Art of Accounting: 15 stress and burnout relievers

September 11, 2023 11:39 AM

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Mental health and burnout are hot topics. They have always been present and serious issues, but are now being spoken about out loud instead of with hushed embarrassment. I cannot contribute to ways to deal with and treat them, but can offer some suggestions that could relieve pressure and reduce stress and burnout. Many of my suggestions are to eliminate internally generated stress. The stress reduction can also be accomplished by how realistically we view our roles, control what we do, commit to deadlines, and understand our own capabilities and time allocation.

Following these 15 suggestions will not make you perfect, but I believe it will certainly reduce stress and anxiety.

Make realistic deadlines

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Too many times we commit to deadlines based on what the client says they want and not based on how well we can meet that deadline. This problem could easily be mitigated by setting deadlines based on a realistic assessment of our total workload and how long we think the assignment would reasonably take. Spending five extra minutes thinking about how and when a new project would get done could relieve you of much stress later on.

Prepare an agenda for every meeting

Being prepared for a meeting creates control, directs focus on the essential issues and reduces stress. Preparing an agenda causes you to think about what the meeting is about and can be done in about two or three minutes.

Scope out a big project

Wondering how a big project could get organized and done could be overwhelming. Spending about 30 minutes and listing all the steps could provide a clear roadmap of a project and how its management could be integrated with your other projects. Be prepared by preparing.

Prepare detailed engagement letters or proposals

Clients usually provide vague requests and, when we respond to them, we are getting involved in an unknown project thatecould cause stress. This is similar to scoping out the project, but this should be done in a more formal way since it would be presented to the client. You should consider everything that needs to be done or should be done. When completed, a price for that project should be determined while considering contingencies and unknowns that might arise.

It is also helpful if you include a listing of what is not included, and of course have the client sign off on your proposal. This could take a couple of hours. If it is a huge engagement, this is part of your investment in obtaining the assignment. Occasionally this proposal could be used as the start of your work program. If it is not a significant engagement, ask yourself if it is something you should be doing.

Take off Fridays

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Having a three-day weekend is a great stress reliever. I believe this is worth the benefits it provides, even if you need to work an extra two or three hours a night during the other four days.

Delegate and empower

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You are you and are unique. Rather than use your talents, experience and ability performing services others could do, delegate what you can and restrict what you do to the work "only you can do." Delegating requires empowering your staff. Do that. Let go. Assign, define the end product and get out of the way.

Follow up with everyone

Just because you delegate does not mean you should abdicate responsibility for the final product. You need to develop a way to review the progress of projects delegated to others, including partners. A daily check-in call might work, as might a review of the work itself. You need to gear the oversight to the person you delegated to, but at least once daily for three or four minutes should not be too much of a burden for you or them. This can be done with a call, a virtual meeting, an email or an online look at the work files and should be based on how comfortable you are with that person and method. Neglecting a review for more than a day could result in a project that might not be done the way you want it or done on time. Checking in provides comfort. Not checking in provides doubt that could lead to stress.

Be on time and start and end meetings on time

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Respect your time and the time of people you interact or collaborate with. When you start on time, you can end on time and not end up in an open-ended meeting or discussion. Keep to your agenda.

Never talk about anyone else and never say anything bad about anyone else

Think what you want but keep it to yourself. Stress is caused by anticipating having to make an excuse or justify or correct something you said, or by wondering whether you would be confronted by that person over what you said.

Do not write or post anything nasty

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Write it out, sleep on it, and then do not mail or send it. Write the nastiest response but hold it until the next day and then trash it. Never write, email or post anything negative about anyone and especially about your firm or someone in your firm. Internal password-protected deleted emails become public when subject to discovery in litigation, and you never want to be on a witness stand trying to explain away a negative or derogatory comment you wrote on the fly or in anger. Further, sending the negative comment would cause considerable anxiety about a possible confrontation.

Do not inject anything political into your conversations

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This is a guaranteed way to upset at least half the people listening. Also, it will target you for later criticism by antagonists while those in agreement would remain silent. And your opinions might change.

Have a no-jerk rule

Angry couple claiming and shouting to an office worker

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Life's too short to waste it with jerks.

Never do anything you would be embarrassed to explain

This means thinking before you act or say something. Also make sure you have all the information, are fully sure of what you will be saying and are not criticizing, belittling or making fun of anyone.

Keep current on what you specialize in

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If you are an expert, then maintain that expertise.

Do not keep secrets from your spouse or do something behind their back

This is a perfect way to cause contention and upset the calm at home. Keep in mind that the one person in the world that really cares about you with unvarnished motives is your spouse. You need to continually earn that love, care and trust by being upfront with them about what you do.