Ever feel like no matter how early you start or how late you finish, there’s always more to do? You power through emails, tackle client questions, and check off task after task—yet somehow, your to-do list is just as long at the end of the day.

It’s exhausting. You try to stay ahead, but deadlines, last-minute requests, and constant interruptions keep pulling you back under. It’s like trying to sprint through quicksand—no matter how hard you work, you never quite reach solid ground.

But here’s the frustrating part—some people seem to handle it all effortlessly. They meet deadlines, get everything done, and still have time to breathe. Meanwhile, you’re drowning in work, wondering what secret they know that you don’t.

The truth is that they don’t have more hours—they’ve just figured out how to use time in a way that actually works. And the good news is that you can too.

It’s not about cramming more into your day or cutting sleep. It’s about working smarter, not harder. Think of it like organizing a messy closet. When everything has a place, you find what you need faster. Time works the same way. When you prioritize what matters, you gain more time for what really needs your attention.

But let’s be real—this isn’t easy. Emails pile up, calls interrupt, and distractions never stop. If you’re like most accountants, you’ve tried every to-do list and calendar hack. Maybe they worked for a bit, but then life got busy, and you were back to square one.

The real key is changing how you think about time. Imagine ending each day feeling accomplished instead of exhausted. That’s the goal—to manage time so well it feels like you’ve gained extra hours.

In today’s episode, I’ll share simple ways to make your day feel longer, without burnout. You’ll learn how to handle distractions and take control of your time.

So if you’re ready to create your own 26-hour day, let’s dive in! You don’t need more time—you just need to use it differently. And once you do, you’ll be amazed at how much more you can get done without feeling rushed.

Why Time Always Feels Out of Reach

Have you ever noticed how some days, no matter what you do, time seems to vanish? You start with a plan, maybe even a to-do list, and then—poof!—it’s 6 p.m., and half of what you wanted to get done is still waiting. 

Time has a way of slipping away, especially when you’re bouncing from task to task. But there’s more to it than just being busy.

First, our brains are wired to react. We jump at whatever seems urgent—emails, quick requests, little tasks. But these “time traps” pull us in without us realizing they aren’t the most important things.

Another reason time feels so short? Constant distractions. Notifications, emails, and messages make staying focused harder than ever. Each time you get interrupted, it takes minutes to get back on track. Those lost minutes add up fast.

And then there’s perfectionism. Maybe you double-check a client’s file again (and again). While quality work matters, overchecking eats up time and leaves you wondering where your day went.

But here’s the good news: You’re not bad at managing time—it’s just how our brains work. The constant distractions, habits, and pressures are things we can change.

So instead of feeling like time is always running away, let’s look at the biggest time traps accountants face. Once you spot them, you can make simple changes that free up hours in your day. 

The Sneaky Time Traps Stealing Your Day

Let’s talk about time traps—the little things that quietly steal hours from your week. The tricky part? These time wasters often feel necessary or harmless in the moment. But once you spot them, you can take back control.

Email overload – You check your inbox “for a minute,” and suddenly, you’re deep in emails, replying and sorting nonstop. And guess what? Emails never stop. It’s like trying to empty a river with a bucket. Instead of checking all day, set specific times for email so it doesn’t run your day.

Mindless scrolling – Ever go online for one thing and end up lost in social media or random articles? It’s easy to get hooked. What was meant to be a quick break can turn into 30 minutes gone. Setting a timer or a clear goal before you start can help.

Interruptions – The “quick questions” and constant pings pull you out of focus. Imagine trying to read while someone taps your shoulder every few minutes—you’d never finish a page! Setting boundaries, like quiet work blocks, can help you stay on track.

Procrastination – It’s not laziness; it’s your brain avoiding something that feels hard. Whether it’s a big project or a tough decision, putting it off only makes it worse. The trick? Take one small step to get started, and momentum will follow.

Perfectionism – Spending too much time making things “just right” can be a huge time drain. Maybe you’re tweaking a report for the third time when the first version was fine. Perfectionism isn’t about better work—it’s about calming that little voice saying, “Not good enough.” Learning to let go can save you hours.

Recognizing these traps is the first step. Once you do, you can set simple boundaries to protect your time. But why are these distractions so hard to resist? It all comes down to how our brains are wired. Understanding that can help you finally break free.

The Brain Science Behind Time Traps

Alright, let’s dive into why these time traps are so good at pulling us in, even when we know better. It turns out, our brains are wired in ways that can actually make time management harder than it should be. Understanding how this works can help us stop blaming ourselves when we get sidetracked and start making smarter choices with our time.

Your brain loves quick wins. That’s why checking email or scrolling social media feels good—it triggers a dopamine hit. But here’s the catch: these tiny rewards pull your focus away from what really matters. The more you chase them, the harder it is to do deep, meaningful work.

Or, have you ever checked a notification mid-task, then struggled to refocus? That’s “task-switching hangover.” Your brain doesn’t reset instantly—each interruption leaves a mental residue, making it harder to dive back in. Those seconds add up fast, costing you hours.

Every interruption leaves a mental residue, pulling part of your focus away. The more you switch tasks, the harder it is to get real work done.

It’s also important to understand that procrastination isn’t laziness—it’s your brain avoiding discomfort. Big tasks feel overwhelming, so your brain steers you toward easier ones. But avoiding them only makes stress pile up, stealing even more time.

So, when you find yourself reaching for your phone, clicking on that next email, or putting off a tough project, know that your brain is just doing what it’s wired to do. But the good news is, once you’re aware of these patterns, you can start working with your brain instead of against it. 

In the next section, we’ll go over some practical strategies for turning things around. With a few simple tweaks, you can start managing your time in a way that finally feels in sync with how your brain actually works.

Practical Ways to Create More Time in Your Day

Now that we know how our brains can lead us into these time traps, let’s talk about how to take back control and actually feel like we’re gaining time. No, we can’t magically create more hours, but we can make it feel like we have.  How?  By better use of the ones we already have. 

It’s all about small shifts that add up, helping us stay focused and cut out the stuff that drains our day.

1. Make a Plan and Stick to It – I know, planning sounds like the oldest advice in the book. But here’s the thing: making a plan isn’t the hard part—it’s actually sticking to it that’s tricky. Our brains love novelty, so it’s easy to get sidetracked. 

Try starting your day with a clear list of priorities, then make a conscious effort to follow through on what you’ve mapped out. When those distractions pop up, remind yourself that every time you step away from your plan, you’re spending time you don’t get back. 

Stick with it, even if it feels tough at first. The more you follow your plan, the easier it becomes to stay on track.

2. Set Boundaries Around Your Email and Phone- Emails and notifications are two of the biggest time-stealers out there. It’s so tempting to check them “just for a second,” but we all know that second can turn into several minutes—or even longer. 

To avoid this trap, set specific times during the day to check your inbox and messages, and resist the urge to peek outside those times. 

For example, designate 10:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 4:00 p.m. as your email slots. Outside of these times, turn off notifications and set an auto-responder letting clients know when you’ll check their messages. 

This small boundary not only preserves your focus but also trains others to respect your time, creating a win-win dynamic where you’re in control of your schedule without feeling like you’re letting anyone down.

3. Use Short Breaks to Recharge, Not Scroll – It’s easy to reach for your phone during a break, but scrolling can actually drain more energy than it gives. Instead, try doing something that really lets your brain recharge. 

For example, take a 5-minute walk around your office or home and pay attention to your surroundings—the trees, the sound of birds, or even the rhythm of your steps. This kind of mindfulness during a break not only clears mental clutter but also restores your focus and energy, making it easier to dive back into work with a fresh perspective. 

A simple shift like this can turn a break from a time-waster into a productivity booster.

4. Break Big Tasks into Small Steps – When you’re facing a big project, it’s normal to feel overwhelmed, and that’s often when procrastination kicks in. To make it less intimidating, break it down into small, manageable steps. 

For example, if you’re preparing for a quarterly financial review, instead of tackling it all at once, start by organizing client data today, draft the summary tomorrow, and finalize the presentation the next day. This approach helps shift your focus from ‘I have so much to do’ to ‘What’s the one thing I need to do right now?’ 

Each completed step builds momentum, and by spreading out the workload, you’ll feel less overwhelmed while still making consistent progress.

5. Embrace “Good Enough” Over Perfect – Perfectionism can be one of the biggest time-wasters, which is why I teach my clients the concept of ‘B+ Work Wins.’ Instead of aiming for perfection, the goal is to deliver excellent results that meet the client’s needs without obsessing over minor, time-consuming details. 

For example, if you’re reviewing a report, ask yourself, ‘Is this already A-level in its value to the client?’ If the answer is yes, the extra tweaks likely aren’t adding value—they’re just stealing your time.

By focusing on the core value—delivering accurate, timely information—you can save hours of unnecessary effort while still exceeding client expectations. This mindset shift can help you prioritize progress over perfection without compromising quality.

6. Plan Your Distractions, Don’t Let Them Plan You – Here’s a surprising trick: give yourself planned “distraction time.” Pick a point in the day where you can take 10-15 minutes to check your favorite social media, watch a quick video, or do whatever usually tempts you away from work. To make it even more effective, set a timer for your distraction time and pair it with a reward. 

For instance, schedule your distraction break after completing a high-priority task. This way, the break feels earned, and you’re less likely to let it spill over into your focused work time. Over time, this structured approach trains your brain to associate focused work with satisfying rewards.

These small changes might seem simple, but together, they add up to a big difference. The goal isn’t to pack every single minute with productivity; it’s to create a day that feels balanced and manageable, where you’re in control rather than feeling like time is slipping away. 

With a few adjustments, you’ll start to notice that those “extra hours” aren’t as impossible to find as they once seemed.

Becoming a Smarter Accountant: Learning How To Create a 26-Hour Day

One of my coaching clients came to me feeling completely overwhelmed and burned out. He was a hard worker, juggling multiple client accounts, but despite putting in long hours, he always felt behind. 

By the end of each day, he’d look at his to-do list and feel defeated—like time was slipping through his fingers, no matter how hard he tried to keep up.

At first, he thought the solution was to push even harder. He’d start his day early, responding to emails as soon as he woke up, and he’d often work late into the evening, jumping between tasks and trying to handle every new request as it came in. 

But he was exhausted, and the constant interruptions left him feeling like he was getting nowhere. He knew he needed a change but wasn’t sure where to start.

In our coaching sessions, we began by discussing some of the time traps that were draining his day. He learned that his brain’s craving for quick rewards was leading him to prioritize small, urgent tasks over meaningful work. 

We worked on setting specific times to check email and taught him how to resist the urge to respond to every notification immediately. I also encouraged him to implement what I call ‘Focus Blocks’—dedicated time blocks where he grouped similar tasks, like responding to emails or preparing financial reports, into uninterrupted work sessions. 

During these blocks of time, he eliminated distractions and focused solely on completing one category of tasks, which not only improved efficiency but also reduced mental fatigue from constant task-switching.

He also began experimenting with short, breaks that didn’t involve his phone. Instead of scrolling through social media, he’d step outside or stretch, giving his mind a true reset. 

And the biggest change of all was that he learned to embrace “good enough” rather than aiming for perfection in every single task. This shift saved him hours every week and reduced a lot of the stress he’d been feeling.

A few weeks later, he told me that things were finally different. He wasn’t putting in more hours, but he was getting more done and ending each day with a sense of accomplishment. 

Instead of feeling like time was slipping away, he was in control of it. He even had a little extra space in his schedule to focus on projects he’d been putting off for months. 

The difference was not only feeling like he had created a 26-hour day but also a completely new way of using each hour.

The bottom line is that by understanding his time wasters better, he was able to make changes that created more time.

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 gaining control over your time isn’t about cramming more into your day but about understanding how your brain works and making intentional choices to avoid time traps. 

By learning how to make some changes like effectively setting boundaries, taking meaningful breaks, and letting go of perfectionism, you can create a day that feels longer and more manageable.

For this week, ask yourself, “What is one simple change I can make today to take control of my time rather than letting it control me?”  This question will help you identify a specific, actionable step to shift how you approach your day. 

Maybe it’s setting a fixed time for checking emails or committing to focus on one task at a time without jumping to the next notification. By making even one small change, you’re breaking the cycle of constant reactivity and beginning to create a day that works for you, not against you. 

It’s about practicing small habits that bring a sense of balance and intention into your day, letting you experience that feeling of a “26-hour day” without the stress.

Well, that’s what I have for you today. Thank you for joining me as I shared the secret to creating a 26-hour day.  I hope you’re walking away with a better understanding of what’s been getting in your way when it comes to time management.

As I always say, you’ve worked hard to become an accountant; it’s time to make it easier to be one.

If you’d like to discuss how to better manage your time or anything you’re currently struggling with, you can schedule a free 30-minute call with me at  https://thesmarteraccountant.com/calendar/. 

And don’t forget to check back each week for more tips and strategies to help you go from being a stressed accountant to a Smarter Accountant.

Also, if you haven’t already, make sure to take The Smarter Accountant Quiz at www.thesmarteraccountant.com to see if you’ve been underutilizing your accountant brain. It’s a great starting point to see where you are and how you can improve.

Lastly, if you’ve found today’s episode helpful, I’d really appreciate it if you could spread the word to other accountants. The more we get this message out, the more we can change the narrative in the accounting profession and help accountants everywhere.

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