We’re coming up to the end of the year and after a number of recent conversations with my agency clients, one thing is clear – the chaos that often surrounds Q4 is starting to ramp up. We suddenly feel a need to get everything “wrapped up” before the Christmas holidays and New Year, which when you think about it, isn’t always necessary and is somewhat of a self-imposed tight deadline.
Many of us impose this extra pressure on ourselves and our clients, stakeholders and bosses can apply that pressure too. Add to this our non-work commitments to family and friends, it can lead to a feeling of just wanting to “get to the finish line”.
As a result, we are more likely to work that little bit harder, work a few more hours and open ourselves up to the likelihood of burnout.
The thing that makes it even more likely is that many of us will take a break over the Christmas holidays, meaning that we tell ourselves that pushing ourselves hard in Q4 is acceptable because we’ll have a break soon.
Yes, that’s true, but you can still end up pushing yourself harder than you need to. I try to advise my clients against this and to give themselves a fighting chance of getting everything done that ends up on their to-do list, also taking a break that is about recharging, not recovering.
Let’s reframe Q4
Strategy, not survival.
Instead of treating Q4 as “let’s just get through it” and survive the chaos, what if we can reframe it as a time to think strategically and set yourself up for the New Year?
You have a choice.
You can leave Q4 exhausted and scrambling into January, probably not looking forward to going back to work after the break.
Or you can use it to set your team up for momentum, stability and high performance heading into the New Year.
Here’s how.
Why Q4 is actually the best time for strategic planning
Q4 gives you something that can be quite rare in leadership: clarity.
As you head towards the end of a year, you will have a strong gauge on things such as:
- What worked.
- What didn’t work.
- Where you and your team have struggled.
- Where you and your team delivered amazing work.
- Which goals and objectives you achieved and which ones you forgot about.
This means that you have the knowledge to spot patterns in your lived experience, making Q4 the ideal time to:
- Refine priorities.
- Adjust targets.
- Rebuild processes. (Or remove them!)
- Plan capacity for the year ahead.
- Identify the leadership strengths and gaps you need to address.
Many managers will wait until January to do this, given that Q4 itself can feel so busy and overwhelming. But once you get back to work in January, the day-to-day whirlwind can take over and suddenly, you don’t feel like you have the time or headspace to do this work.
Effective managers plan now and start the New Year ahead of where they need to be, not behind.
Q4 team dynamics to watch out for and manage
You have little chance of setting aside the time and headspace you need for effective planning if you don’t manage your team effectively during this period. Your role as a leader generally is to stabilise the environment so your team doesn’t get pulled into the chaos. This is even more important during the holiday season.
Common Q4 team dynamics to watch for include:
- People mentally “check out” early.
- A spike in personal commitments.
- Shorter weeks and more absences.
- Frustrations around project delays.
- Increased client or stakeholder pressure.
- Emotional fatigue after a long year.
It helps more than ever to ensure that you are doing things like:
- Setting clear expectations about deadlines and time off.
- Being transparent about workload planning and team capacity.
- Setting a culture where people feel safe asking for flexibility.
- Quick check-ins rather than long, heavy meetings.
Keeping on top of these things just a little more than usual can help you end the year in a much stronger spot.
Hitting year-end deadlines whilst not causing burnout
It’s a hard balancing act, but it is possible to push your team to get things done and meet their commitments, whilst not allowing the usual year-end pressure to overwhelm them – and you!
Q4 deadlines often collide with human realities: energy dips, burnout, childcare, travel, family obligations. It can all add up.
This is where thoughtful leadership matters.
Here are a few practical ways to protect performance and well-being at the same time:
- Prioritise ruthlessly – not everything needs to be finished this year, even though it may feel like it!
- Reduce meeting load and give people more focus time.
- Make capacity visible so that team members aren’t silently drowning.
- Encourage people to take small breaks before they hit a wall.
- Check in weekly, not just when something goes wrong.
A good question to ask your team each week:
“What’s one thing I can help you get done before year-end?”
This doesn’t mean that you take all of their important work away from them! It’s more a way to check in with them in an actionable, meaningful way.
How to use Q4 to set yourself up for success in the New Year
Here’s what to focus on between now and the end of December.
1. Finalise your priorities for January before the end of the year
If you wait until you’re back in January, you’re already going to feel behind and you may end up losing a few days or even a week or two before they’re finalised. Leaving yourself very little time to actually work on them.
2. Document (and share) your big lessons from the year
Take some time to think about what worked, what didn’t, and what you could have done better this year. Do a draft yourself and then ask your team to take a few minutes to contribute their thoughts too. Then think about what you can take away from these lessons and carry forward into the new year.
3. Review your team
Take some time to evaluate your team members and ask yourself questions such as:
- Who needs more development and support?
- Who can truly excel next year?
- What skill and experience gaps do you have that you may need to fill?
- Who are your most reliable people and how can you keep them happy and engaged?
4. Finalise Q1 plans
Give your team clarity early on what Q1 of next year looks like. Share these plans with them so that they have complete clarity on what they need to focus on when they’re back after the break.
This can have a surprisingly positive impact on their headspace not just now, but those first few days back in the new year when they can just crack on with what needs to be done – not having to figure it out from scratch.
5. Schedule a calm, structured first-week-back rhythm (no heavy meetings)
This may sound a bit too pedantic, but it can really help get the new year off to a solid start. The first week back can be a mixture of chaos but also slow productivity wise. People typically ease themselves into the new year slowly and some colleagues, clients or bosses may not even be back straight away if they’ve taken extended leave.
So take some time to plan for that first week to be productive, but not too overwhelming. Focus on tasks that you may not otherwise get time to work on before the rhythm of the new year truly kicks in.
To finish up, Q4 doesn’t need to be full of chaos and stress. You don’t need to spend the first few days of your holiday season break recovering from the stress.
Instead, give yourself a fighting chance of finishing the year strong and carving out the time to start the next year in the same way – whilst enabling a proper break and switch off in the middle.
