Busy Tax Season: 5 Steps to Recovery

Busy Tax Season: 5 Steps to Recovery  Here are five ideas to try, adapted from “Grow on Purpose: The Nine Disciplines of Sustainable Growth” by Doug Autenrieth.

1. Pay attention to your diet.
You don’t need complex formulas or rules.
• Choose natural foods, simply prepared, as they are the most nourishing. If you must have commercially prepared foods, pick ones with ingredients that you can pronounce.
• Combining protein with carbs is the secret key to extending the energy burn.
• Small meals eaten every three to four hours will keep you going without the subsequent crash. Try scheduling regular snack times into your daily planner!
• Watch your intake of stimulants—if you are tired, your body needs rest, not another espresso.

Willpower, attention and focus all run on blood sugar. To be blunt, by skipping meals, or eating highly processed foods out of a vending machine, you are doing a disservice to your clients.

2. Allow yourself to rest.
Continuous strain without a period of rest and recovery leads to break-down and is not constructive. This includes long hours in the office. Be honest with yourself: are you genuinely productive at the end of a 14-hour work day, or just active?

Rest comes in many forms. Sleep. Nap. Walk outside. Do all three and come up with more! If doing all that seems dramatic, start with small steps that are an improvement over your “normal” —resolve to leave the office a half hour earlier than you typically would. Take a half-hour lunch break outside the office.

Going without adequate rest during a demanding time inevitably means that your best performance remains out of reach. Want to make better decisions and be more productive? Get a good night’s sleep and take breaks.

3. Create time for exercise.
Physical movement can provide a great re-set and a welcome respite. It keeps your body fluid, flexible and healthy. It can offer a different prospective. This step is easiest if you choose an activity you enjoy—in other words, don’t commit to daily jogging if running is not your thing. Try biking, swimming, yoga or kick-boxing instead. Once you have found something that works for you, continue to show up for training regularly.

4. Build in some mental stimulation (not of the accounting variety).
The work that you do in the office can be challenging, but you also need a different kind of mental stimulation. Think of things outside your work that lift you up, challenge you, fascinate you and provide a creative outlet. That could mean resurrecting a hobby, having a stimulating conversation in a local coffee shop, experimenting with a new recipe in the kitchen or coloring with your child. I like to cook. What do you look forward to?

5. Choose a spiritual practice. Then practice!
You may think of yourself as a spiritual person—or not. You may belong to a religious community. You may be an atheist. No matter where you are on that scale, connecting with yourself and the world around you can be a source of energy. Whether it is prayer, meditation or fishing, find something that connects you to the rest of the creation and make that your practice. If you think you are too busy for meditation, you’ve got it backwards. To paraphrase the Dalai Lama, if you have much to do, you better meditate twice as long.

These practices are about self-care. They are not selfish. Think you don’t have the luxury to take care of yourself during your busiest time? You don’t have the luxury not to. If you expect exceptional performance, resolve to take exceptional care of yourself first.

Source:  Accounting Today, September 04, 2013, By Natalia Autenrieth