During the last weeks, I have noticed that I am falling into the trap that I have for the longest time aimed to avoid: I am wrapping up before the holidays and looking forward to having a few weeks of downtime. It annoys me because I feel I have managed to organize my worklife in such a way that I do very few things that I don’t enjoy and love most of what I do. I realize that even if you like your job and the things that come with it, there are still times when you need to take some downtime and gain some perspective. Our society and companies appreciate busyness. Creating the illusion of being busy is one of the best strategies to be promoted in many companies. Unfortunately even more important than delivering great results as both successes and failures can often be attributed to many factors. So, if you hope to be promoted next year or be picked for that role you’ve been eying, make sure to look really busy and work all the way up to Christmas Eve! It might pay off in 2026! Or, perhaps, wrap things up a bit early and take a few weeks of a break and see if starting 2026 with fully charged batteries and a clear set of goals is the better approach?