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During Tax Season

How to lower stress levels

Tax Season can be a very stressful time! It's important to take care of yourself and have measures in place to ease some of the stress. Below are some tips that could help!

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Be Organized

1. A tidy desk is a tidy mind! 

  • Make a list each day to stay on top of tasks and to ensure that all jobs are completed.

  • Assess your workload from most important to least to have a clear understanding of where your focus should be.

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2. Do a review of the client

  • Did anything major changed during the year?

  • Anything important noted in prior year? 

  • Know the risks associated with a client and their nature of income

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3. Request supporting documentation early

  • Start requesting documents from clients a few weeks prior to tax season to tackle some of the work that can be completed ahead of time!

    • Make an email template to save time​

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 Use the resources at your disposal!

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1. Use technology to your advantage!

  • Save time by using programs to auto-generate values

  • General Index of Financial Information (GIFI) codes connects the General ledger to tax programs.

    • GIFI codes only needs to be inputted once for reoccurring accounts

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2. Refresh your tax knowledge

  • Read the most recent tax regulations​

  • Make note of what's new/changed

  • Make note of important deadlines

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3. Ask questions or speak concerns when they first arise!

  • Managers are more than willing to answer your questions to lower their review time!

  • Avoids work needing to be redone due to misinformation or miscommunication

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4. Ensure you have a good understanding of commonly used tax forms, such as:​

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Resources

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Take Care of yourself

1. Take time during the day for yourself!

  • Have lunch to give yourself energy

  • Take short breaks. Have a moment to relax and reset! (Even 5 minutes can make a difference!)

    • Take a walk around the office

    • Breathing exercises

    • Stretch

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2. Do something that you enjoy during time off! 

  • Going for a walk

  • Get together with friends/family

  • Watching a movie 

  • Anything that will direct your attention to something other than work 

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3. Getting enough sleep! 

  • Getting enough sleep is essential to lowering stress and functioning at 100%​

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4. Learn to say NO!

  • It's okay to say no! We are only human and can only do so much!​

  • Communicate with your managers your situation

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Create a space you enjoy

1. Creating a space that you enjoy is great to relieve stress and boost productivity!

  • Add anything that brings you joy (but does not distract you or your co-workers)

    • Plant​s

    • Photos of family, friends, pets, etc

    • Figurines

    • Accessories in your favourite colour

    • Comfort snacks

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2. Add items that remind you of why you are working!

  • Family​ memorabilia

  • Aspirations

  • Inspirations

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3. Customize your computer desktop image and screensaver

  • You have to look at your screen for 7+ hours, change it to something you love!

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4. Create a work music playlist

  • Keeps you energized

  • Boosts productivity

  • Lowers stress

© 2022 by Odette Accounting Society
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