The last week of the year – the one that spans from Christmas day until New Year’s – has quietly built a real reputation in our culture. Nobody announces it out loud, but many of us feel the same way: for those of us who aren’t already taking it off entirely, it often has the sense of being “lost.” Normal standing commitments fall by the wayside, half our emails get out-of-office auto-replies, and sometimes it’s even tough to remember what day of the week it is.

But if you’re still putting in the hours, what lessons can we take away from this “lost” last week that can help us work more effectively every other week of the year?

Be There: Stay focused and don’t let quality slide

During this lost week, we often have fewer responsibilities to manage – and naturally, you’d think that means each task would get more care and attention, right? The truth is, as counter-intuitive as it sounds, we often do our best work when our schedules are full and begin to let things slip when we’re less taxed.

Whether it’s downtime during the last week of the year or just any time during work when you have less to do than usual, these are great times to practice Being There and approaching every task mindfully. Doing so will ensure that nothing becomes rote, nothing slips through the cracks, and your output stays as efficient and high-quality as it ever was.

Play: Use downtime to brainstorm new ideas 

One of the most common feelings during this last week of the year is an overwhelming sense of boredom. Every email’s been answered, every form filed, every task completed – we simply don’t have much to do. Does that mean it’s time to twiddle your thumbs and binge-watch YouTube videos? Not necessarily!

When all your projects are complete, rather than thinking of your work day as over, think about it as “unstructured” instead – turn your attention to future projects or future needs, and let your mind wander, toy with new ideas, and see where your creativity leads you. By taking this unstructured work time to Play with new concepts without fear of judgment or dismissal, you can come out of your slower season with fantastic plans that will put your organization ahead of your competition.

Choose Your Attitude: Keep your work in perspective

Even if there’s not much work to do during this week between holidays, the work you do have to do can feel extra-frustrating. Whether it’s projects sitting idle waiting on approval from higher-ups who are on vacation, emails that go unanswered, or external partners who close their offices for the season, it can feel like we’re the only ones who see how important our work really is.

While we don’t want to deny the importance of our work, it can help to practice putting things in perspective – is it really life-or-death if that signature doesn’t come in until the new year? Will you be fired because your boss isn’t checking emails? Probably not. We want to do our best work, but by practicing Choose Your Attitude, we can reframe our expectations during less-active periods and find ourselves less impatient and more at-ease.

Make Their Day: Reward those who put in the work nobody wants to do

There’s no getting around the fact that as a manager, making people work the last week of the year can be a real bummer. You may need the coverage, but no matter how you slice it, your team will see people gone, envy them for enjoying their holiday vacation, and gripe about being stuck in the office – and the best thing you can do is to acknowledge that and reward people for showing up.

This could mean time-and-a-half pay, an extra holiday bonus, or even just smaller rewards like catered lunches, work-from-home flexibility, or the option to take off early if all tasks are completed. Regardless of what you choose, recognizing the effort people are putting in during times others have off can go a long way to making every member of your team happy with their workplace – or at least less likely to foster bitterness and resentment

Ideas to Reflect On:

  • When you have a slower period at work, how can you structure your day to minimize careless errors and use your time to efficiently prepare for the future?
  • Do you find yourself feeling anxious if projects get “stuck” without moving forward? What’s the root of that anxiety, and do those feelings fit the facts?
  • If you manage a team, what do you do to recognize and reward those that provide necessary coverage during common holiday periods? Are these actions sufficient to keep your team happy?