The truth behind the holiday slowdown and how to avoid it

The opinions expressed by entrepreneurs contributors are their own.

Were you like me when you started your journey as an entrepreneur? You would arrive in mid-November and find yourself frustrated because all momentum seemed to stop. Your suppliers are taking longer to deliver. Your customers don't return your calls or emails for weeks, and there's a feeling that nothing is happening (apart from current purchases, of course).

The Christmas season slowdown has begun!

It infuriated me as a young man trying to make his way in the business world. Why is everyone putting down their tools and giving up for the year? !

There is a general feeling that December is a waste as people slow down and look to the new year. But what is it? Why do we have this collective agreement and what can we do about it as frustrated go-getters?

The first thing to recognize is that this is a collective agreement - even Christmas is just that. We see it as the time of year when we take a break from the cold. Ultimately, the reason we're all adopting traditional behaviors in this time is purely that we've all come to terms with it.

Related: 6 Ways to Keep Employees Engaged This Holiday Season

Collective agreements

Everything is really a collective agreement in our society. Most of us agree to:

Work pay our taxes The rule of law Respect election results (mostly) Participating in society traditions & conventions

There are clear reasons why we accept these things. We understand, for example, that there will be consequences for breaking the law, but that's still just an agreement.

We are all free agents in our field. If you want to go home, take your clothes off and cover yourself in hot sauce… you can. I wouldn't recommend it, but you can.

But in this (admittedly ridiculous) example, by not doing so, you're still following the collective agreement that your family would likely consider you a danger to yourself and others and also that it would be physically unpleasant.

Our business practices are identical. We generally agree that there are specific ways to behave when onboarding a new client, for example, or when conducting meetings. Contractual obligations are another very literal agreement that we enter into understanding the consequences if either party fails to fulfill their obligations.

So why would slowing down the Christmas season be any different?

It looks like something people assume to be a natural occurrence. Like rock formations or the Northern Lights. "Well, we're all getting into the Christmas slowdown at work now. That's just what's happening, isn't it?"

But it's not! It's only a thing because we think it is.

The truth is, you don't have to comply if you don't want to. It's a relatively harmless deal, after all. Instead of being frustrated like I was before, think of ways to lessen the impact on your business by changing the way you operate.

Related: How to Build Trust and Maintain Motivation in Your Company

Take advantage of December to take care of all the tasks that are postponed for the rest of the year. Work on your preparation for the coming year by reaching out to customers and asking for feedback, for example. Or you can make these updates to the website you've been complaining about since 2020.

Beyond household chores, you can also use this time to work on yourself!

If you find that the stress of running a business is getting to you, now is the time to question it and find out what you can do about it. Start integrating mindfulness practices into your daily routine. Learn to listen to what you...