For many corporate organisations, August brings a familiar pattern: clients and colleagues take holidays, meetings thin out and projects slow. For business leaders, it can be tempting to view this lull as a distraction or to cram in even more work. Yet there is another way. The quieter summer months are a chance to pause, take stock and lay foundations for the months ahead. Research shows that deliberately stepping back can improve performance, sharpen strategic thinking and recharge your leadership. Here’s how to make the most of it.
Rest and recharge – it isn’t wasted time
Downtime is not laziness; it’s a productivity investment. Research shows that taking proper holidays boosts people’s well‑being and engagement [1]. The lesson is simple: space to rest and reflect makes you more effective when you return.
Structured breaks also help teams. Harvard researchers found that mandating evenings and weekends off did not hurt work quality and actually sparked useful discussions about improving processes. Rather than wearing constant busyness as a badge of honour, treat rest as fuel for the next phase.
Use the ‘vacation effect’ to finish lingering tasks
An unexpected benefit of having a holiday in the calendar is that it creates a hard deadline: projects and decisions that have been languishing suddenly get wrapped up. Use the weeks before your break to close loops rather than filling the lull with low‑value busywork. Identify the tasks you’ve been putting off and commit to clearing them before you switch off.
At the same time, avoid over‑scheduling yourself. The slower pace is a chance to pare back commitments, review your priorities and focus on a few high‑impact goals rather than saying yes to everything. When you return, you’ll have a shorter to‑do list and more energy for the work that really matters.
See the big picture and plan deliberately
Time away helps you see your work with fresh eyes. When you step back, it becomes easier to distinguish critical priorities from unnecessary tasks. Many leaders return from holiday and realise that some projects are misaligned with their goals or can be delegated.
The quieter months also provide space for strategic planning. Schedule a reflection session with your leadership team to debrief on the first half of the year, share lessons learned and align on what success should look like by December. Small‑group workshops encourage honest discussion, while one‑to‑one conversations deepen relationships and clarify individual objectives.
Reflection is most powerful when it’s intentional. Consider bookending your days with short periods to set intentions and capture insights. Whether it is alone-time or time away from the office with your board or team to work on your business not in it, holding regular reviews to evaluate progress and scheduling milestone meetings or a longer retreat once a quarter to think about the bigger picture it invaluable. Treat your calendar like a strategy document: block non‑negotiable time for thinking before it fills with meetings.
Spark creativity and learning
Downtime isn’t just about rest – it fuels innovation. Novel experiences and breaks from routine give your brain the space to make new connections, and research shows that disconnecting from digital devices and immersing yourself in nature can dramatically increase creative thinking. Allow your mind to wander: stroll through a park, visit a museum or read outside your field.
Our founder Warren, has perfected the art; either taking himself off to the Purbecks for the day and going totally off grid to assess our current position in line with the 3 year-plan, or coming back from a 100 mile cycle full of new ideas, or simply walking the 5 miles to work to gain perspective on a current client situation.
Summer is also a great time to absorb new ideas. Curate a personal reading or listening list – a beach book, a morning podcast or a road‑trip audiobook – to expose yourself to perspectives outside your daily sphere. Attending a leadership retreat or networking event can introduce you to peers from other industries and stimulate fresh thinking.
Embrace technology and experimentation
Finally, use the lull to upgrade your tools and processes. Evaluate the technology you and your team rely on and explore new efficiencies. Advances in AI and automation can help simply with note‑taking, summarising long documents and freeing you up for more human‑centric work. Experiment now while demand is lower so you’re prepared when business picks up.
Turning reflection into momentum
Quiet months don’t have to mean lost momentum. By deliberately resting and reflecting, ticking off long-standing tasks from your to-do list, collaborating with your team and seeding new ideas, you’ll return to your desk re‑energised and clear‑headed. Research shows that properly planned time off boosts engagement and that even brief periods of reflection can significantly improve learning and performance [2]. Rather than fighting the slowdown, embrace it as a strategic advantage.
Sources
[1] 6 Science-Based Reasons Vacations Improve Your Work – Hintsa
https://www.hintsa.com/insights/blogs/6-science-based-reasons-vacations-improve-your-work/
[2] Dear Diary Reflection Exercise – Business Insider
https://www.businessinsider.com/dear-diary-reflection-exercise-2014-7
