Long days. Long nights. Long days that blurred into long nights. It seemed like the darkness might never end, but the sun has risen in the sky, friends – April 18th has arrived and the tax season marathon has come to a close. The Capstan team humbly suggests that you implement the following “Four R’s” to help you and your team celebrate what just might be the most festive season of all.
Relax
- SLEEP. As long as you like.
- Take a few days off, a kind of mini-vacation. Even just a day or two can be incredibly refreshing. If you can’t actually get away, consider a “staycation” at your own home – no chores allowed.
- Netflix. And when the overseers of Netflix ask, “Are you still watching?”, gleefully answer, “Yes. Yes I am.”
- Treat yourself. The spa treatment, the massage, whatever it is – go for it.
- If you enjoy freebies – and who doesn’t — the world is your oyster right now. Tax day discounts and freebies will be aplenty on April 18th, with companies like Great American Cookies, Kona Ice, Hard Rock Café, Tony Roma’s, and Staples all getting into the act. See https://www.thebalance.com/tax-day-freebies-1358046 for specific deals.
Reconnect
- Reconnecting with family and friends might be the best part of the post-tax season rush. Now’s the time to play catch after dinner, enjoy a family movie night, or take the whole crew to the ball game. It’s a truly delightful coincidence that the beginning of baseball season generally coincides with the end of tax season. America’s national pastime may be the perfect way to decompress with the family – just don’t forget the Cracker Jack.
- The stress of tax season means that while we may see lots of our coworkers, it’s not exactly quality bonding time. Now is the perfect time to reconnect with the team in a more relaxed way, to strengthen team dynamics, and to celebrate a job well done. Dinner and happy hour is a classic of course, but something more unusual can be a great camaraderie builder. The Capstan team will be spending an afternoon racing high-speed electric go karts, and we’re looking forward to leaving tax season stress in the rearview mirror (pun intentional.)
Reflect
- Now’s the time to reflect on busy season as a whole, while the nitty-gritty details are still fresh in our minds (possibly too fresh). What went well? What could have been better? What can we address during the off-season to make next tax season run more smoothly? Here at Capstan we use the “Experience Transformer” to guide these discussions. If you would like a copy, please email us and we’d be happy to pass it on.
- This is also a great time to reflect on the individual accomplishments of your team members. Who really stepped up? Who deserves recognition? Now that things have slowed a bit, we have the time to give credit where credit is due.
Register
- Once you’ve relaxed, reconnected, and reflected, it’s time to get back in the swing of things and keep your skills sharp. What better way to do that than to register for Capstan’s upcoming webinar?
- Bruce Johnson, MBA, CEM will be presenting a 2.0 credit CPE on Innovative Applications of Cost Segregation on May 10th, 2017. Why not join us? Register HERE.
Hope you enjoy implementing Capstan’s “Four R’s” into your celebration! Feel free to let us know how your team rejuvenates– we’d love to feature some of your fun ideas in a future blog.
Image courtesy of m_bartosch at FreeDigitalPhotos.net