If there’s a job where burnout is a real danger, then tax preparation is it. Many tax professionals work long hours for months on end during the busy tax season, often putting in seven days a week with regularity to meet the filing deadlines for all their clients, not to mention the complexity of interpreting tax laws and constantly adjusting to changing regulations.
That level of stress can take its toll on your health, which is why it’s critically important for tax professionals to know their limits, employ strategies and technologies to make work more efficient, and, even more importantly, set aside time for self-care – especially during tax season. Ignoring the signs of burnout could not only make you deeply unhappy with your work, it could also make you ill.
Here are four strategies for keeping burnout at bay:
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Carve out time for breaks
It’s easy for tax professionals to tell themselves they can rest during the off-season, imagining that that two-week beach trip will cure months of long hours and mental stress. But the reality is that you’ll have more energy, mental focus, and less stress if you take care of yourself during busy periods, too.
While you may have to work longer hours during tax season, schedule time for breaks during the day. Meet a friend for lunch a couple of times a week, take a break for a 20-minute yoga session each day, or just schedule 10 minutes here and there throughout the day to stretch, go for a short walk outside the office, or just sit outside and take in some sunshine and fresh air.
Hydrate during the day
It’s easy to get so busy that you forget to engage in basic self-care, like eating and drinking. Did you know that dehydration can actually impair brain function? Keep a bottle of water at your desk and sip throughout the day. Staying hydrated can help you stay alert, stave off fatigue, and increase your cognitive performance, all of which are critical to accuracy when preparing returns.
Drinking water throughout the day can also help regulate stress hormones, prevent tension headaches, and fuel your body with the hydration it needs to function efficiently. So, keep the water bottle handle to help you maintain your energy and focus when you need it most.
Use software that makes your job easier
Your tax software can hurt you or help you, so make sure you’re using software that clearly makes your work easier. At a minimum, your tax prep software should support all of the forms you need, allow you to quickly and accurately calculate returns, and make e-filing easy.
Reliable customer support is also critical, especially during the busy tax season. If you experience technical issues with your software, you could easily lose hours or days of productivity. So, you want to make sure your tax preparation software comes with round-the-clock customer support.
Additionally, you can gain efficiencies and eliminate hours of work per week by selecting tax preparation software that allows you to streamline workflows and automate tasking. For example, choose a software solution that provides a paperless filing system, so you don’t have to dig through filing cabinets to access client documents. Also, look for a software option that automates scheduling, so that clients can easily request appointment times with you (and you won’t even have to pick up the phone). And for those clients who can’t do in-person meetings or who are geographically distant, you can find tax prep software solutions that allow for virtual meetings.
Embrace the cloud
If you’re not already using a cloud-based tax preparation software, now is the time to consider switching. Cloud-based software is any software that operates on remote servers, allowing users to securely access their applications and data from virtually anywhere with an internet connection. As a result, cloud-based tax preparation software can offer you the ability to work and stay connected to clients from just about anywhere on any device while maintaining data security and increasing productivity.
Cloud-based software can give you a lot of work flexibility. If putting in 12-hour days at the office is causing you stress, cloud-based tax prep solutions allow you to bring your work home with you on a laptop, so you can sit in the garden or even on a beach while you work on tax returns.
Another great feature of many cloud-based tax prep solutions is the level of digital connection they provide. Most support activities on multiple devices, including desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. No need to rush back to the office to make a signature request of a client; you can do it right from your phone in the grocery store.
Cloud-based tax software can also provide you with greater peace of mind. No longer will your client files be located in one place, be that a physical filing cabinet or a desktop hard drive. They’ll be stored on the cloud, where they are routinely backed up and accessible from anywhere.
Lean on help when you can
Oftentimes tax preparers burn out because they’re doing too much, especially during tax season. If you feel completely overwhelmed from December to May, you likely need help. Consider your options for expanding your tax preparation business. Do you have the revenue to hire additional tax preparers, even if it’s only seasonally? Use the less frenetic period of summer and fall to recruit some staffing assistance, and then teach yourself to delegate. Even if you hire someone new to tax prep, you can start them off slowly working on administrative tasks or simpler tax returns while you devote your energy to more complex clients.
And if your practice is too small to justify bringing on another tax preparer, you can take advantage of a virtual assistant to answer phone calls or schedule client meetings. You can even skip repetitive, time-consuming paperwork by using AI-powered tools that can add client information to your database when you onboard a new customer.
Tax season is definitely demanding, but you can avoid burnout by incorporating stress-reducing strategies into your daily routine, using technology to lessen your workload, and hiring extra support for those busy periods. The better care you give yourself, the better care you can give your clients.
