What To Do During "Dead" Week

Do you remember “dead” week in college? That’s the time between when classes end and finals begin. In theory, you’re supposed to spend that week studying (or cramming!) for your upcoming exams. Of course, it probably didn’t always work that way.

The week between Christmas and New Year’s has also become a “dead week” in some cases. Lots of businesses close or certainly work with a skeleton crew. Whether you are in the office or hanging with your family, here are some suggestions for how best to spend this week:

Home and Personal

(1)    Reconnect with your family

Odds are, work takes you away from family time throughout the year. That’s just the way work works (so to speak). Now is the perfect time to give back some of that missed time with your spouse, significant other and children. Play a game, go to the park, do something that doesn’t involve watching TV, etc.

(2)    Read a book

Too tired to read when you get home from work? If that’s the case, this is the perfect week to catch up on your reading. While I’m a big proponent of reading business books, this is also a good time to enjoy some pleasure reading as well. Read just for the fun of reading.

(3)    Get some extra sleep

Most days you are probably rushing to the office on less sleep than you need. If you can, take this “off” week to sleep late. That may be “pie in the sky” for most of us but do your best to play catch-up with your ZZs.

(4)    Express gratitude to your loved ones

Take a few minutes to give a heart-felt “thank you” to those closest to you. Maybe write them a note or card. Of course, telling them in your own words, face-to-face is also good. While we love those closest to us,  in the day to day rat race it’s important to slow down and tell your kids, your spouse, your family how much you love them. Yes, they probably know you love them. But tell them anyway.

Work

(1)    Reflect on 2009

Take some time this week to think. Many of us are task oriented and go from action item to action item. That’s good, but sometimes we need to pause and take stock of all that’s happened this past year. Slow down. Think. Reflect. What did you accomplish this year? What areas can you improve?

(2)    Prepare for 2010

January 4, 2010 (the first business day of the year) will be here before you know it. And you will need to have your track shoes ready that day. You know there will be a ton of e-mails and projects waiting for you. With that being the case, take an hour or two (or even more) during this slower paced week and make sure you have everything in order for 2010. What projects need highest priority? What is your top goal that absolutely, positively has to be accomplished in 2010?

(3)    Organize your office

Confession time: my office is an absolute mess. I let dust pile up and stacks accumulate. Why? Mostly because I just don’t take the time to organize my office. With fewer interruptions this week now could be the perfect time to devote a few hours to your office. Another plus: you don’t want to start the new year with old files. So be sure to clean out things you won’t need for next year.

(4)    Leave early or take a long lunch with a friend

If you can, try to take some time for people this week. Have a coffee date with a friend. If you can’t get out of the office then have an extended conversation with a co-worker. And don’t always talk about work—get to know them as a person.

What other ideas do you have for how to spend this “dead” week? Post a comment and suggestion and share your thoughts.

Think Huge!

Comments

[Jill Nowacki]

The work section of this post could be my action plan for this week! This week is all about planning and re-org for me. I am cleaning off desk, re-defining my whiteboard system, creating a better filing system, scheduling planning meetings, and writing an outreach plan to better target our Hispanic community members.

[Jill Nowacki]

p.s. Received my copy of Think Huge in the mail yesterday, so I guess I'll add that to my dead week plan, too.

[Mark Arnold]

Jill: I'm glad you received the book! Most of all, I hope you find the information both helpful and practical. It sounds like you had a great "dead" week. You are miles ahead of everyone else as you start 2010.