Folks are peculiar. To each their own madness.

If my clients are sitting with me and their information is in envelopes, I tell them, 'To make the best use of our time, I will take out the first tax document from envelope number one. If you could begin removing the necessary tax documents from the other envelopes, that would be great. This way, we can maximize our time today. While I work on my side of the desk, you can work on yours as well, so you can leave with your results faster.' I try to keep the focus on them, but I might also mention that envelopes feel like nails on a chalkboard to me, and I have a strong aversion to the thought of getting a paper cut from an envelope. LOL

When clients bring in their tax information, my assistant kindly checks in with them and playfully asks if they're trying to get her in trouble with me! She gently reminds them that I prefer not to work with tax documents in envelopes. With a friendly smile, she suggests that they take a moment to remove the tax information from the envelopes. She also offers a helpful tip for next year: it would be great if they could bring the tax information unfolded and outside of envelopes.

I even take it one step further with my annual letter the year before last I had this paragraph towards the end- "If you know of anyone looking for a qualified, spunky tax preparer who works hard for her clients, please send them my way. However, you will need to let them know what over the years you have learned about me- “I don’t do envelopes!”

Can you tell I left my "filter" at home.