You organized for tax season. Now what?

Last month, you got organized. 

💰 You made the folder.
💰 You gathered the W-2s and 1099s.
💰 You stopped pretending tax season wasn’t happening.

Now comes the part that used to stop me in my tracks.

I avoided my taxes for five years because it felt so overwhelming I didn’t even know where to begin. Most people don’t end up owing taxes because they’re careless. It usually starts with one unprepared year. One year where you didn’t file, didn’t save enough, or just weren’t ready for the bill. And then you freeze.

From there, it snowballs. You tell yourself you’ll fix it next year—but next year brings its own expenses, more confusion, and more avoidance. And before you know it, it’s been five years, you haven’t filed, the IRS letters are stacking up, and you’re scared to even open your email (hiiiii, it’s me 👋🏻).

That’s why February and March matter.

Because this is where you break the freeze.

Not by filing immediately.
Not by forcing yourself to be perfect.

But by finishing the draft.

Most people gather their documents… and then stop. They open the software, enter one form, see a number they don’t love, and quietly close the tab.

These next two months are about not closing the tab.

Here’s what I want you to do:

1️⃣ Input everything. Every form. Every income stream. Don’t estimate and don’t skip. Partial information creates distorted numbers.

2️⃣ Complete the entire return: but don’t submit it yet. Let the software calculate the real outcome. Your goal right now is clarity, information gathering so you can make strategic decisions. 

3️⃣ Review what changed this year. Did your income increase? Did you add freelance work? Change jobs? Move states? If the number surprises you, there is usually a logical reason. Find it.

 4️⃣ Slow down when looking at your deductions and credits. Remember to include: student loan interest. Retirement contributions. HSA contributions. Business expenses if you’re self-employed. This is the section people rush through — and it matters.

5️⃣ Write down the result. Owe or refund — and the amount. Seeing it in black and white takes it out of an emotional spiral and turns it into data.

That’s the shift.

When you don’t know the number, your brain creates drama, it creates a story. When you do know the number, you can create a plan. If you owe, it’s information, not failure. It likely means your withholding didn’t match your income or you had untaxed income. That’s fixable. 

If you’re getting a refund, that’s information too. It tells you how your system performed this year.

But here's what I want you to remember: you cannot build a strategy around something you refuse to look at.

Finish the draft. Keep the tab open. Replace avoidance with clarity. I know you got this.