Tax season has always been a time of great stress and strain for CPAs, even those with large teams, but even more so for smaller firms without the workforce to deal with an increased workload and looming tax deadlines.
One tactic for CPAs seeking to make tax season a lot less stressful, is outsourced tax preparation, which can work wonders for helping firms handle an influx of work, while still keeping their clients satisfied. Fortunately, there are a few other tactics accounting firms can deploy to reduce the stress experienced by the entire team, and here are 5 of them:
- Maintain a work/life balance
Although this may be easier said than done, making sure that as an accountant during tax season, you strike a balance between your time spent at work, and your time spent outside of work, is crucial towards keeping you sane and reducing the risk of burn out.
Sit down with your team and determine just how much work each person can realistically handle without it consuming their whole life. Once you’ve done that, if the level of work is still too much for everyone to cope with, you can seek help from professional tax preparation outsourcers to alleviate some of the burden.
2. Stay as active as possible
Sitting at your desk for up to 9 hours solid in a day, isn’t great for the body in any way, shape or form. Hence it’s important that you take the time to move around and stay physical throughout the day, to prevent your muscles from seizing up and your brain becoming stagnant. Get up from your desk at regular intervals for a short walk, whether it be to the water cooler and back or to the break room, and not only will this help your posture and muscles, but it will help you concentrate better, too.
When your working day is over, try going for a walk to clear your head and get your body moving, or playing your favorite sports for an hour before you crash on the couch!
3. Keep talking
They say a problem shared is a problem halved, and by discussing your worries and fears about tax season (or anything else you feel comfortable sharing) with your co-workers, you can stop it from becoming something that consumes you. Make the time to sit down with your team and discuss strategies for managing tax season effectively.
4. Get enough sleep
If you struggle to get enough quality sleep during tax season due to long hours or the constant worry about deadlines, try talking to your healthcare provider or pharmacist about steps you can take to get a restful nights sleep. Sleep is essential for rejuvenating and reenergizing your body and mind, so wherever possible, make getting a full 8 hours of sleep, a priority.
5. Outsource
Outsourcing is by far the most effective way to reduce the stress of tax season, and by taking advantage of tax preparation outsourcing services, you can tackle tax season head on, and still have time and energy to focus on higher value client services that other struggling CPA firms may have had to put on hold; giving you a competitive edge.
Outsourcing any of your tax related services as a CPA should never be viewed as a short cut, in fact for many, it’s a necessity.
By outsourcing, taking care of yourself and encouraging your team to do the same, your CPA firm won’t just get through tax season, you’ll romp through it!
