march2021 - 11

FEATURE

By Andrew Argue, CPA

across your firm, lessening the
burden on everyone.

TAKE A BREAK
Be looking for signs of burnout before it's too late, both
for yourself and your employees. If
need be, take a day off and completely disconnect. While taking a
full day this time of year can seem
far-fetched, some believe that a personal day off allows you to recharge
so much so that you can make up
for it in the days that follow.
If taking a day off as you
approach burnout isn't an option,
try limiting your hours on certain
days. Too much overtime isn't good
for anyone, no matter what time of
year it is or how important the work.
Make sure you leave the office at an
early enough hour to unwind and
get some rest before bed.

DECREASE TIME PER
TAX RETURN
If you can organize requests,
questionnaires, engagement letters
and payments into one organized
system, it can really speed up
your production. Many firms have
unnecessary delays in sending and
receiving signed documents, delays
in processing payments, no structured onboarding process and wait
until the last minute tax deadline
for all files which causes a massive
spike in workload.
Come up with a system and

use available technology to have
an all-in-one place for these documents and requests to help you stay
organized and on track. You can use
tax preparation questionnaires that
have tax planning questions embedded so you can prepare two services
at once and this will also help you
with your off-season workload. The
more you can automate data collection and deliverable creation, the
more quickly you can service clients
and increase your firm's revenue. So
focus on innovation, which will in
turn reduce time spent per return.

STAY APPRECIATIVE
This may seem silly, but
no matter how much work
you've got on your plate, the right
frame of mind is to be appreciative
of the work. With the economy the
way it is, many are out of jobs or
having a tough time. Meanwhile,
some accounting and tax professionals are swamped with more
work than they can handle. In
short, burnout is a problem, but at
the same time, it's a good problem
to have.
So, take a moment each morning
to be thankful for the mountain of
work in front of you. Having an
attitude of gratitude is a natural
stress reliever. This also goes for
the atmosphere you create inside
your firm. Tell your employees how
thankful you are for their contributions. Words of appreciation and

thankfulness can go a long way
towards relieving tension during a
busy season.

EAT WELL
Most of us are pretty aware
that eating healthy foods
can impact energy levels. Likewise,
eating too much sugar, fast food or
less than ideal choices can lead to
feeling sluggish and tired. That's
why it's important, for example, to
keep raw vegetables and fruits on
hand as opposed to boxes of cookies or candies. You might pre-pack
a healthy lunch from home so you
don't feel the need to swing by your
local burger joint when you become
hungry in the afternoon.
For many, dietary choices tend
to get more chaotic the busier they
get. This is why it's important
for tax professionals to make it a
point to eat well even while they're
swamped with work. The better you
eat, the more clear-headed you'll
remain, which makes it easier to
get through the work. Letting your
diet slip during your peak time of
year is a recipe for burnout.

LEVERAGE NEW
TECHNOLOGY
For many, tax season seems
like the absolute worst time to
even consider investing in a new
software program, but if you get the
best technology on your side, it can
definitely speed up your workflow.

MARCH 2021 ■

Whether it's tax preparation, client
collaboration or tax planning software, tools like these exist to take
stress off of your firm by automating processes. If you have outdated
technology, this is likely a cause of
stress for your employees, and an
upgrade would be a big relief.
Busy season is exactly the
time of year you need the best
software the most. Technology can
potentially help you work faster
with fewer mistakes-and thus
decrease your stress. So, if you
haven't already, do some research
on the best software out there for
tax and accounting firms, and then
get started.
All these tips, taken together,
can collectively help alleviate your
stress, prevent burnout and help
you become more profitable this tax
season. You'll still likely experience
some fatigue--because it is tax
season after all-but that doesn't
mean you have to hit a wall. Take
care of yourself and your firm with
the above tips, and April 15 will be
here before you know it! ■
Andrew Argue, CPA, is the CEO and
founder of Corvee, a software and solutions company serving tax and accounting
firms. At Corvee, Argue works to help
tax and accounting firms increase their
revenue and profitability through tax
planning.

www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com

11
http://www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com
march2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of march2021
