3 Proactive Approaches to Tax Season
Tax time. GROSS. We all hate when this time rolls around and we have to give the government a whole account on how much money we made, where we spent it, why we spent it, how much we spent of it.
It’s definitely the season of stomach drops, long evenings at the kitchen table crunching numbers, and furrowed brows.
In my ten plus years helping people navigate the waves of financial stability during this stressful time and in this beautiful community of Solano County, here are a few things I’ve learned to keep in mind:
1. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE
The time it takes to stress about what you don’t want to do, BUT still inevitably have to do is a waste of invaluable energy. Make your plan and stick to it.
Set due dates for yourself, program reminders on your phone to complete items, ask for accountability from friends or family to reach those goals--there's a spew of resources and tricks to keep you on track and it only takes a quick Google search to find them.
Mind you--don't try to employ EVERY trick in the book. Keep it simple, realistic, and personally doable. If the tools you're using to keep you from being overwhelmed overwhelm you...they're probably not going to work.
If the tools you're using to keep you from being overwhelmed overwhelm you...they're probably not going to work.
If you can get everything in order on your own, GREAT! Get started today.
If you need a little help knowing where to get started, NO WORRIES. Give us a call to get pointed in the right direction. 707-474-9510
2. TAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF
You are no good to anyone if you don’t first take care of yourself.
There's a quote that says, "You cannot give from an empty well." While it may feel initially selfish to take some much needed "me time," remember that you will be a better YOU for your family, friends, and yourself when you intentionally set aside time to relax and release especially during tax season.
When developing your master plan to tackle tax time, set aside slivers of time to take a walk, grab a coffee with a friend, or watch a movie, but BEWARE: avoid addictive or procrastinator pals like binge watching Stranger Things or browsing Facebook. These are TIME THIEVES.
3. TAKE INVENTORY
Take inventory of your world. I mean this with respect to ourselves, the people around us, and physical objects.
Evaluate what you want to remain in your world
and equally, what you don’t.
Rid yourself of the bad habits, situations or issues that are draining your energy, and of course, the unnecessary physical clutter in your home or office.
As my best friend reminds me all the time:
"Where focus goes, energy flows."
So take the time to get your house, your social life, and your thoughts in order.
A good way to do this is to create a two-column list--one with a KEEP column and one with a NO MORE column. Start with a master list of brainstorming everything you know takes even a minute of your time in a day then begin to divide those items into your two columns. Any time you're tempted to worry, fuss over past mistakes, or go on a shopping spree to ease your anxiety, refer back to where those items landed on your Keep or No More list.
YOU CAN DO THIS!
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