It’s that time again…income taxes are due here in the US on April 15th.

While you might think filing tax returns in a timely manner is the only time management issue that’s out there, there’s actually a couple of others you may not have considered.

In this post we’ll review a few other time management concerns that pop up during tax season.

Repeatedly stopping to find or locate documents.

The tax filing process can be even more tedious when you start your taxes, stop to locate documents, start your taxes and begin the vicious cycle all over again. Talk about a lot of misguided energy! It’s preferable to first spend your time collecting all the relevant forms, statements, receipts and other documents you’ll need to prepare your taxes before you actually begin. You can then focus your attention and energies on completing your return.

Expecting other people get back to you in an instant.

Whether you emailed your accountant about a particular tax issue or requested a specific legal document from your workplace, now is not the time to expect or assume a rapid-turn around. Sure it’s nice for information to be expedited to you, but don’t assume this will be the case. It takes time to fill any request, no matter what time of the year it is! If you have even a slight time advantage, put in your request sooner, rather than later.

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR CALENDAR.

The Order Expert’s Guide to Time Management is a hands-on workbook that provides practical solutions to common, everyday time management problems.

Click here to learn more about the workbook >> 

Miscalculating the time it will take you complete your taxes.

“It’ll be done in just a half-hour, tops.” Do you know how long it takes you to do your taxes? I mean everything? From culling your financial documents to officially submitting your returns? Of course the time it will take you to do your taxes depends on your own financial situation. Think for a moment, how long did it take you to compete your returns from last year’s tax season? When in doubt, always give yourself more time to complete the task. You might want to consider blocking out time in your calendar to help you complete the task at hand.

Rushing when preparing your returns.

Yes, something as simple as rushing through your work can cause you to make mistakes…some of which may be downright costly or difficult to fix in future. You might misinterpret or misread information, enter in information in the wrong location and so on and so forth. Slow down, it’s not a race! Take your time and complete your work one step at a time.

How about you? Which of these tax time management mistakes have you remedied/will seek to remedy this year? Join in the conversation and leave a comment below!