Dan Henn CPA

Time is a tax professional’s most valuable—and most limited—resource. Whether you’re dealing with IRS deadlines, juggling client demands, or managing your team, it can feel like there’s never enough time in the day. But effective time management isn’t just about getting more done—it’s about doing the right things.

As Benjamin Franklin said, “You may delay, but time will not.” To succeed in tax resolution and grow your practice without sacrificing your sanity, you need to master how you spend your hours.

Start With a Time Audit

Before you improve your schedule, understand where your time goes. Track everything for a week—calls, emails, meetings, client work, admin tasks. You’ll likely discover that your time was involved in activities that can be reduced or eliminated.

Prioritize Revenue-Generating Activities (RGA)

IRS representation cases, initial consults, referral meetings—these are the tasks that move the needle. Administrative work and routine follow-ups are important, but they can often be delegated. Focus your energy on work that brings in business or directly serves clients.

Use Time Blocks

Group similar tasks and tackle them in dedicated chunks. For example:

• Monday mornings for case reviews
• Tuesday afternoons for prospect calls
• Friday mornings for team check-ins
• Wednesday mornings for marketing activities like networking or blog/book writing

Time blocking reduces the mental friction of task switching and helps you stay in flow.

Limit Interruptions

Turn off notifications during deep work. Let your team know when you’re unavailable unless it’s urgent. Consider setting up client communication hours so you’re not constantly checking messages.

Automate What You Can

Billing, appointment scheduling, document requests—many tasks can be automated using tools like TaxDome. The less time you spend on routine admin, the more you can focus on strategic work.

Delegate and Let Go

Practitioners should act competently and with promptness. Delegation helps you maintain that standard by letting others handle routine work under your supervision.

Set Clear Daily Goals

Start each day with the 3 most important top priorities. Don’t let your to-do list run your day—choose what matters most. Crossing off meaningful tasks creates momentum.

Batch Email and Communication

Instead of responding to emails all day long, batch them into 2–3 slots daily. This protects your focus and prevents distraction-driven work.

Review and Reflect Daily and Weekly

Spend up to 15 minutes each day and 30 minutes each Friday reviewing what worked, what didn’t, and what needs adjusting. Continuous improvement is key to effective time management. Document your … Continue reading

Growing a tax practice doesn’t have to mean working 60-hour weeks, hiring a huge team, or burning out. With the right systems, tools, and mindset, you can build a lean operation that scales sustainably—and lets you keep your sanity.

As Tim Ferriss once said, “Being busy is a form of laziness—lazy thinking and indiscriminate action.” Instead of doing more, we’re focusing here on doing better.

Design a Business That Runs Without You

Your time should be spent on high-value activities—strategy, client relationships, and revenue-generating work. Everything else should be:

• Automated (invoicing, appointment scheduling, file requests, many emails)
• Delegated (admin tasks like scanning and answering the phone, follow-up calls and emails, routine prep work)
• Eliminated (tasks that don’t support your bottom line)

Tools like TaxDome, Jetpack Workflow, and  can integrate workflows and reduce reliance on you personally.

Build Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

Document how tasks are done in your practice—from onboarding to closing a resolution case. SOPs:

• Allow others to do the work consistently
• Make hiring and training easier
• Reduce decision fatigue

Start with your top 5 repeatable processes and build from there. Tools like SnagIt, Loom, and ScribeHow can help you document the steps easily.

Use the 80/20 Rule for Services

According to the Pareto Principle, 80% of your revenue likely comes from 20% of your services or clients. Identify which offerings are most profitable and eliminate or outsource the rest.

Focus on work you’re great at—and that clients will pay a premium for.

Use Tiered Pricing Models

Don’t underprice yourself or create complexity with custom quotes for every case. Instead, use clear tiers:

• Base rate for simple cases (e.g., $2,500–$3,500)
• Mid-tier for multi-year or more complex work
• Premium tier for urgent or high-dollar cases

This clarity boosts conversions and reduces negotiation.

Maximize Your Calendar With Time Blocks

Split your week into focus blocks for:

• Client work (e.g., Tuesday and Thursday afternoons)
• Team meetings (e.g., Wednesday mornings)
• Marketing (e.g., Fridays)

This approach creates rhythm and reduces mental load.

Track Key Metrics

If you don’t measure it, you can’t improve it. Monitor:

• Average case value
• Number of leads generated vs leads turned to prospects vs prospects turned to clients
• Referral sources
• Profit margins

These insights help guide hiring, marketing, and operational decisions.

Use a Scalable Intake Process

Direct leads to a pre-consultation form that screens for fit. Automate follow-up emails based on their responses. Save your calendar for qualified leads who are ready to move.… Continue reading