Category: Podcast

Before I get started I just wanted to share that I can’t believe that this month will be three years since The Smarter Accountant book was published!  To celebrate, I’m doing something I’ve never done before—I’m hosting The Smarter Accountant Podcast Live (Virtual) Event… and you’re invited!

This will be a fun, FREE, and interactive virtual event happening on Tuesday, July 29th from 4 – 5 pm EST. Whether you’ve listened to one episode or every single one, this is your chance to meet me,  ask questions about anything I’ve covered on the podcast, get live coaching if there’s something you’re struggling with, share your thoughts or favorite episodes, and connect with other smart accountants who want to work and live better.

Plus, I’ll be raffling off some cool prizes for all in attendance!  If you’re interested, I’ll have the link to sign up in the show notes (you can register for this free event at HERE)

As an accountant, you know what it’s like to feel like your day is running you instead of the other way around. You start with a plan, but then the emails, client requests, and last-minute changes take over. Before you know it, the day is gone, and you’re left wondering what you actually got done.

I know that feeling all too well. I used to think if I just worked harder—got up earlier, skipped breaks, stayed later—I’d finally get ahead. But no matter how much I tried to keep up, I still felt behind.

The problem wasn’t my workload. It was the fact that I was spending my whole day reacting instead of deciding. In other words, I wasn’t in control of my time—my time was controlling me.

And when that happens, it feels like no matter how much you do, it’s never enough. You wake up already thinking about work, spend all day putting out fires, and by the time you shut your laptop, you’re exhausted—but somehow, your to-do list hasn’t gotten any shorter.

That’s when I realized something: the chaos wasn’t coming from how much I had to do. It was coming from not having real clarity on what actually mattered. And without that clarity, I was just bouncing from one thing to the next, feeling busy but never really making progress.

Think about it. How often do you catch yourself checking emails all day, shifting from one urgent task to another, just hoping to squeeze in time for the work that really needs to get done? How many days do you feel completely drained, even though it feels like you never stopped working?

Or maybe you’ve had one of those moments where you sit down at your desk, ready to tackle something important, only to get sidetracked by a dozen smaller things. And then, before you know it, the day is over, and that big task you meant to do gets pushed to tomorrow… again.

Now, imagine if your day felt different. Imagine knowing exactly what to focus on when you start your workday. Imagine being able to handle unexpected interruptions without feeling completely thrown off.

What if, instead of just reacting to everything coming at you, you had a clear plan that actually worked? A way to move through your day with confidence, knowing you’re getting the right things done without feeling rushed or overwhelmed?

That kind of clarity changes everything. It’s what separates accountants who feel overwhelmed from those who feel in control. And the best part is that it’s not about doing more—it’s about thinking differently.

So if you’re tired of the chaos and ready for a smarter way to work, keep listening. I can’t wait to show you what that looks like.

Why Your Work Feels Like a Never-Ending To-Do List

Have you ever noticed how no matter how much you get done in a day, there’s always more waiting for you? You cross something off your list, and somehow, two more things pop up. It’s like playing a never-ending game of whack-a-mole or like you’re running on a treadmill that never slows down.

I used to think this was just part of being an accountant. That feeling overwhelmed was normal. But the truth is, feeling constantly behind isn’t about how much work you have—it’s about how you’re approaching it.

Studies show that the average professional is interrupted every 11 minutes, and it can take up to 23 minutes to refocus afterward. Now, think about how often you’re pulled away from what you’re doing—emails, client requests, messages, last-minute changes. It’s no wonder it feels impossible to make real progress.

This is why working harder isn’t the answer. It doesn’t matter how many hours you put in if your brain is constantly bouncing from one thing to the next. Instead of making progress, you’re stuck in a cycle of reacting, shifting priorities, and trying to catch up.

And here’s what makes it even worse—when everything feels urgent, your brain can’t tell the difference between what’s important and what’s just noise. You end up spending energy on things that don’t actually move the needle, while the truly important work keeps getting pushed aside.

If you’ve ever had a day where you worked nonstop but still felt like you didn’t get anything meaningful done, this is why. It’s not about motivation or discipline—it’s how your brain is wired to respond to stress and uncertainty.

So how do you break this cycle? It starts with understanding how your brain plays a role in keeping you stuck in chaos. And once you see what’s really happening, you can start creating clarity in a way that actually works. Let’s get into that next.

The Brain Science Behind Chaos and Clarity

I know this is common for a lot of us as accountants where we feel like no matter how much we try to stay on top of things, something always pulls us in another direction. We sit down to focus, but an email comes in, a client calls, or a last-minute request pops up, and suddenly, our whole plan is out the window.

The truth is that your brain isn’t trying to sabotage you—it actually thinks it’s helping. It craves certainty, and when things feel chaotic, it looks for the quickest way to create order. That’s why you feel the pull to check emails, answer messages, or handle whatever is in front of you.

I’ve mentioned this before on the podcast, but it’s called the Mere Urgency Effect. Your brain gets tricked into focusing on whatever feels most urgent, even if it’s not actually the most important thing. It’s why responding to emails or fixing small issues can feel productive, even though it keeps you from doing the work that really matters.

The problem is, the more you react, the more overwhelmed you feel. And the more overwhelmed you feel, the harder it is to see the big picture. Your brain goes into survival mode, prioritizing whatever seems like a quick win instead of slowing down to make intentional decisions.

This is why I teach my coaching clients how to make decisions in advance.  It’s so incredibly powerful because when you decide ahead of time what actually matters, you take control of your focus instead of letting urgency take over. It’s the difference between leading your day and being pulled in a million directions.

But here’s the tricky part—when you’re in the middle of the daily grind, your brain resists slowing down to plan. It convinces you that you don’t have time, that you just need to power through. And that’s exactly how you stay stuck in the cycle of chaos.

So what does it actually look like to break free from this? Let’s talk about what chaos versus clarity really looks like in your workday.

The Smarter Way to Turn Chaos Into Clarity

See if you can relate to this – you’re having one of those days where your to-do list is packed, but by the time you log off, it feels like you barely made a dent. You worked all day, handled a hundred different things, but somehow, the most important tasks didn’t get done.

That’s what chaos looks like for us as accountants. It’s not just a packed schedule—it’s the feeling that our time isn’t really ours. We’re constantly reacting to emails, shifting priorities, and handling one urgent thing after another. We’re busy all day but somehow still feel behind.

Chaos sounds like:

“Let me just check my email real quick before I start.”

“I’ll get back to that important task as soon as I finish these quick things.”

“I don’t have time to stop and plan—I just need to get through today.”

And it looks like:

Checking emails all day long instead of setting dedicated times to respond.

Dropping whatever you’re working on as soon as someone asks for something.

Constantly feeling like you’re multitasking but never making real progress.

Ending the day exhausted, knowing you worked hard but unsure what you actually accomplished.

Now, let’s talk about the Smarter Accountant way—what clarity actually looks like and why it changes everything. Clarity doesn’t mean your workload disappears or that no one ever interrupts you. It means you know exactly what matters, you’ve made decisions ahead of time, and you aren’t letting other people’s demands dictate your day.

Clarity sounds like:

“I know what I need to work on first, and I’m sticking to it.”

“I don’t need to check my email every five minutes—my real priorities come first.”

“If I get interrupted, I know how to get back on track.”

And it looks like:

Starting your day knowing exactly what the top priority is instead of figuring it out as you go.

Setting clear times to check emails instead of letting them take over your focus.

Saying, “Let me get back to you” instead of immediately stopping what you’re doing.

Finishing the day knowing you made progress on the things that actually matter.

Most accountants assume they don’t have time to create clarity. They think if they stop reacting to everything immediately, things will pile up, or they’ll fall behind. But that’s the biggest myth keeping them stuck in chaos.

The smarter way isn’t just about working differently—it’s about managing your brain differently. It’s about shifting from reacting to leading, from feeling overwhelmed to knowing exactly where your time should go. 

But next I want to clear something up and explain why clarity doesn’t mean a perfect day.

Why Clarity Doesn’t Mean a Perfect Day

When you create clarity, it doesn’t mean every minute of your day will go exactly as planned. Clients will still need things, emails will still pop up, and unexpected issues will still happen.

But here’s what changes: instead of feeling completely thrown off, you’ll know exactly what to come back to. You’ll have something steady guiding you, even when things don’t go the way you expected.

Without clarity, every interruption feels like you’re losing control of your day. With clarity, an interruption is just a small pause, not a total derailment.

It’s easy to think that planning is only worth it if everything goes perfectly, especially in a profession like ours that encourages perfectionism. But that’s one of the biggest myths that keeps accountants stuck in chaos.

Planning isn’t about perfection; it’s about creating a roadmap you can return to no matter what. It gives you a way to stay grounded, even when your day gets messy.

The real power of clarity isn’t in having a flawless schedule or never getting interrupted. It’s in knowing how to refocus, recover, and still make meaningful progress by the end of the day.

That’s the smarter way to work, and that’s what helps turn a chaotic day into a day you can feel proud of.

Let me share a story about a coaching client who realized that once she started thinking differently, everything changed.

Becoming a Smarter Accountant: Learning To Turn Chaos Into Clarity

I worked with an accountant who was convinced that there was just too much work and not enough time. She told me, “I start my day early, I barely take a break, and I work late if I have to, but somehow, I still feel behind.” She thought if she could just get a little more efficient, she’d finally catch up.

But here’s what was really happening. She was stuck in reaction mode. She started each day by checking emails, thinking it would help her get ahead, but instead, it pulled her into everyone else’s priorities. She would drop whatever she was working on anytime a client or coworker needed something, and by the time she got to her actual work, she was mentally exhausted.

She told me, “I feel like my entire day is spent putting out fires. I can’t get ahead because I never know what’s coming next.” And because she was constantly shifting between tasks, she never had enough focused time to do deep, meaningful work. She was exhausted, but she wasn’t getting the results she wanted.

When we started working together, I didn’t give her a long list of time management tricks. Instead, I helped her see what was really going on. She wasn’t in control of her time because she wasn’t deciding what was important before her day started. Instead of leading her work, she was letting her work lead her.

At first, she was skeptical. She didn’t think she had the luxury of stepping back and creating clarity. But once she realized how much time she was losing by constantly switching tasks and reacting, she was willing to try something different.

We focused on small but powerful shifts. For example, she started making decisions about her day before she checked her email. 

She set a clear priority for the first few hours of work, only checking messages during set times instead of letting them dictate her schedule. She also stopped saying yes to everything immediately, giving herself time to assess whether something truly needed her attention right away.

Within a few weeks, everything changed. She told me, “I’m still busy, but I don’t feel like I’m drowning anymore. I actually know what I got done at the end of the day instead of just feeling like I ran in circles.” She was no longer reacting to chaos. She was in control of her work.

The best part is that this shift didn’t require working harder or adding more hours to her day. It wasn’t about a better to-do list or another time management trick. 

It was about using the Smarter Way—understanding how her brain was keeping her stuck and learning how to take control of her focus instead of letting her day run her. And that made all the difference.

Let’s wrap up with the key takeaway and a question to think about.

Key Takeaway and Action Item

The key takeaway from this episode is that the difference between chaos and clarity isn’t about how much work you have. It’s about how you approach it. 

Most accountants assume that if they just work harder, they’ll finally get ahead. But as we’ve seen, reacting all day doesn’t create progress—it just creates exhaustion.

Your brain will always try to focus on what feels urgent in the moment. It’s wired that way. But urgency doesn’t always equal importance. 

The smartest accountants don’t let their day control them. They take charge by deciding in advance what actually matters.

That shift—from reacting to leading—is what changes everything. It’s what turns endless to-do lists into clear priorities. It’s what makes the difference between always feeling behind and finally feeling in control.

So for this week, ask yourself, “Am I running my day, or is my day running me?”

If your work feels like an endless game of catch-up, maybe it’s time to stop trying to do more and start thinking differently. 

Pulling Back the Curtain

Pulling back the curtain for a moment…

There was a time when I thought feeling overwhelmed was just part of the job. I’d start the day with a plan and high hopes—and then everything would go sideways. Emails would start pouring in, someone would stop by with a “quick question,” and before I knew it, it was 4 p.m. and I hadn’t even touched the one thing I said I’d get done.

The worst part wasn’t the work—it was the constant feeling that my time wasn’t mine. That I was always reacting, always behind, always just one step away from catching up… but never quite there.

I used to think the solution was better time management tools or more efficient checklists. But what I really needed was clarity. I didn’t need another productivity hack—I needed to understand what actually mattered and how to stay focused on it.

For me, the shift happened when I stopped letting my inbox, my clients, and my to-do list dictate my day. I started deciding in advance what I would focus on and when. I began protecting my focus like it was my most valuable asset—because it was.

If you can relate to what I’m sharing and you’re feeling like you’re always busy but never making progress, I want you to know—there’s a smarter way.

Start by taking The Smarter Accountant Quiz at www.thesmarteraccountant.com. It’ll help you get clear on how your brain might be creating more chaos than clarity—and how to shift that.

And if you’re ready to step out of constant reaction mode and into the kind of focus that actually gets things done, book a free 30-minute call with me at www.thesmarteraccountant.com/calendar. You don’t have to figure it out alone.

And if this episode helped you see things differently, would you mind sharing it with another accountant? We all need to hear that chaos isn’t just normal—and it definitely isn’t permanent.

The truth is, you’re already smart. But this podcast will show you how to be smarter.

Before we get into today’s episode, I want to let you know about an upcoming CPE class you won’t want to miss. It’s called “How to Train Your Accountant Brain,” and it’s happening on Friday, July 11th at 12 pm EST.

My CPE classes are different than any you’ve taken because I blend accounting with brain science.  You’ll learn how your brain actually works as an accountant and how to train it to work smarter, not harder.

You can simply register at thesmarteraccountant.com/cpe. I’ll be offering it on July 11th and then one more time in July, so don’t miss out.  I’d love to see you there!

As we all know as accountants, time is one of those things we can’t make more of, but we all keep trying. We cram our schedules, shuffle tasks around, and hope everything magically gets done.

But have you ever noticed how often it doesn’t work out? Somehow, even with the best intentions, there’s always a pile of unfinished work waiting for “later.”

It’s frustrating, isn’t it? You plan your week, you block off time, and yet by Friday, you’re left wondering, “What happened?”

The truth is, most of us accountants think we’re great at managing our time, but the results tell a different story. It’s like planning a budget with Monopoly money—it looks good on paper, but it doesn’t work in real life.

What if I told you the problem isn’t you? What if it’s the way your brain works when it comes to time?

We think of time as a fixed resource, but how we handle it depends on things like how we estimate tasks and make decisions. And it’s important to understand that our brains aren’t exactly built to be accurate when it comes to time management.

For example, have you ever thought something would take an hour, only to find yourself still working on it three hours later? Or have you planned your day, only to feel derailed by emails, interruptions, and random distractions?

Here’s what I tell my time management coaching client all the time, “Time management is math, it’s not drama.  But when the math isn’t math-ing, we have to take a closer look.”

In other words, when the math doesn’t add up, it’s not just stressful—it’s a sign that something deeper is happening. And the good news is that you’re not alone, and it doesn’t have to stay this way.

So why does it feel like you’re always running out of time? Why is it so easy to overestimate what you can do and underestimate how long things will take?

Most importantly, what can you do to change this cycle? How can you stop feeling like you’re constantly playing catch-up?

If you’ve ever felt like your time management math isn’t adding up, you’re in the right place. Let’s figure out why—and what you can do to start making it work for you instead of against you.

Why Your Time Management Math Isn’t Math-ing

Let’s start with why it feels like your time never adds up the way you planned. It’s not because you’re bad at managing your time—it’s because most of us approach time like it’s flexible when it’s not.

Think about it. Have you ever started your day with a perfectly planned to-do list, only to realize by lunchtime that half your morning was spent answering “just one quick email” or putting out an unexpected fire? It’s not that you didn’t try—it’s that you probably didn’t account for everything that happens between those tasks.

Interruptions, like a coworker needing urgent advice or a client call running longer than expected, can derail even the best-laid plans. Transitions, like switching from preparing a tax return to responding to emails, take mental energy that we often forget to factor in.

Another sneaky issue is how we plan. For example, imagine budgeting one hour to finish a financial report, but midway through, you realize the data you need is incomplete, requiring additional back-and-forth emails. 

Or maybe you assume you can finish client reviews in two hours, forgetting that you also need to review supporting documents. It’s like packing for a trip and discovering that everything you need just won’t fit in your suitcase.

When this happens day after day, it creates a frustrating cycle. You carry unfinished tasks into the next day, fall behind, and feel like you’re always playing catch-up.

But here’s the real problem: it’s not just about poor planning. A lot of this comes down to how our brains are wired to think about time.

Understanding why your brain struggles with time is the first step to fixing the problem. And that’s exactly what we’ll dive into next. Let’s talk about what’s really happening in your brain when your time management math isn’t math-ing.

The Brain Science Behind Why the Math Doesn’t Add Up

Let’s talk about what’s really going on in your brain when your time management feels off. Believe it or not, your brain isn’t designed to handle time the way you think it should.

One big culprit is something called the planning fallacy. It’s a term coined by researchers Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, who found that people consistently underestimate how long tasks will take—even when they have experience doing those tasks. This happens because the brain focuses on the best-case scenario while ignoring potential obstacles.

Then there’s decision fatigue. Research by Dr. Roy Baumeister shows that every choice you make during the day drains your mental energy. By the afternoon, your ability to make effective decisions is significantly reduced, which is why tasks that felt manageable in the morning can feel overwhelming later.

Your brain also struggles with focus and prioritization because of a bias called the Mere Urgency Effect. This concept, studied by researchers Zhang and Feng, explains why we prioritize tasks that feel urgent, even when they’re not important. The brain seeks instant relief from the stress of urgency, often at the expense of long-term goals.

And let’s not forget energy fluctuations. Research shows that our brain operates in cycles of focus and fatigue, known as ultradian rhythms. Ignoring these natural peaks and valleys in energy often leads to over-scheduling and burnout.

The truth is that the way your brain processes time is meant to be efficient, not precise. It tries to save energy by using shortcuts, which often leads to plans that don’t reflect reality.

But here’s the good news: once you understand how your brain works, you can start working with it instead of against it. And that’s where the real magic happens.

So, how do you use this understanding to make your time management math finally work? Let’s look at how to turn these brain quirks into strategies that help you, not hold you back.

What to Do When Your Time Management Math Isn’t Math-ing

The first step is to shift the way you think about time. Instead of trying to fit more into your day, focus on working with the time you already have. It’s not about doing everything—it’s about doing the right things at the right time.

Start by paying attention to how you plan your time. Most of us make plans based on what we hope we can accomplish, not what’s realistic. The goal is to create a plan that feels doable, not overwhelming.

Another key is to get honest about the time you need for each task. It’s easy to underestimate how long something will take, but when you give yourself a little extra breathing room, everything changes. You stop feeling behind and start feeling in control.

It’s also important to prioritize your mental energy. Not all hours of the day are created equal, and you need to align your most important tasks with the times when your focus is strongest. When you start respecting your natural rhythms, your productivity improves without extra effort.

And finally, start questioning the stories your brain tells you about your time. Thoughts like, “I’ll never catch up” or “There’s not enough time” create stress that slows you down. Instead, ask yourself, “What’s the most important thing I can focus on right now?”

When you start working with your time and your brain instead of fighting against them, everything shifts. You stop feeling like there’s never enough time and start feeling like you’re in control of your day.

But understanding what to do is only the beginning. The real transformation happens when you learn how to apply these ideas in your daily life. Let’s explore how working with your brain, rather than against it, can make all the difference.

Why Working With Your Brain Changes Everything

Here’s the thing: your brain is incredibly powerful, but it’s also a little stubborn. It likes shortcuts and familiar patterns, even when they’re not working for you. That’s why so many time management strategies fall flat—they don’t take into account how your brain actually operates.

When you work with your brain, you stop forcing yourself to fit into systems that don’t feel right. Instead, you create strategies that align with how you naturally think, focus, and make decisions. It’s like switching from swimming against the current to letting the current carry you where you want to go.

One of the biggest benefits is that you start using your mental energy more effectively. You stop wasting time on things that drain you and start focusing on what truly matters. This isn’t just about getting more done—it’s about doing the right things in a way that feels manageable.

That’s exactly what The Smarter Accountant Time Management Program is designed to help you with. The program will show you how to identify where your time is slipping through the cracks, plan in a way that works for your brain, and prioritize what really matters without feeling overwhelmed. 

It’s about learning how to create time for your most important tasks while still having space for the things and people you love.

This isn’t a one-size-fits-all system. It’s tailored to help you discover what works for you as an accountant and as a person. Whether you’re struggling with endless to-do lists, interruptions, or constantly feeling behind, this program gives you the tools to turn it around.

The best part is that once you understand how your brain works, you’ll start noticing opportunities to save time and reduce stress everywhere. You’ll build confidence in your ability to manage your workload, no matter how demanding it gets.

But don’t just take my word for it. Let me share the story of one of my clients who transformed her time management—and her career—by learning how to work with her brain instead of against it.

Becoming a Smarter Accountant: Getting The Time Management Math to Start Math-ing

One of my clients came to me feeling completely overwhelmed. She was drowning in deadlines, constantly playing catch-up, and convinced she was just “bad at time management.” No matter how many hours she worked, it felt like there was always more to do, and she was exhausted.

During one of our sessions, we uncovered that she was underestimating how long her tasks would take and overcommitting herself daily. She planned her day as though interruptions didn’t exist, leaving no room for the unexpected. 

This wasn’t because she wasn’t trying hard enough—it was because her brain was working against her without her realizing it.  We focused on understanding how her brain processes time and why her approach wasn’t working. 

She started tracking how long her tasks actually took and learned to build realistic plans that accounted for her natural energy levels. Instead of feeling like she had to get it all done at once, she began prioritizing the most important tasks and letting go of what wasn’t essential.

Within weeks, she noticed a huge shift. She no longer felt like she was running a marathon every day. 

For the first time in years, she ended her workday feeling accomplished instead of defeated. By learning to work with her brain, she gained control over her time and her confidence.

This client’s story is just one example of what’s possible when you stop trying to force traditional time management systems to fit your life. It’s about discovering what works for you, as the unique person and professional you are.

The same tools and strategies that helped her can help you too. But the key is understanding that it’s not about fixing you—it’s about fixing the approach.

Now let’s wrap up with the key takeaway from today’s episode and an action you can take this week to start making your time management math work.

Key Takeaway and Action Item

The key takeaway from today’s episode is simple: your time management math isn’t broken because of you—it’s broken because of the way most accountants approach time. 

When you start working with your brain instead of fighting against it, everything changes. You stop feeling like there’s never enough time and start feeling in control of your day.

Your brain wants to take shortcuts, prioritize urgency over importance, and underestimate how long things take. But once you understand how your brain works, you can use that knowledge to create a time management system that fits you, not the other way around.

Here’s your action item for this week: choose one task you have to do and track how long it actually takes from start to finish. Then, compare that to how long you thought it would take. 

Just noticing the gap between your estimate and reality can help you start planning your time more effectively.

Pulling Back the Curtain

Pulling back the curtain for a moment…

I used to get so frustrated with myself. I’d sit down at the beginning of the week, map out my to-dos, block off time, and feel like I had it all figured out. But by midweek? The wheels were already coming off.

I’d end the day wondering, “Where did the time go?” I had the plan. I had the motivation. I even had color-coded time blocks. But the math never added up.

The turning point came when I realized I wasn’t doing anything wrong—I just wasn’t planning for how my brain actually works. I wasn’t factoring in the transitions, the interruptions, the mental fatigue. I was creating idealistic schedules and then beating myself up when I couldn’t keep up with them.

One day, after rescheduling the same task for the fourth time that week, I caught myself thinking, “I guess I’m just not good at time management.” But deep down, I knew that wasn’t true.

That’s when I started tracking how long things really took. And let me tell you—my “30-minute” tasks were actually taking 90. Once I started working with my brain instead of against it, everything changed. I stopped trying to squeeze my life into a system that wasn’t built for me. I built something that worked with me.

If this episode hits home for you, I want to say this—you’re not lazy, and you’re not bad at time management. You’re just using math that doesn’t match how your brain actually works. But that’s something we can fix.

Start by taking The Smarter Accountant Quiz at www.thesmarteraccountant.com. It’ll help you understand where you are underutilizing your accountant brain and what that shows up as in your career and your life.

And if you want help putting all the pieces together in a way that works for you, book a free 30-minute call with me at www.thesmarteraccountant.com/calendar. I’ll show you how to stop playing catch-up and start building real momentum.

And if this episode gave you even one helpful insight, would you mind sharing it with another accountant? This is the stuff we were never taught—but we absolutely need to know.

The truth is, you’re already smart. But this podcast will show you how to be smarter.

Before I get started, let me ask for a quick favor.  Please leave a rating and a review of the podcast.  Whatever platform you use to listen to the podcast, you can simply leave a quick rating and a review.  I really appreciate it because it will help get the word out to other accountants.

Okay, so let’s start today’s episode with something to consider – saying no is one of the hardest things to do, isn’t it? It feels uncomfortable, maybe even a little selfish.

But the truth is, learning to say no more often might be one of the smartest things you ever do. It can change how you feel about your work, your time, and even your life.

Most accountants I talk to say yes to just about everything. Yes to last-minute client requests, yes to extra work, yes to helping a coworker, yes to family, yes, yes, yes.

And then they wonder why they’re exhausted, overwhelmed, and feeling pulled in a million different directions. It’s not because they don’t work hard enough—it’s because they’re saying yes to too much.

I used to think saying yes meant I was being helpful, responsible, and even a little impressive. But over time, I realized that all those yeses were costing me something.

My time wasn’t really my own. My energy was spread too thin. And I started resenting the very things I had agreed to do.

Have you ever said yes to something and immediately regretted it? Maybe you felt that little pit in your stomach, knowing you just made your life harder.

It’s easy to think that saying yes makes you a team player, a good friend, or a better professional. But what if saying no actually made you smarter about where your time and energy go?

What if saying no didn’t mean missing out but actually meant gaining back control? What if it meant having more space to do what actually matters to you?

I know it’s not easy. The guilt, the worry, the fear of what people will think—it all creeps in.

But what if you could say no in a way that felt good? What would it be like if you could feel more in charge of your time without feeling like you’re letting anyone down?

That’s what we’re going to talk about today. Because the smartest accountants don’t just manage their time—they protect it.

And that starts with learning how to say no.

What Saying No Really Means

Saying no isn’t about being difficult or unhelpful. It’s about being smart with your time, energy, and priorities.

Most accountants don’t struggle with working hard. They struggle with working on the right things because they’re too busy saying yes to everything that comes their way.

Saying no doesn’t mean shutting people out or refusing to help. It means making decisions that support your long-term success instead of reacting to every request that lands on your desk.

Think of it like this—every time you say yes to something, you’re automatically saying no to something else. If you agree to take on a last-minute client request, you might be saying no to finishing your own work on time, getting home for dinner, or even just taking a breath between tasks.

Smarter accountants understand that their time is valuable. They know that every yes should be intentional, not automatic.

One accountant I worked with used to say yes to every single client request, no matter how last-minute or unreasonable. She told herself she was being helpful, but in reality, she was drowning in stress and missing deadlines.

When she finally started saying no—or at least not saying yes right away—something surprising happened. Clients still respected her, her work improved, and she felt less rushed and overwhelmed.

She realized that saying no didn’t hurt her career—it actually made her a better accountant. And it gave her the space to focus on what mattered most.

So now let’s talk about the brain science behind why saying no feels so hard.  

The Brain Science Behind Why Saying No Feels Hard

Saying no seems simple, but your brain often makes it feel impossible. That’s because your brain is wired to seek comfort, avoid conflict, and protect you from perceived risks—even when those risks aren’t real.

One of the biggest reasons saying no feels hard is that the brain craves comfort. Saying yes feels easier in the moment because it avoids the discomfort of setting a boundary or disappointing someone. But what feels good now often leads to stress and overwhelm later.

Then there’s the people-pleasing pattern. When you say yes to someone, your brain gives you a little dopamine hit—the same feel-good chemical that makes eating chocolate or checking social media so satisfying. Your brain likes that quick reward, so it pushes you to keep saying yes, even when you know you shouldn’t.

Another reason your brain resists saying no is something called loss aversion. Your brain naturally fears missing out on opportunities or damaging relationships. It tricks you into thinking that saying no will cause harm, even if saying yes is actually making your life harder.

Part of this struggle comes from the battle between two parts of your brain—the prefrontal cortex and the primitive brain. The prefrontal cortex is the rational part that helps with planning and decision-making. It knows that saying no is important. But the primitive brain is emotional and reactive, and it jumps in with fear, guilt, or worry whenever you try to set a boundary.

So how do you retrain your brain to make saying no easier? It starts with small shifts in thinking. Instead of assuming saying no will cause problems, remind yourself that every no is a yes to something more important. 

Give yourself permission to pause before responding instead of agreeing automatically. And remember that discomfort in the moment is better than stress and regret later.

Once you start rewiring your brain to handle no differently, the next challenge is facing the real-world obstacles that make it even harder. Let’s talk about the biggest struggles accountants have when trying to set boundaries.

Why Accountants Struggle to Say No

Even when you know saying no is the right thing to do, it doesn’t always feel that simple. There are real obstacles that make it hard to set boundaries, especially in a profession where people count on you.

One of the biggest struggles is the fear of disappointing others. Accountants often pride themselves on being reliable, which makes it tough to say no without feeling like they’re letting someone down. But constantly saying yes to avoid upsetting others only leads to frustration and burnout.

Another common fear is worrying about losing clients or opportunities. It seems logical to believe that the more you say yes, the more valuable you become. But in reality, setting boundaries often earns you more respect. Clients and colleagues are more likely to value your time when they see that you do, too.

Then there’s the guilt and internal pressure. Many accountants feel like they should be able to handle everything that comes their way. But instead of asking, “Should I do this?” a better question is, “Is this the best use of my time?” Shifting from guilt to strategy helps make decisions that actually serve you in the long run.

A lack of clear priorities also makes saying no harder. When everything feels important, it’s easy to agree to things out of habit. But when you know what truly matters, it becomes easier to filter out the things that don’t.

I once worked with an accountant who struggled to turn down extra projects, even when she was drowning in work. She felt like saying no would make her seem unhelpful or ungrateful. 

But once she started focusing on the high-impact tasks that actually moved her business forward, she realized something surprising—her work got better, her stress went down, and she had more time for the things that truly mattered.

Overcoming these obstacles isn’t easy, but it’s possible. So let’s dive into why Smarter Accountants choose to say no more often.

Why Smarter Accountants Say No More Often

Time is one thing you can never get back. Once it’s gone, it’s gone, which is why every yes you give automatically means saying no to something else—whether you realize it or not.

Most accountants say yes because they feel like they should. Clients need them, coworkers depend on them, and there’s always more work to be done. But the truth is, saying yes to everything only makes it harder to do anything well.

A big reason for this is something I’ve talked about before on the podcast and it’s called the Mere Urgency Effect. This happens when your brain makes everything feel urgent, even when it’s not. The more you react to every request, the harder it becomes to tell what actually needs your attention.

On top of that, too many decisions wear your brain out. This is called cognitive overload, and it’s why you might feel exhausted at the end of the day even if you didn’t get much done. Every unnecessary yes adds to that mental fatigue.

The more things you take on, the less focus you have. And when your focus is split, the quality of your work suffers. You’re doing more, but you’re not necessarily doing better.

One accountant I worked with used to say yes to everything her clients asked for. She thought it would make them happy, but instead, she felt overwhelmed, rushed, and constantly behind.

Once she started setting boundaries and saying no to things that weren’t truly urgent, her entire work life changed. She had more control over her schedule, got work done more efficiently, and her clients respected her time more than ever.

We’ve covered what’s going on and why we all struggle, now let’s get into how Smarter Accountants are able to say no more often. 

How Smarter Accountants Say No More Often

So how do smarter accountants actually say no more often without feeling terrible about it? They don’t just force themselves to say no—they make it easier by changing how they think about it.

First, smarter accountants give themselves permission to pause. Instead of feeling like they have to answer right away, they build in space by saying things like, “Let me check my schedule and get back to you.”

This short pause gives their brain time to make a thoughtful decision instead of reacting automatically. It helps them shift from people-pleasing to protecting their priorities.

Second, smarter accountants remind themselves that every no is a yes to something else. Saying no isn’t selfish—it’s a smart way to say yes to their own work, health, and well-being.

They keep the bigger picture in mind so that setting boundaries feels good instead of guilt-inducing. They know that every yes needs to be intentional, not automatic.

Third, smarter accountants practice small no’s before tackling bigger ones. They might start by turning down an optional meeting or a task that doesn’t align with their main goals.

Each small no builds their confidence and makes it easier to handle the more difficult situations later. Like anything else, it gets easier with practice.

Finally, smarter accountants use kind but firm language. They’ll say things like, “I’m not able to take that on right now,” or “That doesn’t fit into my schedule this week.”

Being clear and respectful helps set boundaries without sounding defensive or harsh. It also teaches others how to treat their time moving forward.

Over time, each no makes it easier to say the next one. And with every boundary they set, they create more space, more focus, and more control over their time and energy.

Saying no isn’t about shutting people out. It’s about making room for what matters most.

And one of the best ways to do it is by learning from real-life examples of accountants who made this shift. I’ve shared a little bit about some of my clients already, but now I want to look at one powerful transformation.

Becoming a Smarter Accountant: The Most Powerful Transformation I’ve Seen

Of all the accountants I’ve worked with, one transformation stands out the most. This client wasn’t just saying yes too often—she had completely lost control of her time, and she didn’t even realize it.

She was the go-to person for everyone. Clients, colleagues, friends, and even family knew they could rely on her, so they did—constantly. She thought saying yes made her a great accountant, a great coworker, and even a great person. But behind the scenes, she was exhausted, overwhelmed, and running on empty.

She worked late almost every night, yet still felt like she wasn’t doing enough. The stress was affecting her health, her sleep, and her relationships. Worst of all, she started resenting the very people she wanted to help, but she didn’t know how to change.

In our coaching sessions, we focused on one simple but life-changing shift—recognizing the true cost of saying yes. She had never stopped to think about what every yes was taking away from her. When she did, it was eye-opening.

She began practicing a small but powerful habit: pausing before responding. Instead of automatically agreeing to requests, she asked herself, “Is this the best use of my time?” If the answer was no, she gave a short, confident response—without guilt, without over-explaining.

At first, she was terrified of how people would react. Would her clients leave? Would her coworkers think she wasn’t a team player? But something unexpected happened. People respected her boundaries. Some even started mirroring her approach, realizing they, too, had been saying yes too much.

Within weeks, everything changed. She stopped working late every night. Her stress levels dropped. The quality of her work improved because she finally had the time and mental space to focus.

But the most powerful shift happened outside of work. She had more time for her family. She started enjoying her life again. And for the first time in years, she felt in control.

This transformation didn’t happen overnight, but once she saw the results, she never went back to her old ways. Saying no wasn’t about shutting people out—it was about finally putting herself back in the driver’s seat.

And that is the power of learning to say no.

Now that we’ve seen what’s possible, let’s wrap up with the biggest takeaway from today’s episode—and a question for you to think about.

Key Takeaway and Action Item

The smartest accountants aren’t the ones who take on the most work. They’re the ones who know what deserves their time and what doesn’t.

Saying no isn’t about doing less—it’s about doing what matters most. When you stop saying yes out of guilt, fear, or habit, you create space for the work and life you actually want.

You don’t have to change everything overnight. Just start by paying attention to the things you automatically say yes to and ask yourself one simple question.

For this week, ask yourself, ‘What is one thing I’m saying yes to that I know I need to start saying no to?”

Think about that this week. The answer might be exactly what you need to shift how you manage your time, energy, and career.

Pulling Back the Curtain

Pulling back the curtain for a moment…

I used to be the queen of yes. If you needed help? Yes. Last-minute client emergency? Yes. Can I squeeze that in before the weekend? Sure, why not.

I didn’t even realize how automatic it had become. It felt good in the moment—being needed, being helpful. But little by little, the cracks started to show. I was working late every night, feeling completely wiped, and quietly starting to resent the very people I was trying to help.

I remember one Friday night—I had just said yes to reviewing a client’s spreadsheet before Monday. I had already worked a full day, my kids were waiting for dinner, and my husband gave me that look. 

Not judgmental, just… tired. And I realized I hadn’t asked myself the most basic question: Do I actually have the time or energy for this?

That was the night I started rethinking what yes was costing me.

Saying no felt terrible at first. I worried I’d let someone down. That I’d seem selfish or unreliable. But what I didn’t realize is that saying no was actually how I started rebuilding my sanity.

I started small—delaying a response, buying myself some time. “Let me check and get back to you.” It gave me a pause to think, instead of react. And that pause was everything.

It’s funny—once I started saying no, the world didn’t fall apart. People didn’t get mad. Some even respected me more. But the biggest change? I respected myself more. I started trusting myself to know what I could handle—and what I couldn’t.

If this episode hit home for you, I want you to know this: protecting your time is not selfish. It’s strategic. And it’s a big part of what makes an accountant smarter, not just busier.

If you want help figuring out where your time is going and how to reclaim it, take The Smarter Accountant Quiz at www.thesmarteraccountant.com. You’ll see where you might be saying yes out of habit and how to shift that.

And if you’re ready to start saying yes to what matters most—and no to what doesn’t—let’s talk. Schedule your free 30-minute call at www.thesmarteraccountant.com/calendar. I’ll help you get your time, energy, and peace of mind back.

And if this episode gave you something to think about, please share it with another accountant who might need to hear it. Boundaries don’t come naturally in this profession, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get better at them—together.

The truth is, you’re already smart. But this podcast will show you how to be smarter.

Before we get into this week’s episode, I just want to take a moment to welcome any listeners who used to follow me on the CPA MOMS Podcast. After 6 ½ years of hosting that podcast, I was recently let go—which means I now get to focus fully on The Smarter Accountant Podcast. If you’ve been listening to me for a while, I want to reassure you that the same helpful, practical, and honest content you’ve come to expect will absolutely continue here.

And if you’re new to the podcast—welcome! There are over 100 episodes waiting for you, all designed to help you become a smarter, more confident accountant. You can binge, browse, or start wherever you like.

Also, just a quick heads-up: I host a Monthly Group Coaching Program for accountants. We meet on the third Friday of every month at 12 pm EST, and it’s a great space to get support, grow, and connect with others who get what you’re going through. Next month’s topic is Effective Planning, and you’re definitely going to want to check it out.

If you want more details, just email me at dawn@thesmarteraccountant.com. I’d love to have you in the group!

Alright, let’s get into the episode…

Have you ever found yourself feeling uneasy when something good happens? Maybe you nailed a project, got great feedback from a client, or finally took a moment to breathe—and instead of feeling happy, you started worrying about what might go wrong next.

It’s like your brain just can’t let you enjoy the moment. You might not even realize it’s happening because it feels so normal, especially when you’re used to constantly looking for what needs fixing or what’s coming up next. But what if that habit of staying on alert is actually stealing some of your joy?

What if you didn’t have to second-guess your happiness? Imagine celebrating your wins without worrying about what’s coming next.

The truth is, this way of thinking might be doing more harm than you realize. It’s not just about missing out on joy—it could also be adding unnecessary stress to your life and work.

Today I want to talk about a topic that you may have never heard of – foreboding joy – especially as it applies to us as accountants.  

I want to dig into why this happens and how it might be getting in your way. If you’ve ever felt like happiness comes with strings attached, you’re not alone—and we’re going to talk about why it doesn’t have to be that way.

It’s time to give yourself permission to enjoy the good moments—you’ve earned them.

The Concept of “Foreboding Joy”

Have you ever felt really happy about something, only to have this little voice in your head say, “Don’t get too comfortable”? That’s what foreboding joy is—it’s when feeling good makes you nervous, like happiness is a setup for something bad to happen. Instead of enjoying your success, your brain starts playing the ‘what if’ game, stealing the joy from the moment.

This happens a lot to people who are always thinking ahead, like us as accountants. Our job trains us to look for risks, double-check details, and spot mistakes before they cause problems. 

That’s a great skill for work, but it can sneak into other parts of life where it doesn’t really belong. Even when nothing is wrong, your brain might act like there’s trouble just around the corner.

The tricky thing about foreboding joy is how it steals the good moments without you even realizing it. Imagine finishing a big project you worked hard on. Instead of feeling proud or relieved, your brain might say, “What if I missed something?” or “What’s the next problem I need to fix?” That tiny bit of fear can take over, and suddenly, the joy is gone.

Over time, this habit can take a toll. When you’re always bracing for the worst, your stress levels stay high. 

The truth is, it’s exhausting, and it can make everything feel heavier than it needs to be. You might feel like you’re running a never-ending race, constantly pushing forward but never stopping to celebrate the milestones you’ve already hit.

And it doesn’t just affect how you feel about your work. It can creep into your personal life, too. 

Maybe you find it hard to relax, even on vacation, because you’re worried about what’s waiting for you when you get back. Or maybe you shrug off big wins—like landing a new client or getting great feedback—because you’re already thinking about the next challenge.

The problem is, this constant cycle of worry doesn’t actually protect you from anything. All it does is rob you of the chance to enjoy the good stuff you’ve worked so hard for. And when that stress builds up over time, it can lead to burnout, making it even harder to feel good about your work and your life.

But here’s the thing: it doesn’t have to be this way. You don’t have to let fear of what might go wrong take away from what’s going right. Let’s take a closer look at why this happens and what it means for you.

The Brain Science Behind Foreboding Joy

Have you ever wondered why it’s so hard to just enjoy the good moments? It’s not that there’s something wrong with you—it’s just how your brain works. Our brains are wired for survival, not happiness. 

Back when survival meant avoiding wild animals or other dangers, this wiring was super helpful. But now, it can get in the way, especially when you’re trying to feel happy or relaxed.

It’s important to understand that your primitive brain, the part I refer to as the Toddler, is always on the lookout for threats. Think of it as your brain’s alarm system. 

The problem is, it doesn’t always know the difference between a real danger and something harmless, like feeling really happy. Even during joyful moments, your Toddler brain might hit the panic button, making you feel uneasy, like you need to protect yourself.

Here’s where it gets tricky. The brain sometimes connects joy with vulnerability, like letting your guard down might be risky. 

For accountants, this might show up as thoughts like, “If I get too comfortable, I might miss something,” or “What if I make a mistake and everything falls apart?” It’s as if your brain is trying to keep you safe by reminding you not to relax too much.

This is especially true in the accounting world, where so much of our job is about being precise and catching errors. We’re trained to think ahead, double-check everything, and avoid risks at all costs. 

That’s an amazing skill, but it can also make our accountant brain hyper-focused on what might go wrong, even when everything is going right.

Think about how often you scan for problems, even in moments where there aren’t any. It’s like your brain is stuck in work mode, always looking for the next issue to solve. 

This makes it even harder to trust happy moments because your mind is already on high alert, waiting for something to go wrong.

The good news is, this doesn’t mean you’re doomed to feel this way forever. Once you understand how your brain works, you can start to see that those uneasy feelings aren’t warnings—they’re just habits your brain has picked up over time. And like any habit, it’s possible to change it.

Understanding how your brain works is the first step to breaking free from this cycle, but it’s also important to look at how this habit shows up in your day-to-day life. Let’s look at some real-life examples of foreboding joy and how it might be holding you back.

Examples of Foreboding Joy in the Accounting World

Have you ever wrapped up a massive tax return ahead of the deadline, only to feel a wave of worry instead of relief? Maybe your brain starts spinning with thoughts like, “What if I missed a deduction?” or “Did I file the right form?” Instead of celebrating the win, you’re stuck double-guessing your own work.

Or how about when you’re preparing for an important client meeting? You finish all the prep and feel ready, but then the doubts creep in: “What if they ask a question I didn’t think of?” or “What if they aren’t happy with my recommendations?” It’s like your brain won’t let you trust that you’re prepared.

Then there’s the annual review. You get glowing feedback from your boss, and instead of feeling proud, you start thinking, “What if I can’t meet their expectations next year?” It’s like you can’t let yourself enjoy the moment because your brain is already looking for the next challenge—or the next thing to worry about.

Even after delivering spotless financial statements to a client, you might catch yourself holding your breath, wondering, “What if they find something I missed?” You’ve triple-checked everything, but it doesn’t stop that uneasy feeling from creeping in.

These moments happen all the time in a profession where precision and problem-solving are key. But when your brain is constantly focused on what could go wrong, it’s easy to miss out on what’s going right.

I’ve actually spoken to many of my coaching clients about this subject and how foreboding joy shows up in their lives, but now I want to talk about what this pattern might be costing you in the long run.

The Cost of Foreboding Joy

Foreboding joy doesn’t just take the fun out of happy moments—it can sneak into every corner of your life. Have you ever been with your family, but your mind was somewhere else, stuck on work? 

Maybe you’re at your kid’s soccer game or celebrating a birthday, but you can’t fully enjoy it because you’re worrying about deadlines or the emails piling up. It’s like your brain has a hard time letting you enjoy the peace and keeps dragging you back to work worries.

Even when you do take a break, do you ever feel guilty about it? Like you should be doing more, even if you’ve been working nonstop? That constant feeling of “not doing enough” can turn downtime into just another source of stress, instead of the recharge time you really need.

At work, the cost of foreboding joy can add up fast. When you’re always stressed or anxious, it’s harder to stay focused or productive. You might find yourself making small mistakes or feeling drained, no matter how much effort you’re putting in.

It can also affect your relationships with clients and coworkers. Chronic stress has a way of making us less patient, less present, and even less creative. You might miss out on opportunities to grow your career or take on new challenges because you’re stuck in “just keep up” mode.

When foreboding joy becomes the norm, it’s easy to lose sight of why you started this work in the first place. It can leave you feeling disconnected from the things that matter most, both personally and professionally. But here’s the thing: it doesn’t have to stay this way. Let’s explore how you can start shifting this mindset and make room for more joy in your life.

How to Start Shifting This Mindset and Make Room for Joy

The good news is, you can teach your brain a new way to handle joy. It starts with something simple: noticing. 

The next time you feel happy or proud, pause and ask yourself, “What am I thinking right now?” Awareness is the first step to breaking the habit of jumping to worst-case scenarios.

Once you’ve noticed the thought, try gently challenging it. For example, if your brain says, “This won’t last,” you can ask, “What if it does?” Or if you think, “I don’t deserve this,” remind yourself, “I worked hard for this, and I’ve earned it.” 

It’s not about forcing yourself to feel differently—it’s about giving your brain permission to see things in a new way.

Another powerful shift is learning to celebrate the small wins. You don’t have to wait for a huge milestone to feel joy. Finished a tough project? Take five minutes to savor it before jumping to the next task. Landed a new client? Treat yourself to your favorite coffee. 

These little celebrations can help retrain your brain to stay present in the good moments.

It also helps to remind yourself that joy isn’t dangerous. Sometimes, we avoid feeling happy because we think it makes us vulnerable, like we’re letting our guard down. 

But joy isn’t the enemy—it’s what gives you the energy and motivation to keep going. Letting yourself feel good doesn’t mean you’re being careless. It means you’re recharging for what’s ahead.

Finally, practice gratitude. It might sound simple, but taking a moment each day to write down a few things you’re grateful for can change how your brain sees the world. 

Gratitude helps shift your focus from what might go wrong to what’s already going right. Over time, this habit can make joy feel less scary and more natural.

Shifting your mindset isn’t something that happens overnight, and that’s okay. The important thing is to start. By noticing your thoughts and shifting them gently, you can create space for joy without fear tagging along.

Becoming a Smarter Accountant: Learning To Make Room For Joy

As I said before, I’ve spoken to many coaching clients about this topic, so now I want to share about one particular coaching client.

When I started working with her, she looked like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. She told me how every time she finished a big project, instead of feeling proud or relieved, her mind would go straight to, “What if I missed something?” 

She couldn’t stop replaying her work in her head, searching for mistakes that weren’t there. Even when her boss praised her or a client sent a thank-you email, she couldn’t enjoy it. She was always worrying about the next deadline, the next task, or the next problem waiting to pop up.

And it wasn’t just work. She shared how she’d be sitting at her daughter’s piano recital, trying to stay present, but her mind kept drifting to an unfinished email or a report she needed to double-check. 

She felt so guilty for missing those moments with her family, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t turn her brain off. She said it felt like running on a treadmill that never stopped—no matter how much she did, it was never enough.

As she started The Smarter Accountant Program, she started to notice how much her thoughts were getting in the way. I helped her practice simple things, like pausing when she felt that rush of worry and asking herself, “What if I’ve already done enough?” or “What’s going right in this moment?” 

She told me about a moment that changed everything: she had just signed a huge client she’d been chasing for months. Her first instinct was to worry about whether she’d meet their expectations, but this time, she caught herself. 

Instead of spiraling, she let herself celebrate. She even called her family to share the news—something she said she’d never done before.

In just a short amount of time, I saw her start to shift. She became more aware of those moments when worry wanted to take over, and instead, she learned how to focus on the good things. 

She started celebrating small wins, like wrapping up a report ahead of schedule or even just leaving work on time. She told me she felt lighter and more in control, not just at work but at home, too.

Her story is proof that you don’t have to fix everything overnight. It’s about catching those moments when fear tries to take over and reminding yourself that it’s okay to feel proud, to celebrate, and to let joy in. 

Now I’m going to share the key takeaway from today and an action item for the upcoming week.

Key Takeaway and Action Item

The key takeaway is that joy doesn’t make you vulnerable—your thoughts about it do. Letting yourself enjoy the good moments doesn’t mean you’re letting your guard down; it means you’re giving yourself the energy to take on whatever comes next.

For this week, ask yourself, “What if I let myself enjoy this moment without worrying about what’s next?”

This is a great question because it helps you slow down and stay in the moment. Instead of letting your brain jump to “what if” scenarios, it gently shifts your focus to what’s happening right now. 

By practicing this, you can teach your brain that it’s okay to feel happy—it doesn’t mean you’re ignoring problems, it just means you’re letting yourself feel good when good things happen. Over time, this can make joy feel less scary and more natural.

Pulling Back the Curtain

Pulling back the curtain for a moment…

I remember one tax season where everything was, on paper, going really well. Clients were happy, returns were ahead of schedule, and even my calendar felt manageable for once. But instead of enjoying it, I found myself bracing for something to go wrong.

I’d lie in bed at night going over things I’d already triple-checked. I’d get a kind email from a client and immediately think, “Did I miss something?” It was like I couldn’t fully let myself feel good about anything—I was too busy scanning for the next problem.

That’s foreboding joy.

I didn’t have the name for it at the time, but I lived it. Every win came with a silent warning from my brain: “Don’t relax. Don’t get too happy. You’ll jinx it.”

And I get why. As accountants, we’re trained to anticipate issues. To be thorough. To stay one step ahead. But no one tells us that those same skills can make joy feel like a risk instead of a reward.

What changed things for me was realizing that I didn’t need to earn joy—it was okay to feel it as it was happening. Not later. Not after everything was perfect. Right now.

So if this episode hit home for you, I want you to know this: you’re not weird, broken, or alone. You’re just human. A human with a brain that’s trying to protect you the best way it knows how. But that doesn’t mean you have to listen to every warning it throws at you.

If you want to better understand your accountant brain and how it might be keeping you stuck in fear instead of letting you enjoy the wins, take The Smarter Accountant Quiz at www.thesmarteraccountant.com.

And if you want help untangling some of the patterns you’ve built over time, I’d love to talk. Book a free 30-minute call with me at www.thesmarteraccountant.com/calendar. You don’t have to figure this out alone.

And if this episode felt helpful, please share it with another accountant. There are so many of us walking around waiting for the other shoe to drop—and maybe all it takes is one conversation to let in a little more joy.

The truth is, you’re already smart. But this podcast will show you how to be smarter.

Before we dive in, I wanted to let you know that applications to work with me for July, August, or September are now open!

If you’ve been thinking about getting support—whether it’s with time management, stress, or feeling more in control of your day—this is your chance.

I only take a few accountants each quarter, and if you’re ready to stop spinning your wheels, I’d love to hear from you.  And don’t worry if you have vacation plans; we’ll work around them because I believe that coaching should support your life, not interrupt it.

If you’re interested, just head over to www.thesmarteraccountant.com/application to apply. It’s short, simple, and could be the start of a whole new chapter for you.

Alright, let’s get into the episode…

Okay, let’s talk about time management as accountants because time management is hard enough, but if you’re a perfectionist, it can feel downright impossible. You want everything to be just right, but that takes time—way more time than you actually have.

You check, double-check, and then maybe check one more time, just to be safe. You tweak little details, rewrite emails, and overthink simple decisions. And before you know it, the day is over, and your to-do list is still staring at you.

It’s frustrating, right? You work so hard, but somehow, it still feels like you’re always behind.

Perfectionism makes you believe that if you just try a little harder, everything will turn out exactly the way you want. But the truth is, the harder you try to control everything, the more out of control you actually feel.

For example, have you ever noticed how some people seem to get things done so much faster than you? Meanwhile, you’re stuck, spending way too much time making sure everything is “just right.”

That’s because perfectionism steals your time. It tricks you into thinking that spending extra time on something makes it better when, most of the time, it just keeps you stuck in a loop of never feeling done.

And here’s the thing—it’s not your fault. Your brain is wired to avoid mistakes, so it pushes you to keep fixing, redoing, and making things “perfect.”

But let’s be honest—perfect doesn’t actually exist because it’s subjective. And chasing it just leads to unwanted stress, exhaustion, and feeling like there’s never enough time.

Imagine what it would feel like to finish something without second-guessing yourself. To wrap up your work, close your laptop, and feel done—without overworking yourself or staying late.

That’s not just a nice idea—it’s completely possible. And it doesn’t mean lowering your standards. It just means managing your time in a way that actually works for you, instead of against you.

So how do you stop perfectionism from running the show? And how can you still do great work without wasting hours on tiny details?

That’s exactly what we’re going to talk about today. Let’s get into it.

How Perfectionism Wastes Time

Perfectionism feels like it should help you work better, but in reality, it just slows you down. You spend extra time tweaking things, making sure every little detail is just right—but at some point, all that extra effort stops making a difference.

It’s called diminishing returns—where more time doesn’t actually mean better results. The 80/20 Rule explains this perfectly: 80% of your results come from just 20% of your effort. But perfectionism makes you focus on the other 80%, the tiny details that don’t actually move the needle.

And let’s also talk about mistakes. Perfectionism convinces you that making a mistake is the worst thing that could happen. So instead of finishing a task and moving on, you overthink, double-check, and even redo things that didn’t really need fixing.

There’s actual research on this. A study from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that perfectionists experience much more anxiety and procrastination. Basically, the more pressure you put on yourself to be perfect, the harder it is to get things done.

That’s why perfectionism and procrastination go hand in hand. When you feel like something has to be perfect, it’s easy to put it off until you “have enough time” to do it right. But that time never really comes, does it? Instead, tasks pile up, and stress levels go through the roof.

And that stress is not just annoying—it’s exhausting. The more time you waste perfecting the little things, the less time you have for high-impact work. The important things keep getting pushed to the side while you’re stuck fine-tuning things that don’t really matter.

As we all know as accountants, over time, this leads to burnout. You work longer hours, feel more frustrated, and struggle to find a balance between work and life. And even after all that effort, you still don’t feel like you’ve done enough.

So why does this happen? Why does your brain push you to spend so much time on things that don’t actually help? Let’s take a look at what’s going on next.

The Brain Science Behind Perfectionism and Time Management

If you’ve ever felt like you have to make something perfect, even when you know it’s taking too long, there’s a reason for that. Your brain is actually wired to push you toward perfectionism—even when it’s not helping you.

It all starts with your threat response. The part of your brain that I call the Toddler is designed to keep you safe. But it doesn’t just react to physical danger—it reacts to anything that feels like a threat, including the fear of making a mistake. That’s why perfectionism can feel so intense—it’s not just about doing good work, it’s about avoiding what feels like a failure.

And then there’s dopamine, the feel-good chemical. Every time you fix something, tweak a detail, or make something “better,” your brain gives you a little dopamine hit. 

It feels rewarding in the moment, which makes you want to keep doing it. But that’s how you get stuck in the perfectionist loop—where you keep working on something long past the point where it actually matters.

This also ties into something I’ve discussed on the podcast before called the Mere Urgency Effect. Your brain loves to feel productive, so it pushes you to focus on tasks that seem urgent—even if they’re not important. That’s why you might spend an hour formatting a spreadsheet instead of tackling the high-impact work that actually moves things forward.

And then there’s the Zeigarnik Effect, which makes your brain fixate on unfinished tasks. When something isn’t quite “done,” your brain keeps pulling you back to it, making it hard to move on. This is why perfectionists struggle to let things go—even when they know it’s time to stop.

For example, let’s say you’re writing a client email. You draft it, read it over, and it’s perfectly fine—but instead of hitting send, you reread it again… and again. Maybe you change a word, adjust the tone, reformat a sentence. Even though it was ready 20 minutes ago, your brain won’t let it go because it still feels unfinished. 

That’s the Zeigarnik Effect in action—your brain keeps the task “open” until it’s resolved, and perfectionism makes that resolution nearly impossible to reach. The result is that you stay stuck in the loop, wasting time and mental energy, even when the work is already good enough.

The good news is that just because your brain is wired this way doesn’t mean you have to stay stuck in perfectionism. There’s a smarter way to manage your time without feeling like you’re cutting corners. Let’s talk about what that looks like.

A Smarter Way to Manage Time as a Perfectionist (What You Need to Know)

If you’re a perfectionist, the idea of letting something be just good enough probably makes you a little uncomfortable. But the truth is, perfection isn’t what makes you great at what you do—progress is. The smartest accountants learn to manage their time in a way that works with their brain, not against it.

Here are six smarter shifts that can help:

Shift #1: Adopt the “Done is Better Than Perfect” Mindset

Perfectionists tend to think in extremes—something is either flawless, or it’s a failure. But most things don’t need to be perfect to be effective. Real progress happens when you focus on getting things done instead of getting them perfect.

For example, let’s say you’re preparing slides for a client meeting. You spend an hour tweaking fonts and adjusting spacing, even though the content is already solid. Instead, if you decided early on that your goal was clear communication—not visual perfection—you’d be done in half the time and still make a great impression.

Shift #2: Use the 80% Rule

Before you spend extra time on something, ask yourself, “Is this good enough to be effective?” If the answer is yes, it’s time to move on.

Let me give you my own example. Before writing my book and launching this podcast, I started The CPA MOMS Podcast about 6 years ago. Each week I would do the research, write out the show notes, and hand them to my husband for feedback. I jokingly referred to him as the editor.

I told him, “Just give me a rating on a scale of 1 to 10 and be honest.” The first time he gave me an 8 out of 10, I said, “Great! Nothing more needs to be done.” He was confused—“You don’t want it to be a 10?” I explained that I wanted the podcast to be sustainable, and trying to make every episode a 10 would be a waste of my time and energy.

Now, I use AI tools to analyze the show notes, and as soon as I see an 8 or above, I know it’s time to move on.

Shift #3: Time Block With Constraints

Perfectionism loves open-ended time. But when you set limits upfront, your brain is more likely to stay focused. For example, if you give yourself 30 minutes to review a report, you’ll avoid the rabbit hole of over-fixing details that don’t actually matter.

For example, one of my coaching clients would spend hours preparing month-end financials because she wanted every number perfectly formatted. Once she started blocking 45 minutes for prep, she found she was still delivering excellent reports—but without the mental and emotional drain of trying to make them look “perfect.”

Shift #4: Pre-Decide What’s “Good Enough”

Another powerful technique is deciding what “done” looks like before you even start.

If you’re writing an email, tell yourself: “One draft and a quick read-through, then I hit send.” This simple pre-decision keeps you from falling into the trap of rewriting the same thing five times and still feeling unsure.

For example, imagine you need to respond to a client’s question. Instead of crafting the “perfect” reply and second-guessing every sentence, decide upfront: “Two paragraphs that clearly answer the question, then send.” That decision alone can save you 20–30 minutes and help you feel more confident moving on.

Shift #5: Focus on High-Impact Work

Perfectionists often spend too much time on things that feel urgent but don’t actually move the needle.

That’s where The Decision Matrix comes in. It helps you prioritize based on impact—so your time and energy go toward what matters most, not what’s nagging for your attention. I go deeper into this in The Smarter Accountant Time Management Program, but even a basic shift in focus can make a big difference—especially for perfectionists.

For example, say you’re debating whether to spend another hour proofreading an internal memo or use that hour to prep for a client meeting that could result in new business. Perfectionism might tempt you to polish the memo, but smarter time management will direct you to the task that creates the biggest result.

Shift #6: Reframe Mistakes

The goal isn’t to avoid mistakes—it’s to stop fearing them. Successful people don’t obsess over perfection. They make decisions, take action, and learn along the way.

If you see every mistake as proof you weren’t good enough, you’ll stay stuck. But if you see it as part of the process, you’ll keep growing. Perfectionism might try to protect you from mistakes, but it often just keeps you from moving forward.

For example, one accountant I worked with used to dread sending out draft reports to clients. She didn’t want to be “wrong,” so she’d delay until every possible issue was resolved. Once she began reframing those drafts as a collaboration tool, not a final verdict, she felt less pressure—and clients appreciated the faster turnaround and opportunity to provide feedback.

These shifts make a huge difference, but change doesn’t happen overnight. So what does it actually look like when an accountant moves from perfectionism to a smarter way of working? Let’s take a look at a real-life example.

Becoming a Smarter Accountant: Better Time Management For a Perfectionist

I’ve worked with many coaching clients on better time management for perfectionists, but let me share one story of an accountant who was stuck in the perfectionist trap. Every email, every financial report—triple-checked. Then checked again. 

They stayed late almost every night, trying to make sure everything was flawless, but no matter how much time they put in, it never felt like enough.

They were constantly behind, even though they worked harder than most people around them. There was always one more thing to fix, one more tweak to make. And because of that, their to-do list never seemed to shrink. 

Even when they weren’t at work, they couldn’t shut their brain off. They felt guilty spending time with family because they should be getting more done. But at the same time, they were exhausted from working so much.

During coaching, we focused on small but powerful shifts—applying the 80% Rule, setting time limits, and learning to trust their own judgment. At first, it felt super uncomfortable. They worried that if they didn’t double-check everything, they’d make mistakes or disappoint someone. 

But as they practiced, they started to see that letting things be good enough didn’t mean settling—it meant freeing up their time for the work that actually mattered.

And that’s exactly what happened. Instead of spending hours tweaking reports, they learned to stop when something was effective, not perfect. They started finishing important tasks earlier in the day, instead of scrambling at the last minute because they had wasted time on minor details. 

They stopped rewriting emails five times before sending them. And guess what? Nothing bad happened. The quality of their work didn’t drop. If anything, they were getting better results because they had more time to focus on what actually needed their attention.

But the biggest win was that they got their life back. No more late nights obsessing over tiny details. No more bringing work stress home. 

They actually enjoyed dinner with their family without their mind running through all the things they should be doing. And for the first time in a long time, they felt done at the end of the workday.

This kind of change doesn’t happen overnight, but it is possible. It starts with a simple shift in how you think about time, work, and perfectionism. 

And that brings me to the key takeaway from this episode and one key question I want you to ask yourself.

Key Takeaway and Action Item

The key takeaway from today’s episode is that perfectionism isn’t helping you work better—it’s just stealing your time. The more you try to make everything flawless, the less time you have for the things that actually matter. The smartest accountants don’t waste hours on unnecessary details. They know when to stop, trust their work, and move on.

For this week, ask yourself: “What would happen if I let ‘good enough’ be enough?”

Perfectionism makes you believe that stopping before something is perfect means you’re cutting corners. But what if that wasn’t true? What if you could still produce high-quality work without all the overthinking, redoing, and second-guessing?

And here’s something most perfectionists don’t realize—it’s not just the time you waste while working, it’s the time you waste after working. If you end your day thinking, “I didn’t get enough done,” you’re going to feel frustrated or discouraged. And those emotions won’t fuel the kind of productive, efficient work you need the next day.

This is why I teach my time management coaching clients something called The After Model—because what you think and feel about your work at the end of the day directly impacts how productive you are tomorrow. If you keep telling yourself you should’ve done more, your brain will always believe you’re behind. 

But if instead, you choose a thought like, “I made progress, and I’ll finish this tomorrow,” you’ll feel more focused and in control.

Perfectionists aren’t just hard on themselves while they’re working—they’re hard on themselves after the work is done. But shifting how you think about what did or didn’t get done will make a huge difference in how you show up the next day.

The reality is, most of the extra time you spend fixing things doesn’t change the outcome—it just drains your energy. What if you used that time to tackle more important tasks? Or better yet, what if you used that time to actually enjoy life outside of work?

Perfectionism might feel like it’s helping you do better work, but in reality, it’s just slowing you down. It leads to inefficiency, procrastination, and burnout, making it harder to stay on top of everything. And as we’ve seen, there’s actual brain science behind why it’s so tough to let go of perfectionism and move on.

But here’s the good news—you don’t have to stay stuck in this cycle. Smarter time management isn’t about cutting corners. It’s about knowing when good enough is truly enough and putting your time into the things that actually matter.

At the end of the day, your value as an accountant isn’t in perfect work—it’s in smart, strategic thinking. The more time you waste chasing perfection, the less time you have for high-impact work, for growing your career, and for actually enjoying your life outside of work.

Now, imagine what would happen if you finally gave yourself permission to move on. That’s where real productivity begins.

Pulling Back the Curtain

Pulling back the curtain for a moment…

Perfectionism has been a companion of mine for as long as I can remember. Even early in my career, I wore it like a badge of honor, especially working for the Big 4. I thought it made me better—more responsible, more dependable, more professional.

But over time, it stopped feeling like a strength and started feeling like a trap.

I remember staying late at the office, rereading the same email over and over, rewriting a single paragraph three times, just because it didn’t sound quite right.

And when I’d finally hit send, instead of feeling satisfied, I’d feel tense—like I had missed something, like I should’ve done more. That part was the hardest. Not the doing—it was the never feeling done.

And perfectionism didn’t clock out when I did. I’d come home to my family and my brain would still be spinning. “Should I have added that line to the report? Did I sound too direct in that meeting? Was that spreadsheet formatted exactly right?”

It took me years to realize that perfectionism wasn’t about high standards. It was about fear. Fear of judgment. Fear of being wrong. Fear of not being enough.

And it was stealing my time. Not just during the workday, but in the moments that were supposed to be mine.

That’s when everything started to shift—when I decided that I didn’t need to be perfect to be effective. When I stopped obsessing over the last 10% and started focusing on what actually mattered.

And the interesting thing is that nothing fell apart. I didn’t suddenly become sloppy or careless. If anything, my work got better. It became clearer, more strategic, more sustainable.

If this episode struck a chord and you’ve been thinking, “I need this kind of support,” fill out an application to work with me for July, August, or September are now open.

I work with a small number of accountants each quarter who are ready to stop feeling behind and start working smarter—not harder.

If that sounds like you, head over to www.thesmarteraccountant.com/application and fill out a quick application. We’ll take it from there.

And don’t worry if you’ve got summer plans—we can absolutely work around them.

And if this episode felt helpful, would you do me a favor and share it with another accountant? Perfectionism is everywhere in our profession, but it doesn’t have to be the standard anymore.

The truth is that you’re already smart, but this podcast will show you how to be smarter.

Before I get started I wanted to mention a bonus I created for all the podcast listeners who have challenges with time management.  If you’ve ever felt like you’re behind no matter how hard you work, or like everything on your list feels urgent, The Smarter Accountant’s Cheat Sheet for Better Time Management will help you finally understand what’s really going on.

Inside, I break down 7 common time drains accountants deal with, what your brain has to do with it, and what you can start thinking differently so you’re not ending the day feeling frustrated and unfinished.

If that sounds like something you need, you can grab your copy at thesmarteraccountant.com/cheat-sheet. It’s free, and it’s really helpful.

Alright—let’s talk about something I know so many accountants deal with: that weird feeling like you’re not in charge of your day.

You’ve got a plan. You’ve got a list. But then something small—an email, a craving, a client request—suddenly takes over. And before you know it, the day feels like it’s running you.

That’s what we’re getting into today: feeling more in control. Because when you don’t feel in control, everything feels harder.

For example, you want to stop working at a certain time… but keep going. You want to focus on one thing… but keep bouncing. You tell yourself “no more scrolling”… and then catch yourself doing it again.

It’s like your brain has its own plans, and you’re just along for the ride.

That used to be me. I’d finish a full day of work, check a bunch of things off my list, and still feel like I was behind. I couldn’t figure out why I felt so off when I was getting so much done.

Turns out, control isn’t about doing more—it’s about how you feel while you’re doing it. And whether you’re making decisions on purpose or reacting without thinking.

When your day feels like one long reaction, it’s draining. You lose focus. Everything starts to feel heavier than it should.

And let’s not forget the guilt. You say you’re not going to check your email every five minutes, or you promise you’ll stop working at six, and then you don’t. That voice in your head gets louder: “See? You can’t even stick to this.”

But what if none of that had to mean anything bad about you? What if you weren’t weak… and just needed a different way to think about what’s happening?

That’s what we’re talking about today. No tricks. No pressure. Just something simple that can honestly shift how your whole day feels—one urge at a time.

What Urges Are and Why They Matter

Let’s start by talking about urges—those little nudges your brain sends that can totally throw off your day.

They can show up fast and strong, like a tiny voice saying, “Check your email,” “Grab a snack,” or “Say yes, even though you’re already swamped.”

And even though they seem like they come out of nowhere, they don’t. They’re actually sentences in your brain that create emotions that show up in your body.

Maybe you feel your chest tighten. Maybe your leg starts bouncing. Maybe you get that restless feeling that makes it hard to sit still or focus.

That’s your brain doing what it’s been trained to do. Most urges are tied to something it has learned over time—like when you feel stressed and your brain says, “Let’s fix this fast.”

So you check your email. Or grab your phone. Or reach for something to eat. And your brain goes, “Whew, that’s better.”

That tiny moment of relief creates what’s called a habit loop. It tells your brain, “That worked, let’s do it again next time.”

And the more that loop gets repeated, the stronger it becomes—even if it’s not actually helping you.

This is something most accountants were never taught to notice. We were told to work harder. Push through. Be more disciplined.

And maybe that works for a while… until you hit a wall. Until you’re too tired, too busy, or just too frustrated—and your primitive brain takes the wheel.

The truth is, fighting urges all day is exhausting. And the more you try to ignore them or push them away, the louder they tend to get.

Even though you can’t outwork an urge, you can learn to let it show up without acting on it.

That’s the shift. And it’s one that makes a big difference.

It might sound a little strange at first, but learning how to allow an urge without doing anything is a real skill. One that can totally change how you move through your day.

Let’s talk about what’s going on in your brain when an urge shows up, so you can start to see it a little differently.

The Brain Science Behind Urges

Your brain is built to help you feel better fast. That’s its thing.

It doesn’t care about your calendar or long-term plans. It cares about comfort—and it wants it now.

That’s where dopamine comes in. It’s the feel-good chemical your brain releases when something seems rewarding.

So let’s say you’re feeling stressed and you check your email. Your brain goes, “Ahh, that worked,” and gives you a little dopamine boost.

It’s tiny, but it’s enough to make your brain say, “Let’s do that again next time.”

And that’s how a habit starts. Your brain remembers what gave it relief, and it wants to repeat it.

Each time you give in to an urge, you make that habit loop stronger. It’s like walking the same trail over and over—it gets clearer and easier to follow.

The tricky part is, your brain thinks it’s helping. Even if the habit isn’t helpful, it still feels good in the moment.

But here’s the good news: your brain can change. You’re not stuck with the old trail.

It doesn’t take willpower. It takes awareness.

When you feel an urge and don’t act on it, you interrupt the loop. You teach your brain, “We’re doing something new now.”

At first, it might not like that. The urge might feel stronger. That’s normal.

But if you keep allowing it without reacting, your brain starts to quiet down. It stops pushing so hard.

And the more you allow, the less urgent the urges feel. Your brain starts to learn that it doesn’t need the reward to be okay.

You start to feel more in charge. Not because the urges go away completely—but because they stop running the show.

Now that you know what’s going on in your brain, I want to explain how the 100 urges process works, and why it’s such a helpful way to build real control.

How the 100 Urge Process Works

Let’s talk about what it actually means to allow an urge—because it’s not about stopping it or pushing it away.

It’s about letting the feeling show up, noticing it in your body, and deciding not to react.

That might look like this: you feel the urge to check your email, grab your phone, or say yes to something you don’t want to do. You pause, take a breath, and tell yourself, “This is just a feeling. I don’t have to act on it.”

You might feel it in your chest. Or your arms. Or that strong pull to do something right away. That’s all normal.

You don’t need to fix it or make it go away. You just stay with it for a few seconds.

That’s what allowing looks like. No big drama. Just staying with the feeling and letting it pass on its own.

The 100 urges idea is about turning this into a small daily practice—one urge at a time. And if 100 feels like too much right now, start with 10. You can always build from there.

Here’s are some quick steps to start allowing urges:

1 – Notice the urge

Pause when you feel pulled to do something out of habit—like checking email, grabbing a snack, or reacting quickly.

2 – Name it

Say to yourself, “This is just an urge.” That simple sentence helps create space.

3 – Feel it in your body

Where is it showing up—tight chest, racing thoughts, fidgeting? No need to change it. Just notice.

4 – Take one slow breath

Remind yourself, “I don’t have to do anything right now.”

5 – Let it pass

Most urges fade in less than 90 seconds when you don’t react to them.

6 – Track it

If you allowed the urge without acting, give yourself credit. Check off a box or mark it somewhere. Tracking it will help you reach whatever goal you set and it will help you rewire your brain.

7 – Keep going

If you gave in, it’s okay. You don’t count that one. No guilt—just try again next time.

That’s all this is. One urge at a time. You don’t need to do anything perfectly—you just need to practice.

And once you’ve allowed even 10 urges, you’ll start to notice a shift. You’ll feel a little steadier. A little more in charge.

By the time you reach 100, your brain will be in a whole new place.

Now I want to show you what this looked like for a coaching client of mine. Her story might sound familiar.

Becoming a Smarter Accountant: Allowing 100 Urges

One of my coaching clients came to me feeling like her workdays were running her—not the other way around. She was smart, hardworking, great with clients… but she felt completely out of control.

She told me she was checking her email constantly. Not just a few times a day—every few minutes. Half the time, she didn’t even notice she was doing it.

She always felt behind, like something was slipping through the cracks. And even when she wasn’t behind, she still felt that pressure.

She blamed herself. She kept saying, “If I could just stop checking, I’d be fine.” She thought it was a discipline problem.

But when we started working together, it became clear it wasn’t really about the email.

It was the urge to check it whenever she felt anxious. Her brain had made that connection—stress pops up, email gives relief. That became her loop.

At first, she didn’t think allowing the urge without checking would make a difference. But she agreed to try it once a day. Just once.

She’d notice the urge, take a breath, and do nothing.

She started to see it for what it was—a little ripple in her body that passed quicker than she expected. It wasn’t a problem. It wasn’t an emergency.

Little by little, she stopped reacting. She trusted her planned email time was enough. Her calendar felt doable again.

She said to me, “I feel like I finally have my brain back.”

She didn’t turn into a robot. She still felt stress. She still had urges. But now she understood what was happening—and didn’t panic when they showed up.

She wasn’t stuck in the same loop anymore. She was aware of what was going on.

And that changed everything.

Key Takeaway and Action Item

The key takeaway from this episode is that you don’t have to fight urges. That’s not the answer.

You just need to understand what they are and what your brain is trying to do when they show up.

Once you start noticing them instead of reacting to them, everything starts to shift. Even allowing one or two can remind you that you’re not stuck.

You’re capable of showing up in a new way. And you don’t need to do it perfectly for it to make a difference.

If you want to try this today, here’s a question to ask yourself:

“What urge do I usually give in to that I’m willing to allow today instead?”

That one small moment of awareness might be all you need to take your day in a better direction.

So much of the pressure accountants feel doesn’t come from the work itself. It comes from feeling like we’re not in control of how we’re showing up to it.

When you learn to allow urges instead of reacting to them, you start to build something that no calendar or planner can give you—real self-trust.

You start to see that you don’t have to be pulled around by your day. You get to decide how you show up to it.

And the more you practice allowing urges, the easier it gets. It becomes less about willpower and more about awareness.

Pulling Back the Curtain

Pulling back the curtain for a moment…

There was a time in my life when I didn’t realize how often I was reacting to urges. Little things—like checking email when I felt anxious, grabbing a snack when I was overwhelmed, or staying up late working because I felt behind.

And what’s interesting is that I was still getting things done. I was still checking boxes, showing up, being productive. But inside I felt completely out of control.

It was like I was following this invisible script all day long—without even realizing I was doing it. And the part that hit me the hardest was when I realized how normal it had all started to feel.

I remember one afternoon—I had blocked time for something important, but I kept checking email. Every few minutes. I’d tell myself, “Just one quick look,” and then 30 minutes would go by. I wasn’t even aware of the urge anymore. I had become the urge.

That’s when I realized: productivity isn’t the same thing as control. I could be efficient and still feel totally hijacked by my brain.

Learning to allow urges—actually feel them without giving in—was uncomfortable at first. But once I got the hang of it, everything started to shift. I wasn’t constantly pulled in a hundred directions. I could feel an urge and just… breathe. Wait. Let it pass.

It felt like I was finally in the driver’s seat. Not fighting myself, not trying to be perfect—just noticing, choosing, and moving forward with more intention.

And that’s why I teach this to the accountants I coach. Because this one mental skill—allowing urges—has the power to make you feel calm, focused, and genuinely in control, even when the work is intense.

If this episode hit home and you’re ready to feel more in control of your time, your focus, or even just your brain during the day, I invite you to take The Smarter Accountant Quiz at www.thesmarteraccountant.com.

It’s a quick and insightful way to uncover the real reasons your day might feel harder than it needs to be.

And if you’re ready to take back control but aren’t sure where to start, book a free 30-minute call with me at www.thesmarteraccountant.com/calendar. We’ll talk through what’s happening, what your brain’s doing, and how to make things easier.

And if you’ve been enjoying this podcast, I’d be so grateful if you shared it with another accountant. Most of us were never taught this stuff—and the more we spread the word, the more we can change what it means to be successful in this profession.

The truth is that you’re already smart, but this podcast will show you how to be smarter.

Before I get started I wanted to let you know that I’m going to be offering the same CPE course a few times each month and so the next time the Smarter Accountant CPE Course “Everything You Need To Know About Procrastination” will be offered is on Friday, June 13th at 12 pm EST.  You can sign up at https://thesmarteraccountant.com/cpe/.  You’ll not only get CPE credit but I will also be sending the replay and a workbook so that you can apply what you learned.

Have you ever looked at your workday and thought, “Does it really have to be this exhausting?” Maybe there are parts of your job you genuinely enjoy, but they get buried under everything else. Or maybe you spend too much time on things that don’t play to your strengths, making the workday feel even longer.

If you’re like most accountants, you’ve probably caught yourself thinking, “If I could just tweak a few things, this job wouldn’t feel so draining.” That’s exactly what job crafting is about.

Job crafting isn’t about switching careers or waiting for someone else to make your work better. It’s about small, intentional adjustments that can shift how your job feels—without adding more to your plate.

Think of it like adjusting a chair to the right height or tweaking a spreadsheet formula to save you hours of work. You’re not overhauling everything—you’re just making smart changes so your job fits you better.

The truth is, we spend a huge portion of our lives at work. But how often do we stop and ask, “How can I make this easier on myself?”

For many of my coaching clients, work feels like something to just get through—deadlines, clients, meetings, and an inbox that never stops growing. But what if you could make your job a little less frustrating without quitting or taking on more work?

That’s the beauty of job crafting. It’s about shaping the job you already have so it works for you instead of constantly feeling like it’s working against you.

Most people assume job satisfaction is black and white—you either like your job, or you’re stuck until you find a new one. But what if that wasn’t true?

Job crafting gives you back some control over how you experience your work. Instead of just going through the motions, you can make small changes that make your day less stressful and more rewarding.

Now, I know what you might be thinking: “That sounds great, but is this even possible in a busy accounting career?” With tax season, demanding clients, and never-ending deadlines, it probably feels like there’s no room to craft anything.

But job crafting isn’t about adding more work to your plate—it’s about shifting how you approach the work you’re already doing. It’s about recognizing where you have flexibility, using your strengths more, and making your job work better for you.

If you’ve ever wished your job felt just a little better, you’re not alone. And job crafting might be the simple, practical shift you’ve been looking for.

So, let’s talk about what it really means to craft your job—and how you can start making your work life easier without making it harder on yourself.

The Different Types of Job Crafting

Now that we’ve talked about what job crafting is, let’s get into how you can actually do it. There are three main types of job crafting, and the good news is, none of them require you to take on more work or make drastic changes.

It’s not about piling more onto your plate. It’s about making small adjustments that can make your job feel easier, more enjoyable, and less like something you’re just pushing through.

Task Crafting

Task crafting is all about tweaking the actual work you do day to day. It’s finding ways to do more of what you enjoy and less of what drains you.

For example, if you love working directly with clients but spend most of your time buried in spreadsheets, you could look for ways to shift your role slightly—maybe by handling more client meetings or explaining financials in a way that helps them make smarter decisions.

Or maybe you enjoy problem-solving but rarely get to do it. Instead of staying in your lane, you could volunteer for more complex projects that challenge you.

The key to task crafting is using your strengths more often. It’s not about doing less—it’s about doing more of what fuels you.

Relationship Crafting

This type of job crafting focuses on how you interact with the people around you.

Maybe there’s a colleague you work really well with, but your roles don’t overlap much. Could you find ways to collaborate more? Or maybe there’s someone whose feedback you really value—could you connect with them more regularly?

Relationship crafting also applies to client interactions. Instead of just exchanging emails, could you schedule a quick call or a virtual meeting to strengthen the relationship? Small shifts in how you interact with people can make work feel more connected, supportive, and even enjoyable.

Cognitive Crafting

This one is all about shifting how you think about your job. Because let’s be honest—some accounting work will never be fun, no matter how much you tweak them.

But the way you think about those tasks? That’s where the change happens.

Instead of thinking, “I hate doing this,” you might reframe it as, “This is a chance to develop a new skill” or “This task helps me support my team.”

For accountants, that could mean looking at financial reports, audits, or tax returns in a new way. Instead of seeing them as repetitive, you might focus on the fact that your work provides real value to your clients and their businesses.

Cognitive crafting isn’t about forcing yourself to love every part of your job. It’s about seeing the bigger picture so that even the mundane tasks feel a little more meaningful.

By understanding these different types of job crafting, you can start making small but powerful changes to your work. But what’s even more interesting is how these adjustments impact your brain—and the way you experience your job.

The Brain Science Behind Job Crafting

Let’s talk about why job crafting works—not just in theory, but in your brain. When you make even small changes to how you approach your work, you’re not just making your job more enjoyable. You’re actually rewiring your brain to feel better about it.

Your Brain Loves Control

One of the biggest reasons job crafting makes a difference is that your brain thrives on a sense of control.

When you feel like you have some say in how you do your work, your brain releases chemicals that boost motivation and engagement. It’s why even small adjustments—like changing the way you tackle a task or reframing how you think about it—can make a huge difference in how your job feels.

The more control you feel, the less drained and frustrated you’ll be.

Your Brain Runs on Dopamine

Your brain also loves doing things you’re good at. When you use your strengths—whether that’s problem-solving, working with numbers, or explaining things to clients—your brain releases dopamine, the chemical that makes you feel good when you complete a task or reach a goal.

That’s why when you craft your job in a way that lets you lean into your strengths more often, work feels easier. You’re not just checking off tasks—you’re giving your brain the reward it craves.

Your Thoughts Shape Your Experience

Cognitive crafting—shifting how you think about your job—affects your brain just as much as changing what you do.

If you look at a task and think, “This is going to be stressful,” your brain takes that as a fact and triggers stress. But if you shift that thought to something like, “This is a chance to develop a skill,” your brain responds differently.

Again, this isn’t about forcing yourself to love every part of your job. It’s about training your brain to find meaning in even the less exciting tasks so they feel less draining.

By making small shifts in how you work and how you think about your work, you’re actually helping your brain work for you instead of against you.

Next let’s talk about the real benefits of job crafting and why these changes can completely shift your work experience.

The Benefits of Job Crafting

Now that we’ve talked about what job crafting is and how it affects your brain, let’s talk about why it’s worth your time. Because at the end of the day, you don’t need more things to do—you need ways to make work feel easier.

Small shifts in how you approach your work can have a huge impact on how you feel about your job. Here’s how.

Work Feels Less Like a Grind

One of the biggest benefits of job crafting is that your work stops feeling like something you just have to get through. When you spend more time on tasks you enjoy—or at least find ways to make them feel less frustrating—you naturally feel better about your job.

It’s not about forcing yourself to love every task. It’s about making small adjustments so your day doesn’t feel so draining.

More Energy and Motivation

Ever notice how some tasks fly by while others feel like they drag on forever? That’s because when your work matches your strengths and interests, your brain stays more engaged.

Job crafting helps you create more of those “this wasn’t so bad” moments and fewer “how is it only 10 a.m.?” moments. The more your work feels like it fits you, the more energy and focus you’ll have to actually get things done.

More Control Over Your Career

Job crafting gives you back some control. Instead of waiting for a promotion or a role change to feel more fulfilled, you can start adjusting things now.

That might mean taking on work that challenges you in a good way, finding ways to grow in your current role, or shifting tasks so they feel less overwhelming. These small moves add up over time and can make a big difference in how confident and capable you feel at work.

Less Stress and Overwhelm

Let’s be honest—accounting can be stressful. But when your job feels even slightly more manageable, that stress starts to feel less overwhelming.

When your work fits you better, you’re not constantly forcing yourself through tasks that drain you. That means less burnout, fewer moments of frustration, and a job that feels more sustainable long-term.

How to Start Job Crafting

Now that you know how job crafting works and why it’s worth your time, you might be wondering, “How do I actually start doing this?” The good news is, you don’t need to make big changes to see a difference.

Here’s how to get started.

Step #1 – Take a Step Back

Before making any changes, take a moment to look at your current job. What parts of your day feel energizing? What drains you? Are there tasks you enjoy but don’t get to do often enough?

Write down the tasks you handle every day. Then, highlight the ones that feel good and circle the ones that feel like a chore. This helps you see exactly where you can make small adjustments to make your workday easier.

Step #2 – Find One Thing to Tweak

Look at your list and pick one small thing to adjust. It could be doing more of a task you enjoy or making a repetitive task faster or less frustrating.

For example, if you love client interactions but spend too much time on tedious reports, could you adjust your schedule to allow more time with clients? If a task feels like it takes forever, could you use automation or templates to streamline it?

The goal is to make small, manageable changes that shift how your work feels without adding more to your plate.

Step #3 – Start Small

Pick one change and try it for a week. Maybe it’s setting aside more time for the work you enjoy or tweaking your workflow so tasks feel less overwhelming. Keep track of how these changes affect your stress and energy levels.

There’s no need to overhaul everything overnight. The best way to make job crafting work is to start small, see what helps, and build from there.

Step #4 – Talk to the Right People (If Needed)

If your changes involve shifting responsibilities or working with others differently, it might help to have a conversation with your manager or team.

Be clear about what you’re adjusting and why—it’s not about doing less, but about doing your job better. Most people appreciate it when you take initiative to improve your work, especially if it leads to better results.

Step #5 – Check In and Adjust

After a week or two, ask yourself, “Do I feel less stressed? Am I more engaged in my work?” Write down what’s working and what’s not.

If a change isn’t helping, tweak it. Maybe you tried focusing more on client calls, but it made you feel rushed with other tasks. Adjust your schedule to create a better balance.

Job crafting isn’t about getting it perfect on the first try—it’s a flexible process that lets you shape your job in a way that works for you.

Becoming a Smarter Accountant: Examples of Successfully Job Crafting

Let’s talk about how job crafting works in real life. I’ve seen it firsthand with my coaching clients and I know it can make a big difference.

From Bored to Engaged

One of my coaching clients came to me feeling completely drained. She was great at preparing reports and financial statements, but every day felt like she was just going through the motions. 

She told me, “I feel like a machine—just cranking out numbers with no real purpose.” She was exhausted, unmotivated, and seriously questioning whether this was the right career for her.

Through coaching, we uncovered what actually lit her up—talking to clients and explaining numbers in a way that helped business owners make smarter decisions.

So instead of staying buried in spreadsheets, she started job crafting by volunteering to present financials during client meetings. It was a small change, but it completely shifted how she felt about her work.

The result was that she felt energized instead of drained, valued instead of invisible, and most importantly, excited to come to work again.

Creating Growth Without Changing Jobs

Another client came to me saying, “I feel stuck. I know I’m capable of more, but every day feels the same. I’m just clocking in and out, and I don’t see a path forward.” He wasn’t unhappy exactly—just stagnant. And that was starting to wear on him.

Through coaching, we found a way for him to tap into his strengths—taking on more complex projects that required deep problem-solving and analytical thinking, something he loved but wasn’t getting to do enough of.

Over time, he crafted his role into something that felt challenging in a good way. He realized he didn’t need a promotion to feel fulfilled—he needed to make small shifts that made his job feel exciting again. 

Now, he no longer feels like he’s treading water. Instead, he’s growing, learning, and actually enjoying his work again.

As you can see, job crafting can have an amazing impact on job satisfaction and I don’t know any accountant who wouldn’t like to improve that.

Key Takeaway and Action Item

The biggest takeaway here is that you have more control over how your job feels than you might think. Job crafting isn’t about overhauling everything—it’s about making small, intentional adjustments that make work easier and less frustrating.

This week, ask yourself, “What’s one small change I could make in my job to feel less stressed or more engaged?”

Maybe it’s shifting your focus toward tasks that energize you, finding ways to collaborate with people you work well with, or reframing how you think about a routine task.

Once you’ve identified that one small shift, start there. Focus on just one area at a time—whether it’s tweaking a task, improving a work relationship, or changing your mindset.

Stay flexible. Some changes will work better than others, and that’s okay. Job crafting is a process, not a one-time fix. Experiment, adjust, and pay attention to what makes the biggest difference.

And don’t forget to acknowledge the wins. Even small changes can make work feel lighter and more manageable.

The bottom line is that when you focus on what you can control, your job starts working for you—not against you. And that’s what makes all the difference.

Pulling Back the Curtain

Pulling back the curtain for a moment…

There was a time in my career when I honestly thought the only way to survive in this profession was to just keep pushing. I didn’t question whether the way I was working was sustainable—I just assumed exhaustion was part of the deal.

But I remember one afternoon, sitting at my desk after a long day, and thinking, “This isn’t working anymore.” I was good at my job, but I wasn’t enjoying it. I felt like I was doing a hundred little things every day that didn’t actually tap into my strengths or make me feel fulfilled.

That moment was the beginning of what I now know was my own version of job crafting. Not because someone told me to do it. Not because I had a new job or a new boss. But because I knew something had to change—and no one else was going to change it for me.

I started with one thing: being more intentional with how I used my time. I looked at the tasks that drained me and the ones that gave me energy. I started setting better boundaries. I stopped saying yes out of guilt. I gave myself permission to rearrange how I worked so I could feel better while still doing good work.

And what’s wild is that once I started making those small adjustments, I actually became more productive and felt less burned out. I wasn’t constantly running on fumes or trying to prove something. I was just doing the job in a way that worked better for me.

More recently I used job crafting to get clear about how much more productive and focused I am working from home.  Being a classic introvert means I get my energy from being alone, so I have structured my day to have limited interaction but with much better efficiency and more energy at the end of the day.

That’s what job crafting is about. It’s not about doing less—it’s about doing things differently, in a way that fits you.

If this episode made you think, “I wish my job felt better,” I want to encourage you to take The Smarter Accountant Quiz at www.thesmarteraccountant.com. It’s a quick and eye-opening way to see how you might be underutilizing your strengths or making things harder than they need to be.

And if you want support figuring out what could shift for you, I offer a free 30-minute call. You can book that at www.thesmarteraccountant.com/calendar. Whether you’re burned out, stuck, or just ready for something to feel easier, we can talk about where to start.

And if you’ve been enjoying the podcast, I’d be so grateful if you shared it with another accountant. So many of us have accepted unnecessary stress as normal, and this work is about showing what’s actually possible.

The truth is that you’re already smart, but this podcast will show you how to be smarter.

Before I get started I wanted to let you know that I’m going to be offering the same CPE course a few times each month and so the next time the Smarter Accountant CPE Course “Everything You Need To Know About Procrastination” will be offered is on Friday, June 13th at 12 pm EST.  You can sign up at https://thesmarteraccountant.com/cpe/.  You’ll not only get CPE credit but I will also be sending the replay and a workbook so that you can apply what you learned.

Have you ever had one of those days where everything feels heavy—even if nothing is technically “wrong”? You’re answering emails, checking things off your list, maybe even staying late to get ahead… and yet, you still feel behind, scattered, and drained.

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

The truth is, there’s one mental habit most accountants are stuck in that makes everything harder than it needs to be. It’s sneaky. Automatic. And often goes completely unnoticed.

You don’t learn about it in school or in any CPE class—but it affects how you manage your time, how you respond to stress, and even how you feel at the end of the day.

This mental habit is the reason you might feel overwhelmed even when you’re getting things done. It’s the reason your days can feel like a blur of urgency, even if you’re organized and capable.

Here’s something to consider: think about the last time you were completely overwhelmed. Was it really the number of things on your list? Or was it the voice in your head saying, “This is too much. I’ll never catch up”?

Most of us don’t even realize that we’re believing every single thought our brain throws at us. And when we do that without question, those thoughts start to run the show—whether they’re helpful or not.

This is why so many accountants feel stuck, even when they’re doing everything “right.”  But the good news? You’re not stuck. Not even close.

Today we’re going to uncover the one mental habit that’s quietly making your work life harder than it has to be—and what happens when you start thinking differently, on purpose.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re just reacting all day instead of leading your time and your workload, this episode is going to give you a whole new way to see what’s really going on. 

The Mental Habit That Keeps Accountants Stuck

So what is this mental habit that’s making work feel so overwhelming—even when you’re doing your best?

It’s the habit of never questioning your own thinking.

In psychology, it’s called metacognition—basically, thinking about your thinking. It’s your ability to pause, notice what your brain is telling you, and decide whether those thoughts are actually helpful.

But here’s the thing: most of us don’t do this. Especially as accountants, we’re taught to look at facts and numbers—but we rarely step back to examine the thoughts running through our own minds all day long.

Instead, we believe every thought our brain offers:

“There’s not enough time.”

“I can’t say no.”

“I’ll never catch up.”

And because we don’t question those thoughts, they quietly control how we feel and what we do.

Think of metacognition like a mental audit. Instead of reviewing financial statements, you’re reviewing your own thought processes. You’re checking for errors—not in your spreadsheets, but in your assumptions.

Let’s say two accountants have the exact same workload. One is burned out and anxious. The other is calm and focused. What’s the difference? Not the workload. The way they think about the workload.

The overwhelmed accountant believes they have no control. The focused one believes they get to decide what matters. It’s not the work that’s the problem—it’s the mental habit of reacting instead of reflecting.

When you start paying attention to your thoughts—really noticing what’s running in the background—you can choose which ones to keep and which ones to let go of. And that’s where real change happens.

In the next section, let’s look at why this habit is so common among accountants—and why breaking it can be a complete game-changer.

How Questioning Your Thoughts Can Instantly Improve Your Work Life

If you’re like most accountants, it probably feels like your biggest challenges come from your workload, tight deadlines, or demanding clients. But here’s the truth: it’s not the work—it’s the way you think about the work that creates the most stress.

This is why that one mental habit—never questioning your thoughts—can quietly make everything harder.

When you don’t pause to notice what your brain is telling you, you stay stuck in reaction mode. You move from task to task, feeling overwhelmed, but never fully understanding why.

That’s where metacognition—thinking about your thinking—comes in. It gives you the power to stop the stress cycle before it takes over your day.

Let’s take time management. If you believe, “I have to be available all the time,” your brain will push you to check emails constantly and say yes to everything, even when it pulls you away from important work.

But when you step back and ask, “Is that even true?”—you create space to make smarter, more intentional choices.

The same thing happens with decision-making. Without awareness, you make decisions out of habit or urgency. You overcommit, say yes when you want to say no, and feel frustrated—but never stop to ask yourself what’s really driving those choices.

Stress and overwhelm is the same story. The feeling doesn’t come from your calendar—it comes from thoughts like, “There’s too much to do,” running unchecked in the background. Challenge that thought, you start to feel more in control—even if your schedule stays the same.

Even relationships get easier. If a boss or client is difficult, it’s easy to assume they are the problem. But when you slow down and notice what you’re thinking—like assuming they don’t respect you or always expecting the worst—you can start to respond in a calmer, more productive way.

And then there’s the issue confidence. If your brain keeps telling you you’re not doing enough or not good enough, those thoughts will chip away at your confidence—even when you’re doing just fine.

When you start catching those thoughts, you stop taking them as facts—and everything changes.

This kind of awareness is what separates constantly stressed accountants from those who feel calm and in control.

But if it’s so helpful, why don’t we do it more often? To answer that, we need to look at what’s happening in your brain.

Why Your Brain Keeps You Stuck in Stress Mode Without You Realizing It

Here’s the thing most accountants don’t know—your brain is designed to keep you on autopilot.

It forms thought patterns based on your past experiences and then repeats them, whether they’re helpful or not. So if you’ve spent years responding to stress by overworking or trying to please everyone, your brain will default to those patterns automatically.

This is why you often react the same way to tight deadlines, difficult clients, or a packed calendar—even if you’ve promised yourself you’d handle things differently this time.

The part of your brain responsible for making smart, strategic choices is your prefrontal cortex—what I like to call your Supervising Parent. This is where long-term thinking, planning, and problem-solving happen.

But when you’re overwhelmed or rushed, another part of your brain takes over: your survival brain. I call it your Toddler Brain because it reacts emotionally, wants instant gratification, and doesn’t think things through.

That’s when you start making choices from urgency instead of intention. You check your email obsessively, say yes to requests you don’t have time for, and prioritize tasks that feel urgent—even if they’re not actually important.

This tendency has a name: The Mere Urgency Effect.

It’s your brain’s way of tricking you into believing that urgent = important, even when it’s not. And for accountants, this mental shortcut shows up everywhere—especially in the pressure to always be available.

You might feel guilty for not checking your inbox every ten minutes, even though staying focused on one meaningful task would be far more productive.

Without metacognition, these patterns run silently in the background. You don’t realize you’re stuck in them—you just feel overwhelmed, reactive, and exhausted.

But when you start observing your thoughts, you interrupt those automatic loops. You take back control from the Toddler Brain and re-engage your Supervising Parent.

So, what actually changes when an accountant puts this into practice? Let me show you what that looks like in real life.

Becoming a Smarter Accountant: Using Metacognition

Let me share what this looks like in practice.

I worked with an accountant who was doing everything she could to stay on top of her work—but still felt completely overwhelmed. No matter how many hours she put in, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was always behind.

Her days were packed with emails, meetings, client requests, and constant interruptions. The projects that actually mattered were always pushed to the side. She was exhausted but couldn’t figure out why she wasn’t making more progress.

She thought the problem was her workload. But the real issue was how she thought about her workload.

She believed she had to say yes to everything. She believed that answering emails right away was part of being a good accountant. She believed that if she just worked harder, she would eventually catch up.

But her brain was stuck in that familiar, automatic habit—reacting to everything that felt urgent. She wasn’t making decisions with intention—she was just trying to keep up.

Once she started learning metacognition—learning to think about her thinking—everything started to shift.

She began catching her thoughts in real time.  She saw that her belief, “I have to respond immediately,” wasn’t actually true.

She realized that saying yes to every request meant saying no to the deep work that really moved things forward.  And she finally questioned the belief that more hours equals more productivity.

She started setting priorities ahead of time instead of reacting in the moment. She gave herself permission to pause, to choose, and to protect her focus.

The result was that she started working fewer hours—and getting more done.  She stopped ending every day frustrated and drained.

And for the first time in years, she felt in control of her workload instead of being controlled by it.

This is what smarter accountants do. They don’t just try to keep up—they learn how to think differently so they can finally work differently.

And that leads us to the most important takeaway from today’s episode.

Key Takeaway and Action Item

The most important thing to remember is that the way you think shapes the way you work. If you never stop to examine your thoughts, you’ll keep running in the same patterns—stressed, overwhelmed, and constantly reacting. But when you learn to step back and observe your thinking, everything changes.

For this week, ask yourself, “Where am I letting my automatic thoughts run the show instead of making intentional choices?”

The truth is, if you never question your thoughts, they will control you. You’ll keep believing you don’t have enough time, that you have to say yes to everything, or that working harder is the only solution. But those are just thoughts—not facts.

When you start paying attention to what’s happening in your mind, you can decide which thoughts to keep and which ones to change. That’s how accountants move from feeling stuck to feeling in control. It’s not about working more or doing things faster. It’s about thinking smarter.

The bottom line is that you don’t need another productivity hack or time management trick. You need a new way of thinking.

Pulling Back the Curtain

Pulling back the curtain for a moment…

I’ll be honest—there was a long stretch in my career where I didn’t even realize my brain was offering me thoughts that weren’t helpful. I didn’t question them. I didn’t slow down long enough to notice them.

I just believed them.

Thoughts like, “You’re falling behind,” or “If you were better at this, you wouldn’t feel so stressed,” or “You have to say yes or people will be disappointed.”

And the thing is, those thoughts weren’t loud or dramatic. They were subtle. They felt factual. I didn’t even think to challenge them because they seemed like common sense.

But they were running the show—controlling how I felt, how I worked, and how I saw myself.

I remember this one week in particular, years ago, when I was absolutely crushed with deadlines. I had my calendar planned out perfectly, but nothing went according to plan. And instead of adjusting or giving myself any grace, my brain went straight into, “You’re failing. You’re behind. You’re not doing enough.”

I stayed up late. I skipped meals. I spun in self-doubt.

Not because the work was impossible—but because I was believing everything my brain said, without question.

That’s when things really started to shift for me—when I learned to pause and say, “Wait… is that actually true?”

That simple question changed everything. It gave me a little distance between me and the thought. And that distance gave me power.

This is why I teach metacognition to every accountant I work with—because it’s not about doing more. It’s about thinking differently so you can finally work differently.

If this episode made something click for you—if you started to notice how often your thoughts are quietly running the show—I want to invite you to take The Smarter Accountant Quiz at www.thesmarteraccountant.com.

It’s not just a quiz—it’s a mirror. It’ll help you start to see what’s really going on beneath the surface of your stress or procrastination or overwhelm.

And if you want help making sense of what’s coming up, you can schedule a free 30-minute call with me at www.thesmarteraccountant.com/calendar. We’ll walk through what your brain’s been believing—and what’s actually true.

And if you’ve been enjoying this podcast, the best way you can support it is by sharing it with another accountant. We’ve all believed thoughts that don’t serve us. Sometimes, we just need someone to show us how to think smarter.

The truth is that you’re already smart, but this podcast will show you how to be smarter.

Before I get started I wanted to remind you that The Smarter Accountant CPE Course “Everything You Need To Know About Procrastination” is on Wednesday, May 21st at 4 pm EST.  You can sign up at https://thesmarteraccountant.com/cpe/.  You’ll not only get CPE credit but I will also be sending the replay and a workbook so that you can apply what you learned.

If you don’t know this about me, one of my favorite topics to discuss is time management.  As accountants, we’re taught a lot of things and have a lot of knowledge, but ironically, effective time management is not one of them. 

The thing is, there’s a lot of advice out there about how to get more done, but a lot of it isn’t from an accountant who’s been in the trenches, it’s not helpful, and it might actually be holding you back. What if the things you’ve been told about managing your time aren’t even true?

Think about it: how often do you push yourself to work harder or longer, only to feel more drained and less productive? Or maybe you’ve followed all the so-called “rules” but still feel like you’re barely keeping your head above water.

The problem isn’t you—it’s the lies we’ve been told about how time management should work. And these lies can make life even harder for us with deadlines, demanding clients, and long to-do lists.

So today, I want to explore some of the biggest myths about time management that could be holding you back. By the end of this, you might just see time—and yourself—a little differently.

Lie #1 – Waking up an hour earlier is the answer to having a more balanced day

This advice is everywhere—“Wake up earlier, and you’ll get more done!” It sounds simple, right? But what if the problem isn’t about when you wake up, but how you’re using the time you already have?

The truth is, waking up earlier doesn’t magically make you more productive. Productivity is about how well you manage your energy and focus throughout the day, not how early your alarm goes off. If you’re running on fumes, waking up earlier just gives you more tired hours to struggle through.

Honestly, I am an early riser, but that doesn’t guarantee I’ll have a more balanced, productive day.  What makes it possible for me to be so productive is effectively planning my time, no matter what time I wake up.

Since this is the podcast that blends brain science and accounting, here’s where the brain science comes in: your brain needs enough sleep to function at its best. When you cut your sleep short, even by an hour, it has an impact on your ability to concentrate, make decisions, and manage your emotions. 

You might think staying up late or pushing through exhaustion helps you get more done—but the science says otherwise.  Research shows that lack of sleep makes it harder to focus, remember things, make decisions, and stay calm. Even if you’re putting in the hours, your brain just can’t keep up. It’s like trying to drive with the emergency brake on.

Instead of focusing on waking up earlier, think about how you can protect your energy and focus during the day. A balanced day isn’t about squeezing more hours in—it’s about making the hours you have count.

Lie #2 – If you work more hours, you’re more productive

It’s easy to think that working longer means getting more done. After all, more hours should equal more results, right? But here’s the catch—our brains don’t work that way.

The truth is, working more hours often leads to doing less of what actually matters. Overwork drains your energy, dulls your focus, and sets you up for burnout. You may feel busy, but busy isn’t the same as being productive.

Here’s why: your brain has a limited capacity to stay sharp and make good decisions. The prefrontal cortex—the Supervising Parent part of your brain responsible for focus and problem-solving—gets tired with prolonged use. When it’s tired, even simple tasks take longer, and mistakes become more common.

In fact, I worked less hours while I was recently going through chemo and I was more productive than I’ve ever been.  How is that possible?  Well research backs this up.

Between 2015 and 2019, Iceland ran a major experiment: they let thousands of workers shift from a 40-hour week to a 35 or 36-hour week, without reducing their pay.

You’d think less time at work would mean less productivity, right?  But that’s not what happened.

In fact, productivity stayed the same or even went up, and people were happier, healthier, and more focused. They had more energy, less stress, and a better work-life balance—which helped them actually do better work in less time.

For me, when I had limited time and energy, my brain focused on what really matters. I cut out the extra noise and got to the point faster.  That’s not laziness—it’s smart and efficient.

So, instead of clocking extra hours, consider how you can work smarter, not longer. True productivity is about making the most of your brain’s prime time, not about squeezing every last minute out of the day.

Lie #3 – If you stay later, you’re more dedicated

We’ve all seen it—the person who’s always the last to leave the office. It’s easy to assume they’re the most committed. But is staying late really a sign of dedication, or is it something else entirely?

The truth is, staying late often says more about poor time boundaries than true commitment. It can signal that you’re stretching yourself too thin or trying to meet impossible expectations. Being “always on” doesn’t make you a better accountant—it just makes you more exhausted.

Here’s what’s happening in your brain: the reward system confuses guilt with accomplishment. When you stay late, you might feel a temporary sense of relief, as if you’ve done something extra. But that feeling is misleading. Over time, it reinforces a cycle where overworking becomes the norm, and rest feels like failure.

This lie is something I dealt with early on in my career at Deloitte.  Thankfully, I found a way to show I was dedicated, working a reduced schedule and still leaving at 5:30 every work day.

The truth is, dedication isn’t about how late you stay—it’s about how effectively you use your time and energy during the day. Setting boundaries around your workday isn’t a lack of commitment; it’s a smart way to protect your focus, your health, and your long-term success.

Lie #4 – To-do lists are necessary to manage your time

I get that there’s something satisfying about writing a to-do list. It feels like you’re getting organized, like you’re taking control. But have you ever noticed how often your list just gets longer, or how some tasks linger for days (or weeks)?

The truth is, to-do lists alone won’t help you manage your time. Without prioritization and decision-making, they’re just wishful thinking on paper. They show you what needs to be done but not when or how to do it.

Here’s what’s happening in your brain: when you write a list, your brain gets a quick hit of relief—it feels like you’ve made progress. But when it comes time to execute, your brain can become overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices. Without a clear plan, your list can actually increase stress instead of reducing it.

I tell my time management coaching clients that to-do lists are not time management, they’re workflow management.  True time management is making effective decisions and planning.

The bottom line is that managing your time isn’t about checking off as many items as possible; it’s about focusing on what matters most. A to-do list can be a helpful tool, but only when paired with thoughtful decisions about priorities and action steps. Otherwise, it’s just another thing to manage.

Lie #5 – Setting time boundaries is not good business

It’s tempting to believe that always being available makes you a better professional. After all, saying “yes” to every client or colleague and staying flexible sounds like the recipe for success, right? But what if constantly being “on” is actually working against you?

The truth is, setting time boundaries isn’t just good business—it’s essential. Clear boundaries protect your focus and energy, allowing you to show up fully for your clients without running yourself into the ground. When you’re burned out, the quality of your work suffers, and so does your ability to serve.

Here’s the fascinating part: your brain is wired to feel discomfort when you say “no.” Social conditioning has taught us that agreeing to everything keeps the peace and earns approval. But in reality, saying “no” is critical for brain balance—it prevents overload and preserves the mental clarity you need to do your best work.

I have learned how to set and stick to effective time boundaries over the years and it has made a huge difference for me both professionally and personally.

The thing is, boundaries aren’t barriers; they’re bridges to better service and a sustainable career. When you set limits, you’re not just protecting yourself—you’re ensuring that your clients and colleagues get the best version of you, every time.

Lie #6 – Procrastination means you’re lazy or unmotivated

When you procrastinate, it’s easy to label yourself as lazy. Maybe you’ve even told yourself you’re just not motivated enough to get things done. But what if procrastination isn’t about laziness at all?

The truth is, procrastination often comes from something deeper. Things like fear of failure, perfectionism, or even decision fatigue can all cause you to put things off. It’s not about not wanting to do the work—it’s about feeling stuck or overwhelmed by what the work represents.

Here’s what’s happening in your brain: the primitive Toddler brain, which processes fear, reacts to perceived threats. If a task feels too big, uncertain, or likely to fail, your brain sees it as a threat and steers you toward avoidance. To your brain, procrastination becomes a way to protect yourself from discomfort, even if it creates more stress in the long run.

Thankfully, once you understand the feelings that are driving you to procrastinate, you’ll see that procrastination is not your fault, but that it is much easier to overcome than you realize.

So, no, procrastination doesn’t make you lazy—it makes you human. Understanding why you’re avoiding something is the first step toward tackling it with more compassion and less judgment.

Lie #7 – Everything is equally important, so just start anywhere

When your to-do list feels overwhelming, it’s easy to think, “I’ll just start anywhere and work my way through it.” It feels like progress, but is it really?

The truth is, not all tasks have the same impact. Some move the needle significantly, while others barely make a dent. If you treat everything as equally important, you risk spending your time on low-impact work while the high-priority tasks sit untouched.

Here’s what’s happening in your brain: it’s wired to see everything as urgent. I’ve discussed this before, but it’s known as the Mere Urgency Effect, where tasks that feel immediate grab your attention—even if they don’t matter much in the grand scheme. It’s why answering an email can feel just as pressing as finishing a critical project.

This is why, as I mentioned before, to-do lists are so ineffective.  Your brain sees a list of things to do and thinks everything is equally urgent and important.

The key isn’t to just start anywhere but to focus on what matters most. When you learn how to prioritize high-impact tasks, you make real progress instead of just spinning your wheels.

Lie #8 – Time blocking only works for certain personality types

Time blocking gets a bad rap for being “too rigid” or only working for super-organized people. You might think, “That’s not my style,” and write it off completely. But what if time blocking is actually more flexible than you’ve been led to believe?

The truth is, time blocking is a tool that anyone can adapt to fit their needs. For accountants juggling deadlines and competing priorities, it can be a game-changer. It’s not about creating a rigid schedule—it’s about giving yourself structure so you can focus and stay on track.

Here’s how your brain comes into play: the brain thrives on structure because it reduces decision fatigue and helps you stay organized. However, it also resists systems that feel too restrictive, which is why overly detailed or unrealistic time blocks can feel stifling.

I have seen the incredible power of effective time blocking which is why I created a process called “Container Calendaring.”  It takes the basics of time blocking and makes it easier to guarantee that you actually follow through.

The bottom line is that time blocking isn’t one-size-fits-all—it’s customizable. You can design it to work with your personality, workload, and preferences. When used smartly, it can give you the balance of structure and flexibility you need to get more done without feeling overwhelmed.

Lie # 9 – You need to respond to emails as soon as they come in

It’s easy to feel like every email needs your immediate attention. After all, isn’t being responsive just good business? But constantly checking and replying to emails might be doing more harm than good.

The truth is, responding to emails the moment they arrive derails your focus and interrupts the flow of deep, meaningful work. Every time you stop what you’re doing to check your inbox, you’re forcing your brain to switch gears, which wastes time and energy.

Here’s what’s happening in your brain: every time you check an email, you get a tiny dopamine hit—the same chemical that makes social media addictive. It feels rewarding in the moment, but it fragments your attention and makes it harder to concentrate on bigger tasks.

I’ve often joked that email is an accountant’s drug of choice, but there is brain science behind that.  Just try not checking email for a day or two and you’ll feel like an addict going through withdrawals.

So, instead of letting emails control your day, try creating dedicated times to check and respond. Your focus—and your productivity—will thank you.

Lie #10 – It’s faster and easier to just do it yourself

When you’re juggling a million tasks, it’s tempting to think, “I’ll just handle it myself—it’s quicker that way.” But is it really faster, or is it just a shortcut that’s holding you back?

The truth is, doing everything yourself might feel easier in the moment, but it costs you valuable time in the long run. Delegation isn’t just about offloading work; it’s an investment that frees you up to focus on higher-impact tasks that truly move the needle.

Here’s what’s happening in your brain: it craves short-term ease, so it naturally resists delegation. Training someone or trusting them with responsibility takes effort upfront, but it pays off over time by reducing your workload and increasing efficiency.

My time management coaching clients that have mastered delegation have said it has had the greatest impact on their career satisfaction and has reduced burnout significantly.  

The truth is, you don’t have to do it all to be successful. Letting go of the “faster and easier” myth allows you to grow, both in your career and your capacity to focus on what really matters.

Becoming a Smarter Accountant: Overcoming Time Management Lies

Now let me share a few stories about coaching clients that learned to overcome some of the time management lies.  

One client thought waking up earlier would be the answer to her packed schedule. Every morning, she set her alarm an hour earlier, convinced she’d get ahead, but by mid-afternoon, she was completely drained. She felt like something was wrong with her because she couldn’t keep her energy up.

After working on becoming a Smarter Accountant, she realized the real problem wasn’t her effort—it was her lack of rest. Once she started prioritizing sleep and planning her work around her natural energy peaks, everything changed. She got more done in less time and finally felt like herself again.

Another client believed working long hours was the only way to stay on top of everything. Staying late became part of his routine, almost like proof of his dedication. But the more hours he worked, the more drained he felt—and the mistakes started piling up.

After working together, he learned that setting boundaries wasn’t about doing less—it was about doing better. By focusing on his most important tasks during his peak energy times, he could leave the office earlier and still get everything done. He told me that his clients were happier, and so was he.

Another one of my clients relied on to-do lists every day, but no matter how much she crossed off, the list just kept growing. It felt like she was always behind, and by the end of the day, she was overwhelmed and guilty for not doing more.

The Smarter Accountant Coaching Program helped her see that it wasn’t about how many tasks she finished—it was about doing the right ones. She started using my time blocking process, Container Calendaring, to plan her high-priority work, and it made all the difference. Now, she finally feels like she’s in control of her time.

Another coaching client told me that he couldn’t resist his email inbox. Every time a new message came in, he stopped what he was doing to respond. He thought being available was just part of the job, but it left him feeling scattered and unproductive.

After learning how to set and stick to boundaries with his time, he set simple boundaries with specific times to check and respond to emails instead of reacting all day. It was tough at first, but he quickly noticed how much more he could accomplish when he wasn’t glued to his inbox. His focus improved, and so did his results.

The last client I want to share with you was convinced it was faster to do everything herself. Delegating felt like too much work—it was easier to just handle it all. But trying to juggle everything left her stressed and constantly behind.

After working together, she started to see delegation as a long-term solution, not just a quick fix. She invested time in training her team, and soon, she had more space to focus on the big picture. Not only did her workload lighten, but her team grew professionally with the added responsibility.

So, do any of these stories sound familiar? If they do, I want you to know that there’s hope, and there’s a way forward.  It’s not about doing more—it’s about doing what works. 

Now I’m going to share the key takeaway from today and an action item for the upcoming week.

Key Takeaway and Action Item

The key takeaway from this episode is that the lies you believe about time management aren’t just unhelpful—they’re holding you back. Start by choosing one lie you’ve been living by and ask yourself, ‘What would change if I stopped believing this?’.

This question helps you pause and reflect on whether your current approach to managing your time is really working for you or just adding stress. 

For example, do you believe that working longer hours means you’re more productive? Or that responding to every email immediately is good for your career? These beliefs often feel natural because they’ve been reinforced over time, but that doesn’t mean they’re helpful.

By identifying just one belief that might be holding you back, you can start to make changes that align better with how your brain works and what your goals actually are. It’s not about overhauling everything at once—it’s about taking that first step to question what’s not serving you.

Pulling Back The Curtain

Pulling back the curtain for a moment…

As I mentioned earlier, when I was going through chemo recently, I had to work fewer hours—it wasn’t optional. I physically couldn’t do what I used to, and at first, I panicked. I thought, “How am I going to keep up? What’s going to fall through the cracks? Will my clients or coworkers think I’m not pulling my weight?”

I’ve been in public accounting for decades, and like a lot of accountants, I’ve carried around the belief that long hours equals a strong work ethic. So being forced to slow down felt like a threat—not just to my schedule, but to how I saw myself as a professional.

But something surprising happened: I got more done in less time than I ever had before.

I was sharper. I planned better. I wasn’t wasting time on things that didn’t really matter. Because I didn’t have the luxury of long hours, I had to be smarter with the time I did have—and it honestly changed everything.

I started seeing how many time management lies I had been living by for years. Things like “working longer proves your commitment,” or “you have to say yes to everything to be seen as a team player.” I didn’t even realize how much those beliefs were draining me—until I had no choice but to challenge them.

I noticed when I was feeling guilty for not having the energy to push through and I reminded myself that trying to get accounting work done when I’m feeling guilty, stressed, or any other negative emotion isn’t helpful.  By managing my mind, choosing more productive emotions, and only then sitting down to get work done, I was able to be much more efficient and productive.

That experience reminded me of something I tell my coaching clients all the time: time management isn’t about doing more. It’s about thinking differently about time—about your time.

Unfortunately, I think one of the biggest mistakes this profession makes is not teaching effective time management early on.  I think it’s one of the reasons that accountants are so burned out and miserable.

But I can tell you this – when you learn how to effectively manage your brain and your time, you will begin to see your work in a whole new light.  You’ll get more done in less time and you’ll free up time for the things and the people you love.

If today’s episode made you rethink any of the time management advice you’ve followed—or if you’re starting to wonder whether it’s actually working for you—I want to invite you to take The Smarter Accountant Quiz at www.thesmarteraccountant.com.

It only takes a few minutes, but it can show you which patterns might be getting in your way. And if you want help breaking those patterns, you can also schedule a free 30-minute call with me at www.thesmarteraccountant.com/calendar.

And if this podcast has been helpful, the best thing you can do is share it with another accountant. We’ve all been taught the same time management myths—but we don’t have to keep believing them.

The truth is that you’re already smart, but this podcast will show you how to be smarter.

Before I get started, I wanted to remind you to stay to the end because I just added a new section to the podcast titled “Pulling Back The Curtain” where I give you a behind the scenes look at how I’ve personally dealt with the topic I’m discussing in each episode.  Hopefully, it will give you a better idea about the person behind this microphone.

I also wanted to mention that The Smarter Accountant CPE Course “Everything You Need To Know About Procrastination” is on Wednesday, May 21st at 4 pm EST.  You can sign up at https://thesmarteraccountant.com/cpe/.  You’ll not only get CPE credit but I will also be sending the replay and a workbook so that you can apply what you learned.

Tax season’s over—finally. You got through the long hours, the crazy deadlines, and all those last-minute surprises.

And now that it’s behind you, it’s totally normal to just want to move on. You might be thinking, “Let’s not even talk about it until next year… or maybe the next extension deadline.”

But here’s the thing—what if now is actually the best time to hit pause? Not to beat yourself up, but just to take a quick, honest look at how it really went.

We’re so used to powering through that we rarely stop and ask, “What would I want to do differently next time?” The problem is, when you don’t stop and reflect, it’s easy to fall right back into the same hard season again and again.

This isn’t about guilt or shame. It’s about curiosity—for just a few minutes.

You already know tax season takes a toll. On your time, your body, your mind, your family. But do you know where it hit you the hardest?

It’s kind of like finishing a big project and never checking to see what actually worked… or what totally fell apart. You just keep doing it the same way, even if that way isn’t really working.

And let’s be clear—you’re not lazy, and you’re not disorganized. You’re just busy. But what if a little reflection now could make a huge difference later?

Imagine if next tax season didn’t feel so chaotic. What if a few small changes now could help you feel more in control next time?

Whether you realize it or not, you’ve already learned a lot. You’ve just been too tired or too slammed to notice.

And no, I’m not saying you need to spend hours reviewing every detail. But what if you gave yourself just a little space to look back—without judgment?

Because here’s the thing: if you don’t look back, your brain assumes everything went fine. And that means next year will look exactly the same.

But what if this year could be the last one that felt this hard? What if this is your chance to start doing things smarter?

Most people won’t take the time to reflect. That’s exactly why it matters so much when you do.

You don’t need a perfect tax season. You just need some clarity.

So here’s the big question: What would you find out if you looked back with fresh eyes?

Let’s talk about it.

What Is a Tax Season Autopsy?

A Tax Season Autopsy is just a simple way to look back once the season is over and do a little digging. It’s where you ask yourself, “What actually worked for me? What didn’t? And what would I want to do differently next time?”

It’s not about pointing fingers or beating yourself up. It’s just about paying attention, from a non-judgemental space, so you can learn from what you just went through.

Think about it like this—athletes watch game replays, surgeons talk through what happened in the OR, and performers rewatch their shows to see where they can improve.

They’re not doing it because they messed up. They’re doing it because they want to keep getting better.

That’s exactly what this is. A Tax Season Autopsy is your way of saying, “Okay, let’s hit pause and see what this season taught me.”

It’s really just about awareness—slowing down long enough to notice what helped and what hurt. Because the truth is, most of us are so quick to move on that we don’t even give ourselves the chance to take anything useful from the experience.

Smarter Accountants don’t treat tax season like something to forget as fast as possible. They look at it like a goldmine of clues—clues about how they work, how they feel, and where things went off track.

They don’t make it personal. They look at it like information. Not drama—just data.

And once you start doing that, you realize how helpful it actually is. You can make small changes that stick, instead of trying to overhaul everything next year in a panic.

No guilt. No shame. Just a chance to reset with a little more clarity and a lot more intention.

When you look at it that way, a Tax Season Autopsy isn’t about the past—it’s really about giving yourself a better future.

So if it’s this helpful, why don’t more accountants do it? Let’s talk about that next.

Why Most Accountants Skip This Step

Let’s be honest—once tax season ends, the last thing most of us want to do is look back. You’re tired, you’re fried, and all you want is to feel normal again.

And that totally makes sense. Your brain is wired to avoid anything that feels uncomfortable. Thinking back on a tough season can bring up regret, frustration, or even guilt, and your brain would rather you skip all that.

So it gives you thoughts like, “It’s done, just move on,” or “Next year will be different,” or even, “Why bother thinking about it now?” Those thoughts sound harmless, but they’re sneaky—they keep you stuck in the same loop.

The problem is, if you don’t take even a few minutes to learn from what happened, you’re probably going to repeat it. Not because you’re doing anything wrong, but because your brain assumes, “Well, I guess this is just how we do it.”

That’s why every tax season can start to feel the same—rushed, stressful, and way too much. You fall into the same patterns, make the same choices, and cross your fingers that somehow it’ll be better next time.

But hoping things get better isn’t a real plan. And skipping this step means your brain keeps running the same playbook year after year.

Taking time to reflect might feel optional, but it’s actually one of the smartest things you can do. It’s what gives you the chance to do things differently—without having to work harder.

And if your brain is resisting it, that doesn’t mean you’re lazy or unmotivated. It just means your brain is doing what it thinks will protect you.

But maybe the real protection comes from understanding what actually happened. And that’s where knowing a little brain science can help. Let’s take a look at that now.

The Brain Science Behind Reflection

Your brain loves routine—even if that routine is completely draining. It’ll keep doing what’s familiar, even if it’s not really working for you.

That’s because your brain sees familiar as safe. If you made it through tax season doing things a certain way, your brain thinks, “Great! Let’s do that again.”

Unless you pause and reflect, your brain won’t stop to ask, “Was that actually the best way?” It just assumes, “Well, that’s how we always do it.”

Here’s the good news: there’s another part of your brain that can help you think ahead and make better choices. It’s called the prefrontal cortex, or what I refer to as The Supervising Parent—and it’s the part that helps you plan, evaluate, and make smarter decisions.

But there’s a catch—it only works when you use it intentionally or on purpose.

If you’re constantly rushing from one thing to the next, reacting to emails, putting out fires, and just trying to stay afloat, that smarter part of your brain doesn’t get much of a say.

That’s why slowing down to reflect is so important. If you want different results, you need different thinking. And that starts by giving your brain a moment to step out of autopilot.

So now that you know why reflection in the form of a Tax Season Autopsy matters, the next step is knowing what to reflect on. Let’s now talk about 5 questions to ask yourself after tax season

Five Questions to Ask Yourself After Tax Season

Once things start to settle down, it’s worth taking just a few minutes to ask yourself some simple questions. Not to overwhelm yourself—but to get a little clarity that could really help you next time around.

1. What actually worked this season?

Start by giving yourself credit. Even if this season felt tough overall, there were probably a few things that made it a little easier.

Maybe you stuck to your office hours more than usual, and that helped you feel less drained at the end of the day. Maybe you finally used that shared calendar with your team or batch-processed client emails instead of checking them all day long.

Even small wins count. This question is about seeing what did go well, so you can keep doing it or build on it next year.

2. What didn’t work—and why?

This isn’t about blaming yourself. It’s about getting real with what made things harder than they needed to be.

Maybe you agreed to take on too many last-minute returns, thinking you could squeeze them in. Maybe you worked weekends even though you promised yourself you wouldn’t—and now you’re more exhausted than ever.

Ask yourself why it didn’t work. Was it lack of planning? People-pleasing? Fear of saying no? The goal is to spot the patterns that tripped you up, so you don’t keep repeating them.

3. What would I want to do differently next year?

Think of this like setting your future self up for success. What would you want to change if you could do it all over again?

Maybe you want to build in time for breaks, or set firmer deadlines for when you’ll stop accepting new work.

And here’s the deeper part—ask yourself: What would I need to think or feel to actually follow through?

For example, if you want to turn down late work, maybe you need to think, “My time has value,” or feel more confident setting boundaries. If you want to delegate more, maybe you need to feel trust in your team. The mindset piece matters more than we realize.

4. Where did I lose time that I didn’t expect to lose?

This question can uncover the sneaky time drains you may not have noticed while you were in the middle of it all.

Maybe you were constantly pulled into client emergencies that could’ve been avoided with better upfront communication. Or maybe you spent hours trying to find documents or organize files because your systems weren’t solid.

This is a chance to look at time management with fresh eyes—especially the things that stole your time without you even realizing it.

5. Where did I feel the most overwhelmed?

Think back to the moments when you felt like everything was unraveling. Was it during onboarding new clients? Was it juggling home and work responsibilities? This question can help you see where things started to break down so you know what needs more support next time.

As you think through your answers, consider your boundaries, your energy levels, and your support system. What was missing? What do you wish you had done earlier?

These questions aren’t meant to solve everything at once. They’re simply a way to pay attention—and give yourself more options next time around.

And bonus points – have your team do their own version of a Tax Season Autopsy too. You’ll get a bigger picture of what worked, what didn’t, and how to make improvements as a team—not just as an individual.

Still wondering if this kind of reflection really makes a difference? Let me tell you about a coaching client who tried it for the first time—and what happened next.

Becoming a Smarter Accountant: Performing a Successful Tax Season Autopsy

One of my coaching clients used to hate the idea of reflecting—especially after tax season. Her attitude was basically, “It’s over. I survived. Let’s not bring it up again.”

She figured looking back would just make her feel worse. To her, it felt like picking at old wounds when she was already beyond exhausted.

When I first brought up the idea of doing a Tax Season Autopsy, she was not into it. She actually said, “Why would I want to rehash all that chaos?” But eventually, she agreed to give it a try—just once.

We kept it really simple. She answered a few questions, took 15 minutes to think about her experience, and that was it.

What came up for her was eye-opening. She realized how much time she lost saying yes to last-minute client requests, and how often she skipped breaks thinking it would help her catch up—when it actually left her more drained.

She also noticed how she avoided asking for help because she thought it would take too long to explain things. But in the end, she was doing everything herself and feeling totally overwhelmed.

The next year, she went into tax season with a plan. She set firmer boundaries with her clients, blocked time for focused work, and even gave herself catch-up time every week—something she’d never even thought to do before.

The change was huge. She was still working hard, but she wasn’t crashing and burning. She felt calmer, more in control, and way less reactive.

Now, she actually looks forward to doing a quick reflection after tax season. It helps her see what’s working and where she can make little adjustments that add up over time.

She didn’t overhaul everything overnight. She just gave herself the chance to learn from her own experience—and it made her smarter each year.

And honestly, you can do the same thing.

Key Takeaway and Action Item

Have you ever promised yourself that next tax season would be different—but it wasn’t? That’s exactly why doing a Tax Season Autopsy matters.

It’s not just a nice idea—it’s a habit that smart leaders rely on to stop repeating the same painful patterns. It’s how you start taking back control of your time, your energy, and your future.

Doing a Tax Season Autopsy isn’t extra credit—it’s what smart leaders do. It’s how you take control of your time, your energy, and your experience going forward.

For this week, I suggest asking yourself, “If nothing changes between now and next tax season, what’s likely to happen again?”

Really sit with that for a minute. Your answer is more important than any checklist or planner.

Because that answer holds the insight you need. It shows you exactly where to focus your attention now, so you’re not stuck in the same stressful cycle next year.

Don’t wait until next tax season to wish you had done things differently. Small awareness now leads to big change later.

And if you’re wondering what this looked like in my own career, let me pull back the curtain and share a story I’ve never told before.

Pulling Back the Curtain

I’ll never forget this one particular tax season, years ago, when I kept telling myself I just had to push through. No breaks, barely any sleep, nonstop stress—I figured that was just part of the job.

I kept thinking, “I’ll rest when it’s over.” I didn’t think I had time to slow down or reflect, so I didn’t. And by the end of that season, I was completely burned out.

The scary part? I didn’t even notice how bad it had gotten until weeks later. I was snapping at my family, couldn’t focus, and honestly, I felt like all the joy had drained out of my work. I remember thinking, “Wait… is this what it’s going to be like every year?”

And it didn’t help that it was my first tax season being married to my second husband. He was not happy with what tax season turned me into—and honestly, I couldn’t blame him. That was the moment I realized something had to change.

The first time I did what I now call a Tax Season Autopsy, I’ll be honest—it was uncomfortable. I didn’t want to look back. I wanted to forget it ever happened.

But I pushed through that resistance and sat down to ask myself a few simple questions. And once I did, it was like a fog started to lift.

I realized a lot of my stress came from how I was approaching the season—not just the workload. I noticed patterns I had never seen before. And for the first time, I actually had something I could work with.

That one small act of reflection made a huge difference. I started planning more intentionally, setting better boundaries, and thinking ahead instead of always reacting in the moment.

Was it perfect? Of course not. But it was smarter. And that alone changed everything.

If this past season left you drained or frustrated, you’re definitely not alone. And the good news is—you don’t have to do it that way again.

Taking time to reflect doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means you’re wise. And it might be one of the smartest things you ever do for your future self.

If you’re interested in becoming a Smarter Accountant, I have The Smarter Accountant Quiz as the first step. It’s quick, it’s free, and it’ll help you see what’s actually getting in your way. You can find it at https://thesmarteraccountant.com.

And if you want help with anything you’re struggling with or figuring out what to do next, I offer a free 30-minute call. You can sign up at https://thesmarteraccountant.com/calendar.

And one last thing—if you’ve been enjoying this podcast, the best way you can support it is by sharing it with other accountants. Whether it’s a friend, a coworker, or someone who’s quietly struggling the way you once were, spreading the word helps more accountants discover there’s a smarter way to work.

The truth is that you’re already smart, but this podcast will show you how to be smarter.