Time Off After Tax Season – The Right Way

We get used to being busy.  We get hooked on smart phones, email, technology, and just work itself.   We feel the need to respond quickly to clients and staff.  Tax season requires many accountants to become seasonal workaholics.

Luckily it’s time to detox. Do it the right way. Leave the computer and smart phone at home when vacate this year. Try it and you’ll be hooked. The first couple of days can be especially hard, as you come off the busy schedule…then you start to get into the vacation mode and it’s a good mode to be in. NOT checking in with the office is actually GOOD for business.

Here is an excerpt from Accountant’s Flight Plan-Best Practices for Today’s Firms:

Some of the most efficient, effective, and successful operators I know take a significant amount of time off each year. And most of them credit that time away as one of the keys to their practices’ robust health. My observation is that when you are away from your practice, you are far more likely to come up with the creative and critical ideas that have the power to significantly advance your career. When you are entrenched in the day-to-day—a little weary and worse for wear—you may be very good at making incremental improvements, but it is difficult to see your business from the bird’s eye view. Certainly, this is not true for all practitioners. Some people are different; they thrive on non-stop schedules and build solid practices along the way. My experience, however, is that the burn–out rate among those Type-As is very high. Other parts of our lives suffer significantly when we work too much. Study after study supports the fact that the most successful people are the ones who maintain balance between their professional and personal lives.

One of the great benefits of being away from your office more frequently is that you develop a clarity about your practice that you gain only when you are able to unwind. Think back to how many times you have you made crucial, ground-breaking, paradigm-shifting decisions during a long vacation. I typically experience at least one work–related “ah–ha” moment on any given vacation break. Your down-time can translate into an upturn for your practice.

In short…leave your computer and smart phone at home when you take time-off.  You worked hard and deserve it.  Your accounting practice will be there when you get back.  Relax!