Working with the trainees under my wing, I constantly learn new phrases.

So, in true TikTok style: "I am crashing out, bro"

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Compared to other professionals, it's believed auditors experience much higher burn out rates. Burn out, not a new but an increasingly popular term, describes how overworking can lead to compromised health. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, many professionals saw an increase in workload and in turn, so did their stress levels.

Dwindling interest in the profession has also changed the game for auditors currently in the field. With higher demand comes a workload like no other.

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But stats can't paint the whole picture. Have a look at how I do things:

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I'm a person who lives off a TO-DO list. These lists don't just include my daily tasks on my multiple client files. They include:

• Motivation sessions with struggling trainees
• Finding tasks for my team
• Giving that Sanlam consultant my information for the retirement annuity I set up
• Sending reminders to partners on specifics for client relation
• Withdrawing money for my sister's nail appointment is fast approaching
• Creating new SOPs (standard operating procedures) and updating CaseWare manuals
• And the reminders to write this article

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My deliverables are consistently met ahead of time (that's because I never leave the office. I have my own set of keys to the office. We might as well decommission that server room and create an "on-call room" with a mattress.)

But back to why I'm crashing out: I don't wait for others; I naturally take upon leadership roles, and honestly, I see the frustration in many of my peers.

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It's in my nature: I always want what's best for the people coming up after me, so I can't sit back and just let things be. This attitude feels like it is the most significant contributor to why I am drowning in the darn shallow end.

Saturday night, I sat outside relaxing with some shisha, thinking:

This can't be my life right now

But then, I realised this is precisely where I want to be. I love being an auditor and transforming the career trajectory of audit trainees. I thought about the quote on my desk calendar, and it reads:

You can't cry about having a lot on your plate when your goal is to eat!

This is how I choose to look at things now. My career right now is building up pain tolerance.

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What do I mean by this?

Pain tolerance – The ability to endure physical, emotional or mental discomfort without breaking down. At this stage of my life, we are looking deeper into emotional resilience, learning from failure and being okay with delayed gratification. I plan on entering that building Monday morning focused on my long-term gains.

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How do you build this tolerance:

• Conditioning - Regular exposure to high-pressure situations can build resilience (well, we can tick this off because that is my life every day)
• Mental reframing - seeing stress as a challenge rather than a threat makes it easier to endure
• Physical resilience, fitness/sleep and nutrition (This is currently my struggle: I have a gym membership that goes off my account each month, but no gain seen. Matter of fact, the gym doesn't even see me)
• Emotional regulation, practising mindfulness and staying in your lane (gone are the days of me thinking about what my long hours might look like to other people - I am just going to focus on being a better person that I was a week ago)
• Taking action is key— lists are helpful, but without execution, they stall progress. What starts as a plan for tomorrow turns into a delayed week, then a missed opportunity – your personal life must also fit into this.

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People say you need to find work-life balance; this is true – but balance is different to everyone:

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Yours might be 50% work and 50% everything else. Mine might be 80% work and 20% other.

You do you. But right now, mediocracy is not where I see myself.

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So, my 20s will continue to be intense and insane to the outsider looking in.

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The fact remains I have goals to achieve!! These extended hours and dedication haven't gone unnoticed. I saw two promotions in the blink of an eye: finishing articles to become an audit senior and then being promoted to audit supervisor. Yeah, my eyes will twitch from time to time. But soon, I will need glasses to see how bright my future will be.

Your career starting in audit is like a slingshot. The deeper the pullback (struggles, long hours, setbacks and twitching eyes), the farther you'll go.

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And it's not all doom and gloom when you look back; the rewards are good:

• The novice colleague you invested hours of training with now becomes the client's favourite. They grow not only in terms of IFRS and IAS proficiency but also think like an auditor with a highly questioning mind.
• The frightened staff member you needed to speak to about using ChatGPT to write emails to managers now sends out MS invites where they are the trainer.
• The newbie who used to literally live at my desk for help on drafting separate company financial statements is currently preparing consolidated financial statements
• The slowpoke who took ten years (a little exaggeration) to do timesheets every Friday now uses my Excel spreadsheet template and captures time daily
• Being able to do KPIs on people you worked with, attending firm operational meetings to understand goal congruence.

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This is my sweet spot: knowing that I could add value, even if it's a small contribution, I am going to do it. Burnout has no place here. Cheers to building pain tolerance!!

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