The post-holiday funk is here. How to reset your work in 2026
It’s a predictable response to unclear priorities, depleted energy, and restarting internal systems without recalibrating them first
Beat the January Slump: Why Your Team is Tired and How to Fix It
The "January Slump" is a real phenomenon, but it’s rarely just a case of "Monday morning blues" on a month-long scale. According to experts, that sluggish start to the year is actually a predictable psychological and organizational response to unclear priorities and depleted energy.
If you treat this dip as a morale problem, you’ll likely slow your momentum even further. However, if you treat it as a systems design problem, you can reenergize your team and set a sustainable pace for the rest of the year.
Why Does the New Year Feel So Heavy?
It isn’t just the cold weather. According to a recent Forbes report, there are four primary drivers behind the January fog:
Accumulated Fatigue: The mental exhaustion of the previous year peaks in December.
The "Reward Gap": Motivation is fueled by the anticipation of rewards. In December, many long-term goals remain unresolved, making the work feel thankless.
Natural Disengagement: Letting go of goals at year-end is actually a healthy stress-management function. It’s our brain’s way of preventing total burnout.
Biological Factors: Fewer daylight hours directly impact our mood, energy levels, and brain functioning.
3 Strategies to Reset Without the Burnout
Leadership advisor Nell Derick Debevoise Dewey suggests that the most effective leaders won’t come back with "shiny new ideas." Instead, they will normalize honest conversations about capacity. Here is how to handle the "New Year, New You" transition:
Subtract Before You Add: Before piling on new Q1 initiatives, look at what can be "sunsetted." Validating past commitments and clearing the plate makes room for new efforts.
Build Agency, Not Just Enthusiasm: You can’t force people to be "excited" about a return to the office or a heavy workload. Instead, be transparent about what your team can control and collaborate on those wins.
Target an Early "Bite-Sized" Win: Pick a small, achievable goal—even a leftover task from December—that can be finished and celebrated by the end of the month.
Lessons from the Field: Shifting Gears
Real-world leaders are finding success by moving away from abstract planning and toward tactical execution in January.
1. Transition to Sprints
Andrew Cussens, CEO of FilmFolk, found that energy leaks when priorities are "fuzzy." To fix this, his team moved from annual objectives to 10–14-day production sprints. By defining "done" and assigning one owner to each project, they saw a 20% drop in turnaround time.
2. Pivot the Type of Work
Bill Joseph, CEO of Frontier Blades, manages the post-holiday slump by shifting gears. After a high-stress December focused on logistics and fulfillment, his team pivots to R&D and creative growth in January.
"Momentum doesn't necessarily mean doing the same thing over and over again," Joseph says. "It means keeping the engine running by shifting gears."
By moving from high-pressure execution to "lower pressure" long-term creative work—like SEO optimization and content creation—they build the infrastructure for the coming year without burning out.
The Bottom Line
Don't fear the January slowdown. Use it as a time to recalibrate your systems, shorten your timelines, and give your team the agency they need to perform sustainably.