time organising your desktop means more time reviewing the return itself.

4. Don't Let Notifications Decide Your Priorities

A notification rarely takes more than two seconds to read.

Recovering your concentration often takes much longer.

During return preparation, interruptions arrive from everywhere.

• WhatsApp Web
• Email
• Teams
• Calendar reminders
• Browser notifications
• Windows alerts

None of them appear important individually.

Collectively, they break your concentration dozens of times every day.

Use Focus Sessions

Windows Focus Sessions temporarily reduce distractions by suppressing notifications while you work.

Think of it as putting your computer into "filing mode."

Instead of relying on willpower, let the operating system protect your attention.

Even a focused 60-minute block often produces more work than two distracted hours.

5. Stop Reopening the Same Websites

Every CA visits the same websites repeatedly during filing season.

• Income Tax Portal
• GST Portal
• MCA
• TRACES
• Banking websites

Many professionals keep all of them mixed together with personal browsing.

• News websites.
• Shopping.
• Social media.
• Video platforms.

The result is unnecessary clutter.

Create a Separate Browser Profile

Both Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome allow multiple browser profiles.

Create one profile exclusively for office work.

Keep only professional bookmarks.

Stay permanently signed in to work-related services, while leaving personal browsing to your regular profile.

Your office browser becomes cleaner, faster and easier to navigate.

6. Reduce Desktop Clutter

The desktop often becomes temporary storage during July.

• Downloaded PDFs.
• Screenshots.
• ZIP files.
• Working spreadsheets.
• Scanned documents.

Soon, finding a single file becomes another search exercise. Worse still, misplacing an acknowledgement or challan on the desktop can delay filing.

Make Downloads Temporary

Instead of treating the desktop as permanent storage, move documents into the appropriate client folder as soon as you're finished.

A cleaner desktop reduces visual clutter and makes important files easier to locate.

Sometimes productivity isn't about working faster.

It's about spending less time looking.

7. Keep Frequently Used Files Within Reach

Many firms repeatedly open the same documents throughout the day.

• Office checklists.
• Engagement letters.
• Client trackers.
• Master Excel templates.

Instead of searching every time, pin frequently used folders to Quick Access and frequently used applications to the Taskbar. Windows also keeps recently opened files available through the Recent section, making them much quicker to reopen.

Those five-second searches gradually disappear.

Quick Reference: Three Shortcuts Worth Remembering

The article already covered three Windows shortcuts that can immediately reduce digital friction during ITR season:

• Win + V — Opens Clipboard History so you can paste any recently copied item.
• Win + Z — Displays Snap Layouts to quickly arrange your working windows.
• Win + E — Opens File Explorer instantly for quick access to client folders.

Also worth remembering:

• Alt + Tab — Quickly switch between open applications.
• Win + L — Lock your computer whenever you step away from your desk.

Note: Some features mentioned in this article, such as Snap Layouts and Focus Sessions, are available only in Windows 11. Others, including Clipboard History and Quick Access, are also available in Windows 10.

Technology Should Remove Friction, Not Add It

When people think about improving productivity, they often imagine purchasing new software or learning advanced automation.

Automation and specialised software certainly have their place.

But during the busiest weeks of the year, the biggest opportunity usually lies elsewhere.

Ask yourself a simple question: How many times today did I repeat the same digital action?

Searching for a folder.

Opening the same website.

Copying the same information.

Rearranging the same windows.

Every repeated action is an opportunity to remove friction.

Technology is most valuable when it quietly disappears into the background, allowing you to focus on professional judgement rather than repetitive computer work.

Final Thoughts

During ITR season, no one suddenly finds an extra hour in the day.

But almost everyone can recover dozens of small pockets of lost time.

Five seconds here.

Ten seconds there.

Twenty seconds elsewhere.

Individually, they seem insignificant.

Across hundreds of client interactions, they become meaningful.

This week, don't look for one revolutionary productivity hack.

Instead, identify just one repetitive digital task that your computer can already help you perform more efficiently.

During ITR season, every extra click seems insignificant—until you repeat it hundreds of times.

The best technology isn't always the most advanced. Sometimes, it's simply the feature that quietly removes a repetitive task from your day.

Because the fastest way to work isn't by clicking faster.

It's by needing fewer clicks in the first place.

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