Have you ever had that moment in mid-January when you look across the office and realise someone's eyes have gone dead?

They're at their desk. They're moving. But they're not really there any more. If you're a UK accountant, you've seen this. The self-assessment deadline doesn't just create work – it creates walking zombies.

And how you handle January determines whether your practice thrives or merely survives for the rest of the year.

My colleague Emma Slack recently hosted a webinar on surviving the busy season without casualties. What follows are the strategies that actually work – not the generic ‘remember to take breaks’ advice you've heard a thousand times before.

This applies whether you're managing a large team or working solo and trying to manage yourself.

Spot the shutdown before it happens

Burnout isn’t always obvious. It can creep up almost without you noticing. Watch for these warning signs:

• the chatty person who's suddenly monosyllabic
• ‘I'll sort it later’ becoming someone's catchphrase
• simple errors from people who don't make simple errors
• someone who hasn't left their desk in four hours.

Here's how to stop it before it takes hold: the 10-minute daily reset

Every morning, gather everyone (even virtually) for 10 minutes.

• Minutes 1-2: Breathe together. Yes, literally. Four counts in, hold for one, seven counts out. It sounds touchy-feely until you realise it's just hacking the nervous system.
• Minutes 3-5: One priority each. Not three. Not ‘I'll get through my list’. One thing that would make today feel like a win.
• Minutes 6-8: ‘What do you need?’ Not ‘How are you?’ but ‘What's in your way?’ Let people name the task they're dreading or the information they're missing.
• Minutes 9-10: Quick-win problem solving. Often someone else in the room can remove a blocker in 30 seconds.

If you're thinking, ‘My firm would never go for this’, Emma's response is perfect: ‘This isn't therapy. This is leadership. Frame it as a two-week experiment to help people through a pressure point. That's all.’

Set expectations that motivate, not crush

When you're stressed, your communication gets stressed too. You start putting on the pressure without realising it: ‘We need to finish this’, ‘We have to get through these’, ‘This is critical’.

Every ‘must’ adds to an already heavy burden.

Tell your team (and mean it): ‘You're not expected to know everything. You ARE expected to communicate early.’

The earlier someone says, ‘I don't know how to do this’ or ‘I have too much on’, the earlier you can fix it. Silence is the enemy. Stupidity doesn't exist – only delayed communication.

The rule of three (and how you say it)

Nobody can juggle seven priorities when they're already struggling. Give people a maximum of three things to focus on at once.

But remember that people process information differently. Some are visual processors. Others are auditory. Others are kinaesthetic (they need to do something to understand it).

If you're not getting through to someone, you might be speaking the wrong language:

• Visual people respond to: ‘Let's look at…’, ‘Focus on…’, ‘Can you see how...?’ Use written communication – slack messages, bullet points, screenshots.
• Auditory people respond to: ‘Tell me about…’, ‘I hear what you're saying…’, ‘Does this sound right?’ Talk it through with them; a five-minute conversation beats a long email.
• Kinaesthetic people respond to: ‘Let's tackle this…’, ‘How does this feel?’ ‘Can you make progress on...?’ Give them something to physically do, even if it's just sketching out a plan.

When someone seems confused or resistant, switch your communication style. The breakthrough often happens immediately.

You set the thermostat

Your team takes their emotional temperature from you. If you're frantic, they'll be frantic. If you're rushing, they'll make careless mistakes trying to keep up. If you're calm – even if it's a question of fake it till you make it – they'll be calm too.

You're the thermostat, whether you like it or not.

And above all, say ‘thank you’. Say ‘well done’. Be specific about what someone did well. It costs you nothing and it's the difference between someone pushing through and someone quietly updating their CV.

Emma covered far more ground in the full webinar – this is just the handful of strategies you can implement tomorrow morning.

The complete recording is available in The Accountants KnowHow Club. If you're not already subscribing, you can trial it for £1.

Because busy season is inevitable. Burnout isn't.