Tax season is notoriously stressful for business owners and individuals. But about for accountants? Just because we love our work, doesn’t mean that January to April is a walk in the park! Fortunately, the team at ARB is made up of seasoned pros who have cultivated some serious self-care strategies for making it through intense times at work. Here are their top ten tax season tips.
Tried and True Tricks for Surviving (and Thriving) During Tax Season
- Always be prepared with chocolate! – Erika
- Going to the gym, snagging candy from the front office a million times a day, and Friday happy hours! – Rachel
- Laughter – it is the best medicine! – Anonymous
- Disconnecting and focusing on life without letting work creep in when I’m at home. For me that means not working on Sundays and focusing on my hobbies at night during the week, Saturday evening, and Sundays. – Kevin
- Commit to 3 hours of exercise a week. May not seem like a lot but during the busy season it can feel unmanageable. The key is to commit in a way that is not easy to get out of. Those three hours provide great stress relief, social time, and help keep the body strong and flexible! – Alyssa
- My best practice is always to not be afraid to ask for help. When I’m working on something, if I get stuck and can’t figure it out on my own within 15 minutes, I ask someone for help. I chose 15 minutes because that allows me to look into the problem myself and try to learn, but it’s not long enough to be a waste of time or inefficient. – Dalton
- Just looking ahead to April 16 (Liberation Day) keeps me going. – Dan
- Taking time to interact with co-workers in the office, on things other than work. Talk, laugh and have a good time. If we are all having a good time, the work goes by easier and faster. – Kevin
- Set appropriate expectations. Expect to work long days, and expect to put in long(er) Saturdays. Nothing feels worse than making plans to do something Saturday, and realizing you have to keep working instead. – Nick
- Give yourself a break! Don’t be afraid to get up, take a short walk, grab a water or coffee and clear your mind before settling back in to work. – Anonymous
Looking for more tips for staying sane? Play WFH Bingo along with us!
As you can see, the key to our success is keeping a healthy balance…between treats and keeping active! We’re looking forward to the coming tax season as we serve our clients and their business’ during this important time. Good luck to all of our team members and all accountants this tax season!
