Greetings,

How many hats do you wear?

I wear the wife hat, the mom hat, the daughter hat, the Nanny hat, the family hat (cousins, sister, father, etc.), the businesswoman hat, the networker hat, the friend hat, and finally, the ME hat.

Each hat we wear usually adds an intentional twist to our personality. And sometimes, it can be challenging to remember who the real you is.

For example, when you wake up in the morning, do you need to check your calendar and see what your day will be like to determine if you are going into the office and donning the business hat or heading to the grocery store? Or do you need to plaster a happy face on and be the networker even though you might not be in the mood?

Over the past few months, Jeff and I have randomly discussed work-life harmony. Work-life harmony refers to a well-adjusted position where you successfully balance work burdens with your personal life. Anyone lacking this balance may have excessive work obligations, home responsibilities, long hours, and a lack of personal time.

This often leads to mental health issues as well as physical health issues. Burnout happens when anyone suffers too much stress over a long period.

The Life of a Tax Pro and his wife

Between June – December, 📆 Jeff and I often have the luxury of not working on Fridays and spending time around our pool or working from home until noon instead of working in the office, as our office closes at noon on Friday. However, it is open from 8-6 Monday through Thursday. However, we do manage to squeeze in a few long weekends and a vacation!! Is this work-life harmony? Nope, but it may be as close as we will get until we retire.

Between January and May, tax season wholly consumes Jeff and me, for that matter. Jeff likes to say that my job is to get new clients in the door, or his job goes bye-bye. That is a bit of a stretch, but you get the gist. Jeff’s hours do not end at 6, except on Friday, when we have a date night if we are not too tired (which is most of the time for these old folks) 😣. During the week, he typically goes home and works in our home offices. It takes me more time to finish all the tasks calendarized for the day/week. Jeff has a much better grasp of his To Do list. No balance there.

So, you can see we do not have work-life harmony but are trying to integrate more play time, exercise, gardening, and my passion, cooking, into our day. 🧘‍♀️🧑‍🍳

And I would surely like to add yoga and meditation to my day. Jeff would like time to enjoy a game on TV ⚾️ or spend time in the garden🪴without being mentally and physically tired.

I have read that the first steps are learning to say “no,” evaluate priorities and consider options. So, we are working on it.

A few months ago, we listened to  Dan Sullivan’s book, “Who Not How,” and it has become my go-to book when feeling overwhelmed. I may have previously mentioned this book, but it is worth mentioning again. It is not a long book, but it is filled with ways to help reclaim control of your time. That is where I learned that I could not do it all, and I could ask for help!

Do you have control of your life and a healthy work-life balance?

Ali “my head hurts from the hats” Schneider
Director of Business Development

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#worklifebalance #wearingdifferenthats #lifeofataxpro #taxseason