The Myth of Accounting Emergencies: A CPA's Perspective
In the fast-paced world of finance, where deadlines loom and numbers dance, the phrase "there is no such thing as an accounting emergency" might sound counterintuitive, even heretical. But today, I’m here to explain why this statement is true and how impactful it can be to your career. Let’s jump in!
Urgency vs. Emergency
To the uninitiated, the idea of no accounting emergencies may seem blasphemous. After all, isn't accounting all about meeting deadlines, preparing financial reports, and ensuring compliance with regulations? Yes, but it's crucial to differentiate between the urgency of a task and the notion of a genuine emergency. In accounting, tasks are often time-sensitive and require meticulous attention to detail, but time-sensitivity should not mean the same thing as “emergency” to you. Labeling accounting tasks as emergencies can lead to unnecessary stress and hasty decision-making. Urgency is inherent in our profession, but true emergencies are incredibly rare. Understanding this distinction is fundamental to maintaining composure in the face of tight deadlines.
Proactive Planning
With the abundance of time-sensitive deliverables in the profession, how can you mitigate the stress of the job? The answer is proactive planning. A seasoned CPA recognizes the cyclical nature of financial tasks and plans accordingly. They know about the tax deadlines, they know about the needs of management, and they understand how long their clients may take to respond. The best CPAs that I know had multiple layers of planning to control the chaos that surrounds the urgent deadlines. Some would even charge double for a tax return if documents were provided less than 2 weeks before the deadline!
We Are Not Doctors
No one is going to die if someone doesn’t get a spreadsheet on time. Doctors need to worry about people dying on their watch and accountants need to worry about getting the numbers right and the circumstances are certainly not the same, no matter what the partner says. While the information accountants deal with is important to keeping businesses operating to serve our communities, no one is going to die if an accounting deliverable is a few days late.
Why Does This Matter?
In my years of navigating the complex landscape of accounting, I've seen how the perception of emergencies can lead to burnout, strained client relationships, and compromised quality of work. The biggest shift I had in my career was when I was able to change my perspective on how urgent and impactful accounting actually is. Instead of thinking about the immediate deadline and stressing about getting everything done by a certain time, I was able to take a step back and see the bigger picture, which ultimately helped me make better decisions and produce a better outcome for myself and my clients. I can assure you that if I did not have this perspective shift, I wouldn’t have lasted 6 years in public accounting. It’s crucial to understand that once you understand the core hard skills of your accounting role, your perspective will shape your day-to-day experience more than anything else. Maintaining that perspective will allow you to see the bigger picture, burn out slower, and ultimately gain more from the abundant learning experiences that the profession has to offer.
Remember, urgency is not a cause for emergency! Accounting is full of time-sensitive tasks that need to be done but putting the extra pressure on yourself by calling anything an “emergency” is doing more harm than good. Take the time to step back and shift your perspective and you will ultimately be better off!