It’s May 1st, number crunchers, and for those of us in countries with an April 30th tax deadline – we made it! Another fun-filled tax season in the books.
I hope you made it through this tax season intact, and if you had a rager of a tax party last night, then I wish you some good rest and a speedy recovery!
May 1st marks the real beginning of the year for us. It’s time for connection, reflection, and enjoying the sound of ideas bubbling over from the big dreams we get to chase for the rest of the year.
Last year I was in my whimsical accountant era and celebrated on the blog with a sort-of esoteric rambling of what accounting actually is in the post Happy May 1st, Accountants!
(The blog was only 9 months old then, and I must say I’m happy to be in a space where I can start looking back at old posts and cringe appreciatively at myself. Of course I can still do this with the things I wrote yesterday too, so… You really have to enjoy the process!)
This year I’m definitely nursing a little burnout, so I’ll be celebrating by giving myself the calm and the space I need to catch my breath, deeply and fully. On the docket is a quiet, contemplative coffee with my husband, a meander around a local garden nursery, cozying up with my growing “to read” list, and a little planning and forecasting (because, you know… accountants 🙂).
What about the creative calendar? On May 1st I’ll be leaving space and opening to inspiration. Beyond that, there’s a lot that I want to try, but writing the blog will probably be my primary creative focus this year.
When I first started the blog I was really more fixated on learning to paint than learning to write, but after almost two years I really have fallen in love with the blogging process. This year I’ll be doing a lot of learning and experimenting and trying to work through my idea list in meaningful ways. (Whether those make it on here or not is another matter!)
First things first, though: I’m finally completing my Busy Season Survival Guide! This is a mini-series on navigating corporate burnout during periods of intense work.
Which I just went through.
In fact I started writing it “for the blog” late last year in anticipation of tax season 2025, but I’ve actually been compiling for – well, my entire career.
I was tweaking and contemplating and adding bits to it throughout this year’s busy season which felt so deliciously ironic and appropriate. Saving a bit of time to work on the series kept me grounded, both by maintaining a creative outlet and by helping me stay mindful and curious throughout my busy season experience.
This made the season feel a lot more manageable, particularly when I could take my own advice.
One of the many joys of writing the blog is writing to you, but also writing to me. 🙂
The irony is not lost on me that I’m a little burnt out right now, but hey – progress over perfection, right?
I’d say this year I felt the burn twice: Once early on by accident (which I wrote about in the post How to Beat Busy Season Burnout… (Or Not)), and again in the last couple weeks, on purpose. It really takes the whole team’s best effort to push through and hit that deadline, and I’m fine doing a sprint to the end knowing May 1st is just around the corner.
In fact the whole point of the series is not to prevent burnout from ever-ever-happening again, but to minimize the frequency and intensity, and to navigate it while you’re in it without crumbling.
The aim is to meet yourself where you’re at.
Speaking of which – I’m off to go do just that!
Cheers!
