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Art of Accounting: Pressure relievers while you are crazy busy

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Some suggestions of ways to relieve pressure as you rush toward the last-minute crunch deadline.

1. Eat lunch out of your office.

2. Go for a 15-minute walk in the middle of the afternoon instead of eating a snack.

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3. If you eat a snack, make it fresh fruit…or an ice cream sundae (and bring it in for everyone).

4. Respond immediately to any client complaint.

5. If you won’t meet a promised deadline, call your client as soon as you know it and give a new date. Don’t call two days after the deadline date.

6. Do something fun in the office on April 1st. Read my April Fool’s blog at www.partners-network.com .

7. Call an aunt you haven’t spoken to lately.

8. Block out time to watch the NCAA finals, or buy a ticket for opening day of the baseball season. And go!

9. Read for enjoyment. (I always did and still do and it really relieves pressure.)

10. Realize that while you are working under extreme pressure, your staff, your spouse, your staff’s spouses and/or partners also feel that pressure. Be gentle with them. Further, no one else feels that pressure so watch how you act and treat people who say or do really “stupid” things that annoy you.

Edward Mendlowitz, CPA, is partner at WithumSmith+Brown, PC, CPAs. He is on the Accounting Today Top 100 Influential People List. He is the author of 24 books, including “How to Review Tax Returns,” co-written with Andrew D. Mendlowitz, and “Managing Your Tax Season, Third Edition.” Ed also writes a twice-a-week blog addressing issues that clients have at www.partners-network.com. Art of Accounting is a continuing series where Ed shares autobiographical experiences with tips that he hopes can be adopted by his colleagues. Ed welcomes practice management questions and can be reached at (732) 964-9329 or emendlowitz@withum.com.

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Tax season Tax practice Tax Work-life balance Practice management Wellness Ed Mendlowitz
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