Most Americans don’t look forward to Tax Day. A recent Wallet Hub survey found that nearly a third of taxpayers would rather serve on jury duty than do their taxes. Nearly one in eight taxpayers would rather talk to their kids about sex than do taxes, while one in 20 would rather drink expired milk.
You get the point: tax season can be stressful, and many taxpayers would prefer to skip right over it. However, with the April 15 deadline looming, taxpayers and tax professionals must put aside time to get those returns done and out the door to the IRS. How can you do that without losing your sanity?
Rashelle Isip, a New York City-based productivity consultant and time management coach, has literally written the book on time management: The Order Expert’s Guide to Time Management. Isip says that the first step to surviving tax season is understanding that it won’t last forever. She explains that there is a start and end, and taxpayers should plan accordingly. An easy way to do that? Take a look at your calendar and consider what’s happening between now and April 15. What is left to do on your calendar outside of Tax Day that is an absolute priority? And what can you push off until after April 15? “Maybe now is not the time to start a new project,” she suggests.
Thinking About Deadlines
For those who can be intimidated by planning, Isip suggests starting from an endpoint and working backward. That endpoint doesn’t have to be Tax Day, and she recommends that it not be. “Give yourself a personal deadline,” she says, “such as the week before.” That way, you have a few days of grace to account for the unexpected and the opportunity to correct if you fall behind.
To make the process less stressful, Isip recommends that you not tackle the whole project at once. “Break it into pieces,” she says.
A sample to-do list might look like this:
Step One: Contact your tax preparer to find out their availability and their deadlines. (It’s worth noting that this is best done well before tax season.)
Step Two: Gather the information that you need. That includes searching your records and requesting any information that you don’t have on hand—be sure to think about how much time third parties might need to send you what you need. (Here’s what to do if you’re missing tax forms.)
Step Three: Review the information you’ve collected (including any previously missing forms) and ensure you’re ready to move ahead.
Step Four: Focus on preparing your return—or turning over your materials to your tax preparer.
Don’t forget Step Five: Celebrate finishing up. Isip says that while it’s important to remember work before play, schedule something enjoyable after you do the work. That can look like different things for different people—for me, it’s baking or digging in my garden. That incentive can help you get to the finish line when faced with a task.
It can also be helpful—especially if you’re stuck—to think about the result of not sticking to your timeline. You’ll have to schedule the time later (Tax Day isn’t going away), which can make you stressed or overwhelmed.
To help you stick to deadlines, put them in your calendar. That’s true whether you use a digital calendar, voice reminders, or to-do lists. Some of Isip’s clients, she says, use a wall calendar because they need an “in your face” approach. Whatever works for you—just be sure to do it so that you can visualize your deadlines and not become timeblind. Counting down to a deadline is useful. Treat it like you do New Year’s, she says, and ask yourself, “How many days left?”
Isip says that being aware of the deadlines allows you to ask yourself, “Where am I with this?” and “Have I fallen behind?” Being honest with yourself along the way can help you course-correct early and avoid meltdowns later.
You’ll also want to schedule breaks as you go. Making those breaks part of your routine means you’re more likely to succeed.
Take A Break
Not sure where to start? Isip says to make sure that you’re covering the basics, like taking a proper lunch break and getting enough sleep. If you miss out on those, it will put you in a place where you’re not as productive.
Once you’ve mastered the basics, you’ll get better at taking short breaks, like taking a class at the gym or going for a walk. It can be hard to convince yourself to take a physical break, but it can help to get out of your head and get your body moving. Then she says, take a quick moment of reflection and think about how you felt—you might be surprised at the results. It’s not unusual, for example, for you to think, “Going for a walk felt good—and now I see the error in my spreadsheet.”
“There is,” she explains, “always work to do. Always.” Taking a step away is essential, and while it seems counterintuitive, a break can actually increase your productivity.
Set Boundaries
What about that endless stream of emails that can make it tough to stick to your schedule? Isip says it’s important to set boundaries. You do this by making it clear that “My office hours are…” and “My client-facing office hours are…” Then stick to it. The key is communicating these rules.
(I heard Isip mention this in a presentation a few years ago, and it stuck with me. Blocking off time when you don’t take calls or emails and instead focus on your to-do list can be incredibly helpful.)
When working on projects (including tax returns), you can set mini-rules like not answering emails or voicemails after a certain time. Be sure to communicate those to anyone who might be impacted.
Isip looks to restaurants as an example. They aren’t, she explains, open whenever they feel like it. They post opening and ending hours. Recently, she said a restaurant she liked announced they would be closed on Sundays. As a result, she adjusted her schedule to eat there on other days. That clear message helped the restaurant set boundaries and helped customers like her adjust, too.
Missed Deadlines
And if you miss the deadline? It’s not the end of the world—even when it comes to tax. “There is power in the now,” Isip explains. Rather than be frustrated by the missed deadline, she advises taxpayers to think about what they can do to fix it. She suggests that you make a list of things to do—that could look a lot like your earlier list. The first step is likely to contact your tax preparer and ask, “What do you need from me to move this forward?” Then, she says, create a new personal deadline.
If you realize in advance that you’ll miss the Tax Day deadline, you can buy some time by filing for an extension. That gives you an extra six months to file. It’s free and easy—you don’t even have to tell the IRS why you’re asking for additional time. Be sure to make any required payment when you file for an extension since it extends the time to file, not to pay.
Next Year
Whether you met the deadline or didn’t, some self-reflection on the process can be helpful. Isip says to make a note—on paper, voice notes, type it out, whatever works for you—of what worked well during the season. And, importantly, what didn’t work well?
You may find that you need more communication about your return or regular meetings during the tax season. Ask how to make that happen. Not all tax professionals like sitting down with clients during tax season, while others may want to do it earlier. If it’s not a good match, start looking for a new tax preparer now—not next year.
Ditto for processes. Some tax preparers may want you to bring in paper, while others may only use an organizer or online portal. If you struggled to upload documents, ask for help in the off-season (some client portals have tutorials you can watch). If you can’t learn or don’t feel comfortable with your tax preparer’s system, make a change now.
Since Tax Day happens at the same time every year, you can establish a routine—but be open to change. By asking yourself what you did well and what you would do differently next time, you can make adjustments that will make tax season easier. Keep that information together (preferably where you keep your tax records each year) so that you have a jump on next season.
Why is that important? Learning a routine—especially at tax time—can help desensitize us to the idea that we must do everything now. That can take off the pressure and help us de-stress. Importantly, every little step we take now to be more efficient, Isip says, can save us time and energy later.