Before we dive into this week’s episode let me ask you, does managing your time ever feel like a never-ending uphill climb? You put in the effort, the hours, the brainpower… and yet, somehow, the stress and the feeling of falling behind still sneak in.

You’re not alone. Most accountants I coach feel the exact same way.

That’s why I designed The Smarter Accountant Time Management Personality Quiz. In just a few minutes, you’ll uncover the way your brain naturally approaches time—what helps you stay on track and what gets in the way.

The best part is that you’ll walk away with insights and strategies specifically created for accountants, so you can work with your brain instead of fighting it every day.

Accountants who’ve taken it tell me it completely changed the way they think about their time. 

Take the quiz today and start making time management feel easier:
www.thesmarteraccountant.com/personality-quiz

Okay, let’s get started with this week’s episode…

Do you ever feel like you’re carrying the weight of everyone else’s needs on your shoulders? You want to help. You want to be there for everyone. But somehow, you end up last on your own list.

This time of year makes it even harder. Year-end deadlines are piling up. Clients want things “yesterday.” Coworkers are stressed. Family is pulling you in every direction. And somehow, you feel like it’s your job to make everyone happy.

You tell yourself it’s fine. You’ve got this. But deep down, you’re tired. You say yes when you want to say no. You take on “just one more” thing, even when your plate is already full. You push through, hoping it will all calm down soon.

The problem is, it usually doesn’t. The more you give, the more people ask. Before you know it, your calendar is overflowing, and you’re running on fumes. You’re answering emails late at night, staying up worrying, and wondering when it’ll finally feel manageable again.

And the truth is, you’re not alone. So many accountants find themselves stuck in this cycle, especially at the end of the year. 

You’re not imagining the pressure — it’s real. Everyone seems to need something from you, and it can feel impossible to step back without letting someone down.

The holidays just add another layer. While everyone talks about slowing down, you’re working late, juggling deadlines, and still trying to show up for friends and family. You want to be everything to everyone, but sometimes that leaves very little left for you.

It’s easy to think, “This is just how it is. Accounting is stressful. The holidays are stressful. I’ll rest later.” But what if there’s more to it than that? What if saying yes to everyone else is actually costing you more than you realize?

Here’s the thing — people-pleasing can feel harmless in the moment, but it takes a toll. And during a busy season like this, the impact shows up fast.

So let me ask you: how often do you push your own needs aside so no one else feels disappointed? How many times have you agreed to something lately, even when you were already stretched thin?

If any of that sounds familiar, you’re not broken and you’re not failing. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be helpful. But there’s a smarter way to handle this time of year, and it starts by understanding what’s really going on.

Why People-Pleasing Creates Bigger Problems for Accountants

People-pleasing happens when you put everyone else’s needs ahead of your own — even when it costs you your time, energy, and focus. For accountants, this can show up in small ways at first, but during year-end and the holiday season, it tends to hit especially hard.

You might agree to squeeze in “just one more” client request before December 31, even though you’re already buried under deadlines. You might pick up tasks your coworkers dropped because “someone has to do it,” and somehow, that someone always seems to be you.

And it’s not just work. The holidays add another layer. You might say yes to every invitation, every event, and every family gathering, even when you’re already mentally and physically drained. You tell yourself you’ll rest later, but later rarely comes.

The problem is that saying yes all the time has a cost. It often leads to longer work hours, where your evenings and weekends disappear into client demands and unfinished tasks. You miss personal priorities — time with family, rest, or even simple breaks — because everything else feels more urgent than you.

Over time, this creates a quiet kind of resentment. You start to feel frustrated with yourself and others, but the cycle keeps going because you want to avoid disappointing anyone. The more you overextend yourself, the harder it becomes to focus on the work that truly matters, like the higher-value tasks that require your best thinking.

People-pleasing might feel helpful in the moment, but during a busy season like this, it leaves you stretched thin and running on fumes. And the hardest part? Most accountants don’t even realize how much it’s impacting them until they hit a wall.

That’s why we need to take a closer look at why people-pleasing is such a challenge for accountants — especially during year-end and the holidays. Understanding what’s happening behind the scenes is the first step to changing it.

Why People-Pleasing Leads to Burnout for Accountants

People-pleasing can feel good in the moment because it seems helpful. You want to be seen as reliable. You want to make clients, coworkers, and even your boss happy. 

But the truth is, constantly saying yes comes with a long-term cost — and accountants often feel it most during year-end and the holidays.

When you keep taking on more, deadlines become almost impossible to manage. You say yes to one extra project or client request, thinking you’ll “figure it out,” but soon your calendar is so full there’s barely room to breathe. 

There’s no time left to pause, plan, or think strategically because you’re always racing from one thing to the next.

The stress builds fast. Saying yes over and over leads to emotional burnout, especially in high-pressure seasons like this. 

You might feel exhausted, overwhelmed, and frustrated, but at the same time, you keep agreeing to more because it feels easier than saying no.

And the tricky part is that it often backfires. During year-end, when your plate is already overflowing, saying yes might seem like the “helpful” thing to do. But piling on more actually lowers the quality of your work, drains your energy, and leaves you stretched too thin to focus on the tasks that matter most.

Over time, this creates another problem: people start expecting it from you. Clients assume you’ll always be available. Coworkers come to you first when they need help. And because you’ve trained them to rely on you, the cycle keeps going — leaving you with less control over your time and energy.

It’s a pattern that can quietly affect every part of your work and your life. And the more it continues, the harder it becomes to break free from it.

To do that, we first need to understand what’s really happening in your brain when you feel that strong pull to keep saying yes.

The Brain Science Behind People-Pleasing

If you’ve ever wondered why saying no feels so hard, it’s not because something’s wrong with you — it’s because of the way your brain is wired. People-pleasing isn’t a character flaw; it’s a built-in survival response your brain has developed over time.

Your brain is designed to seek belonging and avoid rejection. Thousands of years ago, being accepted by the group was essential for survival. 

That old wiring is still active today, which is why your brain lights up its reward system when you say yes. In that moment, it feels good — like you’ve secured your place, avoided conflict, and kept everyone happy.

The problem is, that reward is short-lived. There’s a quick dopamine hit when someone smiles, thanks you, or seems pleased with your answer. But once that fades, you’re left with the stress, extra workload, and exhaustion that come from taking on more than you can handle.

This is where your “toddler brain” comes in — the part of your mind that reacts quickly and emotionally. To your toddler brain, saying no feels dangerous. It interprets it as a threat to safety, which can trigger guilt, anxiety, and even panic. That’s why it’s so much easier in the moment to say yes, even when you’re already stretched thin.

The good news is that there’s another part of your brain — your “supervising parent brain” — that’s built for long-term thinking and intentional decision-making. When you slow down and engage this part of your brain, you can pause, evaluate, and choose what actually serves you best. 

But that only happens when you’re aware of what’s going on beneath the surface.

Once you understand that your people-pleasing tendencies are rooted in how your brain works, it changes everything. You realize you’re not weak or broken — your brain is simply doing its job of keeping you “safe.” 

And the more you become aware of these patterns, the easier it becomes to make choices that protect your time, energy, and focus.

Now that you understand what’s happening in your brain, the next step is learning what smarter accountants do differently when it comes to managing these urges.

What Smarter Accountants Know About People-Pleasing

Being a Smarter Accountant doesn’t mean doing more or making everyone around you happy. It means making intentional choices about where you put your time, energy, and focus — especially during busy seasons like year-end and the holidays.

Smarter Accountants know the difference between helping and overextending. They pause before saying yes and ask themselves if they’re agreeing out of genuine willingness or out of guilt. That one small shift can keep your plate from overflowing and your stress from spiking.

They also understand that saying no isn’t selfish — it’s necessary. Every time you say yes to something you don’t truly have time for, you’re saying no to something else, often something more important.

Smarter Accountants create space in their schedules so they can deliver higher-quality work and avoid the spiral of constant overwhelm.

Another key difference is noticing patterns. People-pleasing often shows up the same way over and over, especially during high-pressure times like year-end. Smarter Accountants recognize when they’re falling into old habits of overcommitting and choose differently the next time.

And here’s the biggest shift — managing your calendar isn’t enough if you’re not managing your brain. You can block time perfectly, color-code everything, and make endless lists, but if your brain is running on autopilot and saying yes to everything, the stress won’t go away. Relief comes from awareness, not from doing more.

When you start paying attention to why you agree, what drives your decisions, and how you want to use your time, everything changes. You stop reacting and start choosing. And that’s when you finally feel more in control — even during the busiest season of the year.

Now that we’ve covered what Smarter Accountants do differently, let’s bring it to life with a real coaching client story you’ll probably relate to.

Becoming a Smarter Accountant: Breaking Free From People-Pleasing

One of my coaching clients came to me last December completely overwhelmed. She’s an experienced accountant who prides herself on being reliable and dependable, but by the time year-end hit, she felt like she was drowning.

Every client seemed to have “just one more” request before December 31. Her coworkers kept dropping last-minute tasks on her desk because they knew she’d handle them without complaint. 

On top of that, she was trying to make it to every holiday event, every family gathering, and every client appreciation dinner. She was running on fumes and starting to feel resentful, but she didn’t know how to stop.

When we started working together, she admitted she said yes because she didn’t want to disappoint anyone. She thought helping everyone else would make things easier, but instead, it left her exhausted, frustrated, and behind on her own priorities.

Through coaching, she began to slow down and notice her patterns. We talked about how her brain was wired to want approval and how that quick hit of feeling “helpful” was actually costing her time, energy, and focus. Once she saw what was really going on, she started making different choices.

She learned to pause before committing and ask herself one simple question: “Am I saying yes because I want to or because I feel guilty?” That single shift changed everything. 

She started setting small boundaries, like telling a client she could get to their request after the first of the year instead of cramming it in at midnight. She stopped automatically taking on extra tasks from coworkers and focused on the work that mattered most.

By the end of tax season, she felt calmer, more in control, and surprisingly proud of the quality of her work. For the first time in years, she actually enjoyed parts of the holiday season because she wasn’t overcommitted and overwhelmed.

Her story is proof that you don’t have to keep running yourself into the ground to make everyone happy. When you learn how to manage your brain and make intentional choices, you create space for better work, less stress, and more balance — even during the busiest times of the year.

And this client isn’t the exception. If you’ve been stuck in this cycle of people-pleasing, you can change it too.

Up next, we’ll pull everything together and recap the most important takeaways from this episode.

Key Takeaway and Action Item

People-pleasing might feel helpful in the moment, but over time, it drains your energy, clutters your calendar, and keeps you stuck in a cycle of stress and overwhelm. During busy seasons like year-end and the holidays, that cycle only gets louder.

Smarter Accountants do things differently. They pause before saying yes, make intentional choices, and protect their time and focus. They understand that managing their brain — not just their calendar — is the real key to avoiding burnout and creating balance.

If you find yourself constantly trying to keep everyone happy, take a step back and ask yourself:

“Am I saying yes because I want to — or because I feel guilty?”

This simple question can be eye-opening. When you pause long enough to notice the reason behind your yes, you create space to make a decision that actually supports you. 

Over time, this small habit can shift how you work, how you manage your energy, and how much control you feel over your time.

Now, let me share a personal story about my own experience with people-pleasing — and what I learned the hard way.

Pulling Back the Curtain

Pulling back the curtain…

I still remember one December early in my career at Deloitte when I said yes to everything. Clients wanted last-minute reports. My manager asked me to “just handle” a few extra projects. Coworkers dropped work on my desk because they knew I’d take it. 

And of course, I agreed to every holiday party, family dinner, and gift exchange. I told myself I could handle it — but I was exhausted.

I was working late every night, waking up early, and running on caffeine and stress. I barely had time to think, let alone rest. 

I remember sitting at my desk one night, staring at my to-do list, and realizing I couldn’t possibly finish everything I’d promised. But instead of slowing down, I pushed myself harder. I didn’t want anyone to think I couldn’t handle it.

By the time January came around, I was completely burned out. I had missed moments with my family, I wasn’t proud of the quality of my work, and worst of all, I was frustrated with myself. I thought saying yes made me helpful, but it only left me depleted.

Once I was introduced to coaching, years later, I was able to understand what was really happening. My brain thought saying yes kept me safe, but it was running on autopilot. 

Once I learned how to pause, manage my thoughts, and make decisions on purpose, everything changed. I became more intentional with my time, I stopped overcommitting, and I learned how to deliver better work without burning myself out.

If you’re listening right now and you’re in that same place — stretched too thin, saying yes to everyone, and running on fumes — I want you to know this: you’re not broken. Your brain is just doing its best to protect you. But there’s a smarter way to handle this, and I can help you get there.

The first step to understand what’s happening with your accountant brain is to take The Smarter Accountant Quiz at www.thesmarteraccountant.com.  This will help you to see how much your default, Toddler brain is in charge of your life.  

After you take the quiz, schedule a free 30-minute call with me at www.thesmarteraccountant.com/calendar. Together, we’ll figure out how people pleasing might be getting in your way and what to do about it.

And if you know another accountant who struggles with people-pleasing, especially this time of year, share this episode with them. It might be exactly what they need to hear.

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