3 Secrets to Striking that ‘Perfect Work-Life Balance’ During the Busy Tax Season

Fundamentally, we all know that the tax season roughly translates to “its crunch time.” It’s that unavoidably busy yet thrilling phase of the year in the accounting world characterized by more income, profits, and retaining your favorite clients.

But is it worth sacrificing your work-life balance?

When your accounting practice is at the height of the hectic season, you and your team might spend long hours at the office and feel overwhelmed. Such an unusually high workload could force you to prioritise work over everything else.

Result: Fatigue, very little time for family and social life, Unhealthy work-life balance!

But is work-life balance a myth?

Definitely, not! In fact, a new survey revealed that it is valued even more than pay.

But the sad part is that only one in three employees in the UK are enjoying a good work-life balance. And the situation in the accounting world is worse. From managing strict deadlines and heaps of paperwork to demanding clients, accountants have so much on their plates with little time.

In a world where employees are appreciated for extending their work hours, finding a balance between succeeding at work and enriching one’s personal life can get really challenging. Work pressure and extended working hours are predominantly the culprits behind this trend. Solving this problem can help improve the work-life balance during the year’s busiest period. Read on to find out how.

1. CREATE A SCHEDULE

We often underestimate the power of scheduling.

Creating a detailed schedule helps tackle the most challenging tasks and allows you to build a work-life balance. Examine your workload ahead of time, record deadlines and the time you’ll need for each job. Although this might not be really as easy as it sounds, taking control of your day is really worth trying to improve your work-life balance.

You could start by identifying tasks that can be extended and those that cannot and establish a plan for the order in which they can be handled. By the same logic, you can save monotonous tasks for a particular time every day that, perhaps during those lulls in your circadian rhythm, and approach every day with a proactive mindset. It might be tempting to begin with the easiest tasks, but when you work according to priorities, it gives you more tie. Spend some time assessing what you managed to achieve. Such an analysis can help you develop more realistic targets and plan accordingly.

2. TAKE BREAKS

Yes, unplug and carve some time for yourself. Breaks can help you get more productive.

You might feel like you can do more when you work non-stop, but taking breaks at regular intervals is important to achieve that work-life balance. Breaks can rejuvenate you during a busy day and make you enjoy your work. And when you want work, your energy levels are up, and it becomes easier to focus on work. Skipping breaks can lead to faster burnout and increased stress levels. Whereas accountants stepping away from work for a few minutes will improve their productivity and prevent them from extending work hours. The best thing to do during these breaks is to take a walk. Not only will it allow you to stay active during your day, but it also allows your brain to rest and return to work refreshed.

3. STOP DROWNING YOURSELVES

You can never achieve work-life balance if you have too much on your plate.

When you have the advantage of knowing your workload is going to increase at a particular time of the year, why not use it? Identify those tasks that are taking up too much of your time and outsource them. The same applies to any tasks or functions your accounting practice cannot handle or face capacity issues. For example, outsourcing tax preparation services to offshore tax preparers can free up your schedule.

What’s more? Your work will be taken care of by experts who are well-experienced in Self Assessment tax filing, and meeting deadlines will become a cakewalk. It is truly a win-win situation as it increases productivity among your staff and helps improve work-life balance. Delegating work to outsourced staff can help lessen the burden on your team, especially when it becomes too hectic during the busy tax season.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Work-life balance isn’t just a buzzword. The struggle is real.

The last thing you need during the busiest time of the year is to burn out or invite health issues. All you need to do is reduce work pressure and find ways not to extend your work hours, and you will be on the road to recovery in a jiffy. The power is in your hands to make it happen.