Technology makes you accessible around the clock, from wherever you might be. Undeniably, this has advanced the way you communicate and many of your firm’s efficiencies, but it has come at the cost of blurring the lines between your personal time and work time.

As your accounting firm grows more clients and work will be taken on, requiring you and your team to put in more hours of work. Inevitably this means that your personal life—and sleep—will suffer even more.

Hard work is unavoidable if you want your firm to grow, but it’s not sustainable to work hard all the time.

How does it impact you?

Too much work is not healthy—it can lead to high blood pressure, heart issues, lack of fitness and a whole raft of other issues. It can also cause high-stress levels, hurt your relationships, and generally make you unhappy.

But driving yourself too hard isn’t only dangerous to your personal wellbeing—it is also an impractical way to run an accounting firm.

A positive work-life balance for all staff is essential if your team is to perform at the best of their ability.

Those that can find the balance will see noticeable improvements in their productivity, creativity and motivation, and will be more likely to stay with your firm long term.

What can you do about it?

Reflect on what’s important

Rather than letting life just happen, you need to take a step back and look at things from a higher level. Decide what is most important to you and make a deliberate effort not to sacrifice these things.

If eating dinner with your family is at the top of your list, make an effort to leave the office at 5pm at least three nights a week. If getting outside to exercise is important, book times in your calendar to go for a run.

Your own circumstances will require a unique approach, but the key is to identify what you value most and make sure you don’t just leave them for the time that might be leftover after work.

Identify the critical tasks and prioritize them

You must learn to identify your own tasks, clients and jobs that are the most critical. Think about the key things that you must do to drive your firm to success. These are what you need to prioritize and invest your energy in above any other work projects.