The WhIP Journal
April 2004 Power Your Practice – THE WhIP JOURNAL [What Helps In Practice]
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In This Issue:
LIFE AND BUSINESS AFTER TAX SEASON - How to Avoid Burn Out in May
THAT IS SUCH A GOOD THOUGHT…
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LIFE AND BUSINESS AFTER TAX SEASON
How to Avoid Burn Out in May
Tax Season is just about over (or already over, depending on when you read my newsletter)!
What are your plans for After Tax Season? Have you made plans to celebrate, rejuvenate, motivate and lead? If not, you may be making a big mistake on all four counts. Let’s look at each area and see why they’re important.
Celebrate: You’ve worked hard. You’ve worked long. You’re exhausted. Now you need to celebrate! Toast your achievement with your choice of water, tea, lemonade, beer, wine or champagne. You have EARNED IT! Talk about it, rejoice in it, mark it with something special. Don’t ignore it, even if you feel like there’s no point because you still have more tax returns to do. You’ve reached a milestone, a goal and you need to celebrate it!
"Let us celebrate our agreement with the adding of
chocolate to milk."
-- Homer Simpson
Rejuvenate: You need to do ‘whatever’ recharges your batteries – whatever works for you - dinner, sleep, theater, sleep, sporting event, sleep, spa day, sleep, gardening, sleep, week-end away, sleep, trip by bike/car/boat/airplane, sleep, …. You get the idea.
Motivate: One of the tell-tale signs of burn-out is a lack of motivation. After the high stress, adrenaline-rush of April, it’s often hard to keep motivated in May. I believe the month of May is the most unproductive month in accounting firms across the country. It’s not because there isn’t important work to do. It’s because of burn-out. You may work a full schedule in May and find that you’re not accomplishing as much as you usually do. Keeping yourself and staff motivated in May takes a little ingenuity and a concerted effort. Making sure there is celebration and rejuvenation is part of keeping properly balanced and motivated. Most professionals don’t mind hard work and big deadlines, and will look forward to the next challenge when they are properly balanced and motivated.
Lead: Are you a great leader in May? Or have you fallen prone to burn-out yourself? If you’re in a position responsible for the staff/firm and for the completion of WIP during May, you have a big task. You can only accomplish it well if you take the right lead. Will you celebrate reaching your April 30th goal? Will you take the necessary measures to rejuvenate yourself? Will you motivate your staff/firm to move forward to the next challenge? Will you lead by example? Will you listen to the needs of the staff/firm and balance them to the needs of taking care of business? Will you NOT procrastinate and work unproductively in May, but find creative ways to flourish?
As we all know, Tax Season comes and Tax Season goes. How well you thrive during and after Tax Season is up to you. \
THAT IS SUCH A GOOD THOUGHT”,
Thoughts worth reading, thinking, repeating and embracing.
“Out of the strain of doing and into the peace of the done.”
I hope you’ve found value in this month’s copy of THE WhIP JOURNAL.
My best regards to you,
Debra Dowdell
Power Your Practice
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This is an Opt-in No-Fee monthly ezine/newsletter from Debra Dowdell. You are receiving this because you have subscribed to it. You may unsubscribe or change your information at any time at Details@PowerYourPractice.com. Your information will never be given away, sold, or rented. Ever. Thank you.
Power Your Practice© 2007
Power Your Practice does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy of any statement or other information and materials provided in this newsletter. All articles and other information and materials in this newsletter are provided for general information purposes only.