Emerging Professionals

Thanks for the thoughtful suggestions, Dalton. This is an area I've had to grow in significantly over the past few years, and here are a few practices that have made a meaningful difference for me:

1. Close the loop before signing off.
In the past, I struggled to fully disconnect in the evenings or on weekends because my mind would keep circling back to a particular return, an unresolved client question, or a frustrating situation. That mental spillover kept me from truly resting-and often cost me sleep. Shifting to a "close the loop" mindset has been transformational. I now dedicate the last hour of each day during busy season to wrapping up loose ends: sending the challenging email, finishing the small but nagging task, or documenting next steps clearly. This allows my downtime to be genuinely restorative and helps me show up more focused, energized, and grounded for my team the next day.

2. Limit email check-ins.

I used to live in my inbox-constantly popping in between tasks and reviewing every new message as it came in. It completely fractured my focus and drained the mental energy I needed for high-level returns and complex projects. Now I limit email to designated windows: an hour in the morning, 30 minutes midday, and 30 minutes to an hour at the end of the day. My team knows that if something is urgent, they should reach me via Slack or stop by my office. These boundaries keep me more efficient and prevent me from spending too long on any single email.

3. Schedule something fun before busy season begins.
I make a point to build in a couple of energizing out-of-the-office breaks during busy season-concerts, sporting events, or anything that feels like a true mental reset. I book the tickets or reservations ahead of time as a commitment to myself, so I won't back out once things get hectic. I've never regretted leaving early on a Friday in March for something fun. Those 2–3 hours of stepping away always pay dividends in renewed energy, perspective, and positivity-for both my team and my family.

Would love to hear what others are doing to protect their energy and stay grounded during the months ahead!

Thanks for the thoughtful suggestions, Dalton. This is an area I've had to grow in significantly over the past few years, and here are a few practices that have made a meaningful difference for me:

1. Close the loop before signing off.
In the past, I struggled to fully disconnect in the evenings or on weekends because my mind would keep circling back to a particular return, an unresolved client question, or a frustrating situation. That mental spillover kept me from truly resting-and often cost me sleep. Shifting to a "close the loop" mindset has been transformational. I now dedicate the last hour of each day during busy season to wrapping up loose ends: sending the challenging email, finishing the small but nagging task, or documenting next steps clearly. This allows my downtime to be genuinely restorative and helps me show up more focused, energized, and grounded for my team the next day.

2. Limit email check-ins.

I used to live in my inbox-constantly popping in between tasks and reviewing every new message as it came in. It completely fractured my focus and drained the mental energy I needed for high-level returns and complex projects. Now I limit email to designated windows: an hour in the morning, 30 minutes midday, and 30 minutes to an hour at the end of the day. My team knows that if something is urgent, they should reach me via Slack or stop by my office. These boundaries keep me more efficient and prevent me from spending too long on any single email.

3. Schedule something fun before busy season begins.
I make a point to build in a couple of energizing out-of-the-office breaks during busy season-concerts, sporting events, or anything that feels like a true mental reset. I book the tickets or reservations ahead of time as a commitment to myself, so I won't back out once things get hectic. I've never regretted leaving early on a Friday in March for something fun. Those 2–3 hours of stepping away always pay dividends in renewed energy, perspective, and positivity-for both my team and my family.

Would love to hear what others are doing to protect their energy and stay grounded during the months ahead!

Hailey, I love this - I would REALLY love to stop getting distracted by Teams and Email.  Did you find that people tried to ping you when you didn't answer email right away, or did people respect the boundaries?  Would love any tips - I've been trying to shift from multitasking to monotasking!

Thanks for the thoughtful suggestions, Dalton. This is an area I've had to grow in significantly over the past few years, and here are a few practices that have made a meaningful difference for me:

1. Close the loop before signing off.
In the past, I struggled to fully disconnect in the evenings or on weekends because my mind would keep circling back to a particular return, an unresolved client question, or a frustrating situation. That mental spillover kept me from truly resting-and often cost me sleep. Shifting to a "close the loop" mindset has been transformational. I now dedicate the last hour of each day during busy season to wrapping up loose ends: sending the challenging email, finishing the small but nagging task, or documenting next steps clearly. This allows my downtime to be genuinely restorative and helps me show up more focused, energized, and grounded for my team the next day.

2. Limit email check-ins.

I used to live in my inbox-constantly popping in between tasks and reviewing every new message as it came in. It completely fractured my focus and drained the mental energy I needed for high-level returns and complex projects. Now I limit email to designated windows: an hour in the morning, 30 minutes midday, and 30 minutes to an hour at the end of the day. My team knows that if something is urgent, they should reach me via Slack or stop by my office. These boundaries keep me more efficient and prevent me from spending too long on any single email.

3. Schedule something fun before busy season begins.
I make a point to build in a couple of energizing out-of-the-office breaks during busy season-concerts, sporting events, or anything that feels like a true mental reset. I book the tickets or reservations ahead of time as a commitment to myself, so I won't back out once things get hectic. I've never regretted leaving early on a Friday in March for something fun. Those 2–3 hours of stepping away always pay dividends in renewed energy, perspective, and positivity-for both my team and my family.

Would love to hear what others are doing to protect their energy and stay grounded during the months ahead!

Hey Reon! 

My team has been really supportive of this shift. We're a small office of eight people, so I'm always happy to pause and help when one of our team members is stuck or needs to talk something through so we can all keep moving forward on our responsibilities.  So they do still come to me with questions whenever it makes sense.

What surprised me is how much this change has actually helped with setting boundaries with clients. I used to feel compelled to respond the moment a client email landed in my inbox, just so I could get the issue resolved. That meant I had almost no control over my day-my schedule, focus, and energy were essentially dictated by whoever emailed me next. I was constantly context-switching and far less effective as a result.

Limiting my email check-ins has flipped that dynamic. Clients now fit into the boundaries I set, rather than the other way around-and I'm able to be much more mentally "on" during the windows I've designated for client communications. It's made me more present for my team, more efficient with my projects, and far less drained overall.

I hope you're able to adapt some version of this to your own workflow - it's been a game changer for me!

------------------------------
Hailey Gomillion
Manager
GSA, LLP
Claremont CA
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Original Message:
Sent: 11-17-2025 14:35
From: Reon Sines-Sheaff
Subject: How Do You Protect Your Energy During Peak Deadlines or Tax Season?

Hailey, I love this - I would REALLY love to stop getting distracted by Teams and Email.  Did you find that people tried to ping you when you didn't answer email right away, or did people respect the boundaries?  Would love any tips - I've been trying to shift from multitasking to monotasking!

------------------------------
Reon Sines-Sheaff


Original Message:
Sent: 11-13-2025 12:47
From: Hailey Gomillion
Subject: How Do You Protect Your Energy During Peak Deadlines or Tax Season?

Thanks for the thoughtful suggestions, Dalton. This is an area I've had to grow in significantly over the past few years, and here are a few practices that have made a meaningful difference for me:

1. Close the loop before signing off.
In the past, I struggled to fully disconnect in the evenings or on weekends because my mind would keep circling back to a particular return, an unresolved client question, or a frustrating situation. That mental spillover kept me from truly resting-and often cost me sleep. Shifting to a "close the loop" mindset has been transformational. I now dedicate the last hour of each day during busy season to wrapping up loose ends: sending the challenging email, finishing the small but nagging task, or documenting next steps clearly. This allows my downtime to be genuinely restorative and helps me show up more focused, energized, and grounded for my team the next day.

2. Limit email check-ins.

I used to live in my inbox-constantly popping in between tasks and reviewing every new message as it came in. It completely fractured my focus and drained the mental energy I needed for high-level returns and complex projects. Now I limit email to designated windows: an hour in the morning, 30 minutes midday, and 30 minutes to an hour at the end of the day. My team knows that if something is urgent, they should reach me via Slack or stop by my office. These boundaries keep me more efficient and prevent me from spending too long on any single email.

3. Schedule something fun before busy season begins.
I make a point to build in a couple of energizing out-of-the-office breaks during busy season-concerts, sporting events, or anything that feels like a true mental reset. I book the tickets or reservations ahead of time as a commitment to myself, so I won't back out once things get hectic. I've never regretted leaving early on a Friday in March for something fun. Those 2–3 hours of stepping away always pay dividends in renewed energy, perspective, and positivity-for both my team and my family.

Would love to hear what others are doing to protect their energy and stay grounded during the months ahead!

------------------------------
Hailey Gomillion
Manager
GSA, LLP
Claremont CA
9096266462

I love reading all these great tips. For me:

1- I block off time each day to take a 30 min walk during work hours. 

2- I block off time large chunks of time every other day to focus and not have meetings.

3- At the end of the week, the last thing I do is set my work plans for the next week.

4- I do the NY Times Wordle, Connections and Pips every afternoon :)

Something that really helps me protect my energy, not just during busy seasons, is to come into the office early. Once I stepped into a more supervisory role, I found it important to block off time where I can just focus on my own tasks. I recognize that I'm way more productive in the morning and combining that with no distractions -- no emails, no questions -- really gets my day started in a positive way. This has honestly been a game-changer for me.