Every December, organisations experience a subtle but meaningful shift. The pace of work slows, emails arrive less frequently, and meetings carry less urgency. For many, this period feels like downtime, a pause before the new year begins. Yet leaders who observe recognise that these quiet offers clarity and opportunity. It is a chance to reflect, recalibrate, and lay the groundwork for the year ahead.
Neuroscience demonstrates that periods of wakeful rest are far from unproductive. During these moments, the brain’s Default Mode Network becomes active, supporting memory consolidation, creative problem solving, and reflective thinking. This activity strengthens the connections between experiences, allowing leaders to make sense of patterns that might have gone unnoticed amid the year’s busyness. Psychology research further shows that allowing the mind to wander in brief, unstructured intervals, a process called incubation, often leads to more innovative solutions once focus returns.
In Nigeria, where many organisations operate in volatile, high-demand environments marked by rapid policy shifts, fluctuating market conditions, and intense operational pressure, this December pause becomes even more essential. It provides breathing space for thoughtful planning and strategic clarity.
This article explores how leaders and organisations can use December strategically. It examines the value of rest as a performance tool, the importance of reflective learning to guide future direction, and the opportunity to strengthen systems. At the same time, the pace is slower, and the question is how to build early momentum that carries into the new year.
Strategic Rest: Why December Sharpens Thinking
Rest is not the opposite of productivity; it is a deliberate performance tool. During December, leaders can recover cognitively, sharpen judgment, and approach planning with greater clarity. Research suggests that wakeful rest and cognitive pauses can enhance problem-solving, improve memory consolidation, and foster creativity.
A 2025 meta-analysis published in Psychonomic Bulletin & Review found that brief periods of wakeful rest significantly enhance memory consolidation, with effect sizes indicating moderate improvements in recall and recognition over time (Brod & Bunge, 2025). While the study focused on memory rather than problem-solving, these findings suggest that cognitive pauses can strengthen the mental foundation needed for complex tasks. Similarly, research highlighted by the National Institutes of Health in 2023 indicates that brief transitions into early sleep stages, such as hypnagogic states, can enhance creative thinking and problem-solving by activating associative processes (NIH, 2023).
By incorporating intentional rest, leaders and teams may gain several advantages:
- Cognitive clarity: Stepping back reduces mental fatigue and improves executive function. Research indicates that brief rest intervals facilitate the restoration of cognitive control and reduce fatigue, thereby enabling clearer judgment and improved decision-making (Boksem & Tops, 2021).
- Enhanced creativity: Brief, unstructured pauses, known as incubation, allow the subconscious mind to process problems, often leading to novel insights. Studies confirm that these pauses improve creative performance compared to continuous work, though the effect varies by task and context (Rummel & Meier, 2024).
- Focused planning: Reflection periods free mental bandwidth, making it easier to assess priorities and plan strategically. Evidence from organisational learning research suggests that structured reflection enhances planning accuracy and foresight, facilitating better anticipation of risks and opportunities (Harvard Business Review, 2023).
For Nigerian leaders, who often operate in environments with rapidly changing regulations, complex infrastructures, and high decision-making loads, this type of cognitive recovery is particularly valuable. By treating rest as an intentional tool, organisations enter January with renewed energy, sharper focus, and measurable improvements in decision-making and creativity, rather than fatigue or reactive thinking.
Reflection That Builds Direction
Reflection bridges past performance and future strategy. In December, leaders can evaluate outcomes, processes, and team dynamics with a clear and objective perspective. Research in organisational learning shows that structured year-end reflection improves early-year execution and strategic decision-making (hbr.org). Leaders can focus their reflection on several areas:
- Assessing results: Understanding which initiatives succeeded and why helps leaders replicate practical approaches and avoid repeating mistakes.
- Reviewing processes: Evaluating workflows identifies friction points and efficiency gaps, supporting smoother operations in the coming year.
- Evaluating people and teams: Reflection on engagement, collaboration, and leadership development strengthens team alignment and informs talent planning.
This deliberate reflection equips organisations to clarify priorities, anticipate challenges, and make data-informed decisions for the year ahead.
Quiet Improvements with Big Impact
December provides a unique opportunity to strengthen systems and operational processes. During busier months, these improvements are often postponed, but the year-end slowdown allows leaders to act deliberately. Research shows that organisations that review and optimise processes during periods of lower activity can achieve measurable improvements in productivity and operational efficiency, demonstrating the value of proactive process refinement. Using this window intentionally allows organisations to:
- Streamlining workflows: Simplifying processes removes bottlenecks and reduces repetitive errors, freeing time and resources. Companies that implement workflow optimisation and automation report productivity improvements of 20–25%, enhancing overall efficiency and allowing teams to focus on strategic tasks.
- Optimising digital tools: A Slack study highlights that companies implementing structured workflow processes and digital tools consistently reduce time spent on administrative tasks by nearly 30%, allowing teams to shift their focus to higher-value work.
- Updating documentation: Revising templates, procedures, and reports based on lessons learned helps streamline operations. In one real-world case, adopting automated onboarding workflows reduced processing time by 68% and eliminated errors on 22% of new-hire paperwork, significantly boosting operational accuracy.
Even minor refinements compound over time. By taking deliberate action in December, organisations enhance productivity, reduce friction, and position teams for smoother, faster execution in the first quarter. This proactive approach transforms a traditionally slow period into a strategic advantage for operational readiness.
Entering the New Year with Strategic Motion
Momentum is easier to sustain when it is built beforehand. Small, deliberate actions in December create continuity, confidence, and alignment, ensuring a stronger start in January. Leaders can build early momentum through practical steps:
- Scheduling strategy sessions: Planning early alignment meetings for Q1 ensures that the organisation hits the ground running.
- Preparing deliverables: Drafting reports, presentations, or communications in advance accelerates execution and reduces early-year pressure.
- Establishing preliminary goals: Setting team priorities early fosters clarity and alignment, making it easier to focus on what matters most.
- Ensuring system readiness: Checking that workflows, tools, and platforms are operational eliminates delays at the start of the year.
Starting early increases follow-through, allowing organisations to act decisively and avoid the inertia that often slows early-year performance.
Begin Before the Beginning
Momentum is built before the calendar flips. Leaders who use December strategically combine rest, reflection, operational improvement, and early action to create a foundation for success. Organisations that invest in this period enter January with clarity, aligned teams, and the capacity to execute with confidence.
December is not simply the end of one year; it is the start of another. Those who recognise this advantage move ahead while others are still preparing. By approaching the quiet season intentionally, organisations can ensure they enter the new year with focus, direction, and purpose.
At pcl., we believe momentum is not built by chance; it is built by design. That is why we help leaders and organisations use this reflective season to realign their goals, strengthen their systems, and step into the new year with confidence and clarity.
Because when January arrives, those who started early will not be catching up; they will already be leading the way.
Written by:
Tosin Hassan
Commercial