Dealing With the Deadline Demons
This is the month many Americans dread. We know it’s coming…it comes every year. In the back of our minds, we know we should be more proactive…we should be more organized…we should be more responsible. And yet, here we are again, in April, with that sense of dread looming over us. April 15th. It’s thirteen days until Tax Day 2024.
For tax accountants, the entire first quarter of each year is a zoo. That means not everyone procrastinates, though many do. The website Fast Company analyzed the most common days that workers call in sick, and it’s not shocking to learn that Monday wins handily and Tax Day is usually fairly high on the list.
Guess what day of the week Tax Day falls on this year? Yep. Monday. Oh, joy…a three-day weekend spent deciphering cryptic tax forms!
Deadlines and procrastination cause stress, and that stress is usually self-inflicted. Before you feel like I’m pointing fingers, know that if I am, they’re pointed at me, too. One of my brothers casually remarked one day, “You work well with a deadline, don’t you?” Busted!
If you’re in the same boat and the impending deadline has you in avoidance/slight panic mode, take a breath. There are ways you can make deadlines be your friends – chunking a big project into the smaller steps and celebrating each completed step, enlisting the help of others, and being kinder to yourself as you plow through the last-minute workload. For inspiration, here are three episodes of the world’s second-shortest podcast to help:
Need help hitting a deadline? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!
Need help deciding whose deadline is most important? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!
Want an evidence-based reason to procrastinate? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!
Relax. You’ll get it done. You always do. And next year, you’ll be more proactive so you can avoid the April stress. Hey, it’s a good story…maybe you’ll stick to it!
Wags,
Sandy Weaver
Program Director, Center for Workplace Happiness
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