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Forbes
21-03-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How To Schedule Time For Tax Prep, Keep Your Sanity, And Survive Tax Season
Surviving tax season takes planning. Most Americans don't look forward to Tax Day. A recent Wallet Hub survey found that nearly a third of taxpayers would rather serve on jury duty than do their taxes. Nearly one in eight taxpayers would rather talk to their kids about sex than do taxes, while one in 20 would rather drink expired milk. You get the point: tax season can be stressful, and many taxpayers would prefer to skip right over it. However, with the April 15 deadline looming, taxpayers and tax professionals must put aside time to get those returns done and out the door to the IRS. How can you do that without losing your sanity? Rashelle Isip, a New York City-based productivity consultant and time management coach, has literally written the book on time management: The Order Expert's Guide to Time Management. Islip says that the first step to surviving tax season is understanding that it won't last forever. She explains that there is a start and end, and taxpayers should plan accordingly. An easy way to do that? Take a look at your calendar and consider what's happening between now and April 15. What is left to do on your calendar outside of Tax Day that is an absolute priority? And what can you push off until after April 15? "Maybe now is not the time to start a new project," she suggests. For those who can be intimidated by planning, Islip suggests starting from an endpoint and working backward. That endpoint doesn't have to be Tax Day, and Islip recommends that it not be. "Give yourself a personal deadline," she says, "such as the week before." That way, you have a few days of grace to account for the unexpected and the opportunity to correct if you fall behind. To make the process less stressful, Islip recommends that you not tackle the whole project at once. "Break it into pieces," she says. A sample to-do list might look like this: Step One: Contact your tax preparer to find out their availability and their deadlines. (It's worth noting that this is best done well before tax season.) Step Two: Gather the information that you need. That includes searching your records and requesting any information that you don't have on hand—be sure to think about how much time third parties might need to send you what you need. (Here's what to do if you're missing tax forms.) Step Three: Review the information you've collected (including any previously missing forms) and ensure you're ready to move ahead. Step Four: Focus on preparing your return—or turning over your materials to your tax preparer. Don't forget Step Five: Celebrate finishing up. Islip says that while it's important to remember work before play, schedule something enjoyable after you do the work. That can look like different things for different people—for me, it's baking or digging in my garden. That incentive can help you get to the finish line when faced with a task. It can also be helpful—especially if you're stuck—to think about the result of not sticking to your timeline. You'll have to schedule the time later (Tax Day isn't going away), which can make you stressed or overwhelmed. To help you stick to deadlines, put them in your calendar. That's true whether you use a digital calendar, voice reminders, or to-do lists. Some of Islip's clients, she says, use a wall calendar because they need an "in your face" approach. Whatever works for you—just be sure to do it so that you can visualize your deadlines and not become timeblind. Counting down to a deadline is useful. Treat it like you do New Year's, she says, and ask yourself, "How many days left?" Islip says that being aware of the deadlines allows you to ask yourself, "Where am I with this?" and "Have I fallen behind?" Being honest with yourself along the way can help you course-correct early and avoid meltdowns later. You'll also want to schedule breaks as you go. Making those breaks part of your routine means you're more likely to succeed. Not sure where to start? Islip says to make sure that you're covering the basics, like taking a proper lunch break and getting enough sleep. If you miss out on those, it will put you in a place where you're not as productive. Once you've mastered the basics, you'll get better at taking short breaks, like taking a class at the gym or going for a walk. It can be hard to convince yourself to take a physical break, but Islip says that it can help to get out of your head and get your body moving. Then she says, take a quick moment of reflection and think about how you felt. Islip says you might be surprised at the results. It's not unusual, for example, for you to think, "Going for a walk felt good—and now I see the error in my spreadsheet." "There is," she explains, "always work to do. Always." Taking a step away is essential, and while it seems counterintuitive, a break can actually increase your productivity. What about that endless stream of emails that can make it tough to stick to your schedule? Islip says it's important to set boundaries. You do this by making it clear that "My office hours are…" and "My client-facing office hours are…" Then stick to it. The key is communicating these rules. (I heard Islip mention this in a presentation a few years ago, and it stuck with me. Blocking off time when you don't take calls or emails and instead focus on your to-do list can be incredibly helpful.) When working on projects (including tax returns), you can set mini-rules like not answering emails or voicemails after a certain time. Be sure to communicate those to anyone who might be impacted. Islip looks to restaurants as an example. They aren't, she explains, open whenever they feel like it. They post opening and ending hours. Recently, she said a restaurant she liked announced they would be closed on Sundays. As a result, she adjusted her schedule to eat there on other days. That clear message helped the restaurant set boundaries and helped customers like her adjust, too. And if you miss the deadline? It's not the end of the world—even when it comes to tax. "There is power in the now," Islip explains. Rather than be frustrated by the missed deadline, Islip advises taxpayers to think about what they can do to fix it. She suggests that you make a list of things to do—that could look a lot like your earlier list. The first step is likely to contact your tax preparer and ask, "What do you need from me to move this forward?" Then, she says, create a new personal deadline. If you realize in advance that you'll miss the Tax Day deadline, you can buy some time by filing for an extension. That gives you an extra six months to file. It's free and easy—you don't even have to tell the IRS why you're asking for additional time. Be sure to make any required payment when you file for an extension since it extends the time to file, not to pay. Whether you met the deadline or didn't, some self-reflection on the process can be helpful. Islip says to make a note—on paper, voice notes, type it out, whatever works for you—of what worked well during the season. And, importantly, what didn't work well? You may find that you need more communication about your return or regular meetings during the tax season. Ask how to make that happen. Not all tax professionals like sitting down with clients during tax season, while others may want to do it earlier. If it's not a good match, start looking for a new tax preparer now—not next year. Ditto for processes. Some tax preparers may want you to bring in paper, while others may only use an organizer or online portal. If you struggled to upload documents, ask for help in the off-season (some client portals have tutorials you can watch). If you can't learn or don't feel comfortable with your tax preparer's system, make a change now. Since Tax Day happens at the same time every year, you can establish a routine—but be open to change. By asking yourself what you did well and what you would do differently next time, you can make adjustments that will make tax season easier. Keep that information together (preferably where you keep your tax records each year) so that you have a jump on next season. Why is that important? Learning a routine—especially at tax time—can help desensitize us to the idea that we must do everything now. That can take off the pressure and help us de-stress. Importantly, every little step we take now to be more efficient, Islip says, can save us time and energy later.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Yahoo
Experts Reveal The 7 Hidden iPhone Hacks That Help Them Be More Productive
If you're an iPhone user, you know that they can be both a necessary tool for our jobs and also the very tool that keeps us from getting any work done. There are features that can help you get the most out of using an iPhone, so you remain focused. Productivity experts and professionals told HuffPost about their favorite hacks and features to help them stay on task. Try for yourself: Anna Dearmon Kornick, a time management coach, said that turning on the iPhone's Do Not Disturb feature is her go-to when she wants to avoid being distracted by notifications. 'I love it because when I set my iPhone to Do Not Disturb, it extends to my laptop notifications, too,' she said. What makes it different from Airplane Mode ― which disables your phone's ability to connect to cellular or Wi-Fi networks ― is that you can still allow certain notifications to come through, she said. 'I've noticed that a lot of productivity experts recommend putting your phone in Airplane Mode while you work, putting your phone in another room, or locking it in a drawer,' she said. 'As a mom to two little girls in daycare, Airplane Mode or going completely off the grid is not an option for me, because I need to be available in case of an emergency. Within the Do Not Disturb settings, you can allow notifications from certain people within your contacts or specific apps, so the girls' daycare is able to reach me even while I'm in Do Not Disturb mode.' To turn on Do Not Disturb: 1. Go to Settings, select Focus.2. Tap Do Not Disturb. From there, you can choose to allow notifications from selected people or apps. If you tend to forget details about the people you meet and network with, try typing in those details alongside their contact info. 'You may automatically save phone numbers and email addresses in your Contacts app, but take things a step further and utilize more information fields in Contacts,' said productivity consultant and time management coach Rashelle Isip. 'You can add in helpful information for contacts like birthdays, anniversaries, important dates, family members, and work contacts,' she said. 'You can create custom labels, add pronunciation fields, and take notes. You add in information once, and it's there for easy reference in future.' To add more details in Contacts: 1. Select your phone icon, go to Contacts and select a person's contact entry.2. From there, select Edit. You can fill in fields like birthday, URL and email, and you can write notes in the select field. 'If you have to send in a lot of signed/filled out documents like camp registration or school permission forms, and these organizations don't generally use electronic signatures, then the Notes function on an iPhone can save a ton of time,' said Laura Vanderkam, author of 'Tranquility by Tuesday: 9 Ways to Calm the Chaos and Make Time for What Matters.' 'It creates a PDF from your scan and you can then email it straight to whoever is asking for it,' she said. 'Other than that, I think the best productivity app is staying off your phone as much as possible.' To scan documents from your phone: 1. Open Notes and select a note or create a new one.2. Tap the paper clip icon inside Notes, select Scan Documents and place your document in the camera's view to scan.3. Your document will automatically scan if it's in Auto Mode, but you may need to manually capture a scan by tapping the Shutter button. Harleny Vasquez, a New Jersey-based career coach for social workers, said she uses the built-in Reminders app on iOS devices. 'In taking the time to create and set up reminders, it can give you the peace of mind in ensuring important tasks, meetings and deadlines are not missed or overlooked,' she said. 'These types of reminders can also help you stay organized and focused, including allowing you to set the foundation to take necessary breaks and prevent burnout.' To set up Reminders: 1. Go to the Reminders app and tap New Reminder. 2. Use the Title and Notes fields to type out what you want to remember. 3. Tap the Date and Time button to set due dates for your reminder. Tap the Photos button if you want to attach a photo with your reminder. 4. If Location Services is turned on, you can also receive location-based reminders and choose whether you want to be notified when arriving or leaving a perimeter area. 'To protect my energy and time, I use the Focus mode, which allows me to mute notifications and minimize distractions,' Vasquez said. To turn on Focus: 1. Go to Settings and select Focus. 2. Select a Focus option, such as Personal, Sleep or Work. From there, you can customize how you want to allow or silence notifications from certain people and apps during set hours. If you find yourself automatically scrolling social media or checking emails when you should be working, try setting app limits, productivity consultant Samphy Y recommends. 'I've found that endless email and social media scrolling tricks my brain into feeling busy and satisfied, when I'm really just procrastinating,' he said. 'Restricting app access flips that switch and forces me to sit with boredom and discomfort. That's when the real work happens.' For example, Y said that he restricts his access to email to only a few hours. 'I get more done in those two hours of email than I would in an unlimited email day,' he said. To set app limits: 1. Go to Settings, select Screen Time, then App Limits and select Add Limit. 2. From there, you can set daily time limits for app categories like 'social' or specific websites. Have you ever noticed how the iPhone's lock screen automatically turns on when you pick up your device? That's known as the Raise to Wake feature. Y, the productivity consultant, said that turning off the Raise to Wake feature has helped him reduce distractions, because it makes it a little harder to get sucked into automatically using his phone. To turn off Raise to Wake: 1. Go to Settings, then select Display & Brightness.2. Tap Raise to Wake to turn the setting off or on. 5 Things Productivity Experts Do If They've Been Putting Off A Task 7 Extremely Cool Things You Probably Didn't Know Your iPhone Can Do 12 Ways To Make Your iPhone Run Faster
