Before I get started I wanted to give you an update on my health.  I just had a lovely woman sign up for a consultation call and at the end she asked how I was doing.  I realized that I probably haven’t updated you all on my health in awhile.

Well, I am still having chemo and immunotherapy treatments.  A few CT scans ago showed that my cancer had decreased quite a lot and my last CT scan showed that things are “stable.”  

The funny thing is that the word stable wasn’t as exciting to my brain as it was to everyone close to me.  I realized that what my brain was making the word “stable” mean was “no forward progress” instead of making it mean good news.

Thankfully, I apply what I teach my coaching clients every day so I was able to see how being stable is very good news.  I’ve been working on rewiring my brain to see cancer in a neutral way and to live in a more positive way.

Here’s what I tell myself everyday: Today I celebrate stable; stable means strong; stable means time; stable means my body is still fighting and winning quietly.

Okay, let’s get started with this week’s show.  Have you ever had one of those days where you’re so busy, but later you can’t even remember what you actually did?

You’re rushing from one thing to the next, answering emails, going to meetings, crossing stuff off your list—and still, it feels like something’s off.

It’s almost like the day happened to you, instead of you being in charge of it.

That used to happen to me all the time. I would sit down to work and suddenly it was dinner time, and I’d wonder where the hours went.

It wasn’t that I wasn’t working. I was always working.  But deep down, I felt like I was missing something.

At first, I thought I just needed a better calendar or a new system. Maybe if I planned better or worked harder, the day would feel more manageable.

But the more I tried to fix it with planning and doing, the more tired I felt.

I started to realize that maybe the problem wasn’t my schedule. Maybe the problem was that I wasn’t really paying attention to me.

Most of us don’t think about how we feel during the day. We just get up and go.

We do what needs to get done, handle what’s urgent, and try to squeeze in everything else in between.

But our days aren’t just made up of what we do. They’re also made up of how we feel while we’re doing it.

That’s the part a lot of accountants forget. And it’s the part that changes everything once you start noticing it.

We don’t need more motivation or a better to-do list. We need a better connection to ourselves.

I promise you, just a few seconds of awareness during the day can shift everything—from how we work to how we treat the people around us.

It might sound too simple to matter. But small things can have a big impact, especially when we’re not used to slowing down.

The truth is, your feelings are always with you. Whether you stop to notice them or not, they’re still there.

And more importantly, they’re driving everything you do and everything you don’t do.  They are in charge of your day more than anything else.

So the question then is, what if checking in with how you feel isn’t just a nice idea—but the missing piece to having more control in your day?

Let’s talk about what that check-in really means—and why it might be the most important thing you do all day.

Why Ignoring Your Feelings Is Hurting Your Productivity as an Accountant

For most accountants, the day is all about getting things done.

There’s always a deadline, a meeting, a client email, or a report waiting. So it makes sense that you just keep moving.

You start the day with a list and try your best to power through it.  But here’s the problem—somewhere along the way, you stop paying attention to yourself.

You don’t stop to ask, “How am I doing right now?” or “What’s going on with me emotionally?”

And when that happens, you start operating on autopilot.  You may not even notice if you’re feeling frustrated, anxious, overwhelmed, or discouraged.

But those feelings are still there, quietly running in the background.  And whether you’re aware of them or not, they’re affecting everything you do.

I’ve discussed this fact in my book, The Smarter Accountant, but our feelings drive our actions, inaction, and reactions.  In other words, everything you do, everything you don’t do, and how you react is 100% because of a feeling.

For example, feelings shape how you respond to emails, how you show up in meetings, and how much focus you bring to your work.

When you’re disconnected from your emotional state, it’s like driving with a foggy windshield. You can still move forward, but you’re not really seeing clearly.

The truth is, most accountants are so focused on doing the next thing, they forget to check in with themselves along the way.  And that lack of awareness can lead to actions and decisions that don’t really serve you.

You end up reacting instead of responding. Rushing instead of thinking. Avoiding instead of addressing.  It’s not about blaming yourself—it’s about understanding the real issue.

When you don’t know how you feel, you can’t see how much your feelings are steering the wheel.

Now let’s look at why this becomes such a big problem for your productivity.

The Hidden Link Between Your Feelings and Your Productivity

Most accountants try to push through the day with willpower.  You might think, “I just need to focus,” or “I don’t have time to deal with how I feel right now.”

But here’s the truth—your feelings are in charge of what you do, whether you’re aware of them or not.

If you’re feeling stressed, your brain might push you to avoid the task that’s stressing you out.

If you’re feeling frustrated, you might respond sharply in an email or rush through something important.

If you’re feeling anxious, you might keep checking your inbox over and over, trying to feel in control.

These reactions aren’t random. They’re emotional habits.  And when you don’t notice how you feel, those habits start to run your day without you realizing it.

The problem is, most accountants blame the task or the circumstance for how they feel. They think it’s the deadline, or the client, or the meeting, or the time of year.

But it’s actually the emotion behind the action that’s creating the trouble.

This is why so many accountants end the day feeling burned out, distracted, or frustrated—without understanding why.  They’re trying to fix the wrong thing.

Until you understand what’s driving your actions, you’ll stay stuck in the same loop, and negatively affect your productivity.  The truth is, your brain is wired to repeat what feels familiar, even if it’s not helpful.

That’s why awareness is so powerful—and why ignoring how you feel keeps you in patterns you don’t want.

So how do you change that pattern? The first step is understanding what’s going on in your brain.

How a Simple Daily Check-In Rewires Your Brain for Better Focus

Your brain is always working behind the scenes, guiding what you do—whether you notice it or not.

And it has two very different systems doing that job.

There’s the part of your brain that’s fast, emotional, and reactive. I call this your Toddler Brain. It wants comfort and quick relief. It doesn’t care about long-term goals. It just wants to feel better now.

Then there’s the part of your brain that’s slower, calmer, and more thoughtful. That’s your Supervising Parent Brain—also known as your prefrontal cortex. This is the part of your brain that helps you focus, plan, and make smart decisions.

When you go through your day without checking in on how you feel, your Toddler Brain stays in charge.

It will guide you to avoid hard tasks, say yes when you don’t mean to, or scroll through email when you really need to concentrate.

But when you stop—even for just a few seconds—and ask, “How do I feel right now?”, something changes.

That moment of awareness flips a mental switch. You shift from reacting to responding. You stop running on autopilot.  And most importantly, you give your higher brain a chance to take back the wheel.

Why does this matter?

Because everything you do—every email you send, every conversation you have, every decision you make, everything you avoid—is powered by how you feel.  And how you feel is always coming from something you’re thinking, whether you realize it or not.

The daily check-in gives you access to that connection. It helps you see what’s going on before it turns into overwhelm, avoidance, or burnout.

That’s what Smarter Accountants do differently. They don’t just push through. They understand what’s happening in their brain—and that’s why they get better results.

The bottom line is that recognizing that you’re not feeling a productive emotion is a powerful first step—but it’s only the beginning. The real shift happens when you learn how to generate a feeling that does help you focus, follow through, or lead your day more intentionally. 

That’s what I work on with my coaching clients one-on-one, and honestly, it’s a game changer. It’s not about forcing yourself to feel something fake—it’s about learning how to use your brain in a way that finally works for you, not against you.

Now that you understand what’s happening behind the scenes, let’s look at how one of my clients used this check-in to completely change her workday.

Becoming a Smarter Accountant: Using The Daily Check-In Successfully 

Not too long ago, one of my coaching clients came to me feeling completely worn out.  She told me that even though she was working nonstop, she still felt behind every single day.

Her calendar was packed, her inbox was overflowing, and she was jumping from one thing to the next.  No matter how early she started or how late she worked, it never felt like enough.

She wasn’t lazy or disorganized—she just couldn’t figure out why she was always so drained.  It felt like her day was controlling her, instead of the other way around.

When we started working together, I asked her to try something small.  I had her pause throughout the day and simply ask herself, “How do I feel right now?”

At first, she didn’t think it would help.  She even joked that it felt silly to stop and notice her feelings.

But within a few days, she started to see a pattern.  She realized she was spending most of her day feeling rushed and pressured.

That feeling was driving her to multitask, avoid harder projects, and over-check her email.  Even when there was no real urgency, her brain kept acting like everything was on fire.

The check-in helped her slow down just enough to notice what was happening.  And once she saw it, she had a real chance to change it.

Her days started to feel less chaotic and more in control.  She was still busy, but she wasn’t burning herself out in the process.

What she realized was that it wasn’t about doing more—it was about being more aware.  And that simple shift changed how she worked, how she felt, and how she ended each day.

Now that you’ve seen what this kind of awareness can do in real life, let’s wrap up with the biggest takeaways to remember.

Key Takeaway and Action Item

The way you feel throughout the day isn’t just a passing mood—it’s the engine behind every decision you make. Whether you realize it or not, your feelings are what drive your actions.

If you’re feeling anxious, you might avoid a task or check email again just to feel a bit more in control. If you’re feeling calm and focused, you’re more likely to follow through on what really matters.

The difference between reacting and responding often comes down to one small habit: checking in with yourself. When you pause to ask how you feel, you shift out of autopilot and back into control.

This isn’t about becoming overly emotional or trying to fix everything. It’s simply about building awareness—because once you know what’s happening inside, you can choose how to handle what’s happening outside.

The daily check-in might seem like a small step, but it creates a big shift. And that’s what smarter accountants do: they lead with awareness, not just effort.

Here’s a question you can ask yourself this week: “How do I feel right now—and is that feeling helping me do what I actually want to do?”

This question gives you a moment to pause and see if the emotion you’re in is serving you or steering you off course. It’s not about judging your feelings—it’s about noticing them and deciding what you want to do with them.

When you start asking this question regularly, you’ll notice patterns. You’ll also start catching yourself before you slip into habits that don’t help you. And that’s where real change begins.

Okay, as I finish up, let me pull back the curtain and share a personal story of how I can relate to this topic.

Pulling Back the Curtain

Now let me pull back the curtain…

I remember a day not too long ago when everything felt like too much. I had a packed schedule, my inbox was overflowing, and I was running on autopilot from the moment I opened my laptop.

I had barely taken a sip of coffee before I was already in catch-up mode. I jumped straight into emails, responding quickly and trying to clear space before the first meeting of the day.

By 10 a.m., I’d already rescheduled something important to make room for something “urgent.” I was behind on one task, distracted during another, and starting to feel the pressure build in my chest.

Then it happened—my dogs started acting up, and I snapped. It wasn’t what they were doing, it was the timing, and I could hear the sharpness in my voice the moment it left my mouth.

That was my signal that something was off. Not with them—but with me.

I took a breath, walked away from my desk, and quietly asked myself, “How do I feel right now?” The answer came fast: pressured, scattered, and honestly, kind of resentful.

I realized I had started the day in reaction mode, racing to keep up with everything, without ever checking in with how I was doing. My brain had taken one look at my calendar and inbox and jumped straight into panic.

Just naming those feelings gave me enough space to slow down. I could see how I’d let the pressure take over before the day had even started.

Instead of continuing to push through like I normally would, I chose to pause. I reminded myself that pressure doesn’t create productivity—it creates chaos.

I closed the tabs I didn’t need, reset my expectations for the day, and made one small decision at a time. No rushing. No reacting. Just being a little more intentional.

That one check-in didn’t magically fix the whole day—but it absolutely changed the direction it was heading. And by the end of the day, I felt more grounded and more like myself again.

I share this because I know how easy it is to think we just need to try harder. But sometimes, what we really need is to stop and feel what’s happening first.

This is exactly what I teach my coaching clients—how to manage their brain so they can manage everything else more effectively. It’s not about changing who you are; it’s about giving yourself permission to lead differently.

If you want to understand your own brain patterns and finally feel more in control of your day, take The Smarter Accountant Quiz at www.thesmarteraccountant.com, and schedule your free 30-minute call with me at www.thesmarteraccountant.com/calendar.

And if this episode helped you, share it with another accountant who needs to hear it too. You never know who might need the reminder that one small question—“How do I feel right now?”—can change everything.

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