Let the Season Take Some of the Work
12 December 2025

As the seasons shift and we draw close to the upcoming Christmas break, there’s a quiet productivity invitation we often ignore.
To slow a little.
To simplify things.
To stop forcing momentum where a good rest might be the better move.
Nature doesn’t rush to stay productive, and I always tend to look to nature for patterns and systems (one for another day).
Trees let go of what they no longer need, fields must lie fallow for awhile to remine fertile and energy needs recharge before it rises again.
Yet … many of us push on unchanged wondering why things feel heavier than usual.
Think about this as a reframing:
This upcoming seasonal break might not be for accelerating, it could be for consolidating.
So as you head into the weekend with some of us moving into the last working week of the year, ask yourself:
What can I release?
What needs less pressure?
What’s ready to rest?
You don’t have to fight the holidays.
You can work with them and use them to your advantage.
Sometimes, the most productive move of all - is nothing at all.
Remember, the path to extraordinary is walked with a thousand small steps, you’re doing great!

Barry Marshall-Graham
Executive coach and leadership advisor
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