5 pro-tips for surviving tax season

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Surviving tax season is no easy task. The sprinting pace of work, sudden emergencies and the combination of precision work under tight deadlines make it a particularly taxing time of year for even the best accountants. At Kruze Consulting, my team and I have put together the following list to help our fellow accountants survive and even grow during these difficult times of year.

Even though tax season can be an extremely difficult time, if you follow the steps below it might be just a little easier. I’m 10 tax seasons deep and have found these tips to be very important in helping me and my team perform our best during these sprints. So remember to give yourself a break, do yourself some favors, ask for help, protect your time, and take each day one step at a time.

Bill up front

There’s nothing worse than hounding clients for payment during your post tax season vacation, so be sure to get paid up front. Collecting that income can be motivating too — after all, if you’ve already been paid, you really owe it to your clients to get it done!

Don't be too hard on yourself

It’s easy to get caught up in the moment and feel overwhelmed. Remember that this work is a marathon, not a sprint, and take time for yourself. Taking breaks to walk around the block to rest strained eyes and refresh yourself is important.

Punctuate your calendar with enjoyable things

It’s easy to get caught up in the game of problem solving through dozens of returns, but tax season is a marathon — not sprint! Do yourself a favor ahead of time and block out some moments to treat yourself to a nice lunch, a massage or a trip to the gym.

Ask for help and offer help

Don’t be afraid to ask your coworkers for help when you get stuck. Often times, a fresh set of eyes is all a potentially afternoon-consuming problem needs. Working together as a team will help keep your mind from getting overburdened. It also feels really good to help your teammate break through on something that had them stumped. We use a dedicated Slack channel to ask each other questions.

Protect your focus by time-blocking your calls

It’s easy to feel like you have to stick by the phone during this peak time of year. But trying to get filings done while juggling client phone calls can be distracting. Avoid context switching my scheduling all of your client calls in blocks, so you don’t pick up then put down returns, but instead can gather info from clients, then focus focus focus.
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