5 reasons to keep your procrastibaking habit during busy season

If you’ve been on Instagram lately, you’ve probably seen posts tagged with #procrastibaking. If you aren’t familiar with the term, to “procrastibake” is to put off doing something you have to do in favor of baking. The term was featured in a New York Times article back in May and has increased in popularity ever since. And it’s a pretty likable concept – if you are a fan of sweets and don’t mind getting your hands and your kitchen a little dirty.

Sometimes you just need a break, and as you delve deeper into busy season, you may find that periodic diversions help you get more done. But why spend this time baking?

Baking relieves stress. If you’ve ever kneaded bread dough or rolled out cookie dough, you know what I mean. There’s something very satisfying about these activities. Frustrated that a client hasn’t returned their completed organizer? Knead some dough. Getting your hands covered in flour is a nice change, and it feels better than typing a follow-up email.

Baking contributes to happiness. This was all I needed to hear. A study from the Journal of Positive Psychology found that people who spent short periods of time doing creative activities like baking reported being in a happy mood and having more positive energy. You can then spread some cheer by taking that new-found positivity back into client meetings.

Baking allows you to practice mindfulness. Philip Muskin, a psychiatry professor at Columbia University, sums it up well. He says, “Baking is mindful. Mindfulness means paying attention to yourself in the moment and not being in the past or the future, but really being there.” Like accounting, baking is all about precision, and there’s a peace that can be found in paying attention to the details. It’s important to measure ingredients carefully when baking; otherwise, you may end up with a cake that’s too dense or too sweet.

Baking invites creative expression. Despite the required precision, baking also allows you to express yourself. How you flavor the next quick bread you make or decorate the next cake you bake is completely up to you. Have you thought about making tax-themed sugar cookies? What about cupcakes with your company’s logo on top? There aren’t rules as far as I’m concerned, and that’s part of the fun.

Baking spreads joy. Sure, you could devour the batch of cookies you made all by yourself, but why not share? There’s something special about seeing people’s faces light up as they savor your homemade baked goods. Bake up a batch tonight and share them with your colleagues tomorrow. They’ll appreciate being able to share in your procrastibaking bliss.

After your baking break, check out these tax season resources to set yourself up for a smoother filing season. The AICPA tax return due dates page can help you keep track of what’s due when, the personal finance scorecard can help you discover client needs and ways you can add value, and this busy season fun calendar features ideas for keeping staff motivated during this time of year.

Alexis Rothberg, Communications Manager – Public Accounting, Association of International Certified Professional Accountants

5 reasons to keep your procrastibaking habit during busy season

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