Do This Before the Holidays To Actually Enjoy Your Break

Right now, you’re likely doing your best to finish the year strong.

You also might be starting to feel the accumulated exhaustion from 2025 creep in.

But the promise of holiday relaxation being just around the corner keeps you going.

And while on the surface, things will start to slow down…

There’s a particular tension that shows up in late December.

Internally, many high performers feel a low-grade unease—like something important was left unresolved.

This is…

The Emotional Residue of a Long Year

This feeling is not just fatigue from a year of driving steadily (or not so steadily) towards your goals.

It’s the unclosed mental loops that have accumulated.

If you don’t pause to reflect, this emotional residue (or cognitive load) follows you into the holidays and the new year:

• Uncertainty about what progress you actually made this year.

• Guilt over what you didn’t accomplish.

• Regret over promises you didn’t follow through on.

• Doubt whether you actually deserve to celebrate during the holidays.

• And a building pressure to “do better” next year, accompanied by vague doubt about whether you have what it takes to do so.

If this is left unaddressed, January will quietly inherit the prior year’s problems.

And what’s even worse is that you’ll start the year only partially recharged because you likely won’t be able to fully disconnect and rejuvenate during your time off.

It’s just like a computer that's been running nonstop for months (maybe years), accumulating fragmented files and system bloat.

It needs a reboot.

And to be defragmented.

A chance to clear the old to make space for the new.

Let’s talk about what happens when we don’t address this…

The Hidden Cost of the Year’s Emotional Residue

When we feel this unease, our instinct is to push through.

We tell ourselves we’ll make a fresh start in the new year.

But that rarely happens the way we intend it to because of the aforementioned reasons.

Instead, you must decide to slow down to reflect so that you can turn your past year’s experiences into insights, growth, and better execution.

Otherwise, there is a high chance that you’ll just repeat the patterns of the past. Despite your high effort, your results will likely fall below what you’re truly capable of.

And it weighs on us during the holidays.

So I’d like to propose that you prioritize doing a…

Year-End Reflection as a Strategic Reboot

This can help both your personal and work life.

High performers are especially vulnerable to this trap.

They’re capable, driven, and used to solving problems through action.

To them, reflection can seem passive. Optional. Even indulgent.

They might see it as a waste of time.

Yet paradoxically, when done right, it’s one of the highest-ROI practices one can do, especially at this time of year.

The purpose of this reflection is to get clarity and create internal peace by answering a small set of focusing questions:

• What wins and progress can you acknowledge yourself for?

• What actually worked this year?

• What can you be grateful for?

• What needs to change?

• What drained your energy?

• And what do you not want to carry forward unconsciously?

Without these answers, you’re missing out on insights that can make your next year significantly better.

You risk starting 2026 misaligned in your actions and/or repeating ineffective patterns of behaviour.

A Narrow Window Most People Miss

There’s a brief window just before the holidays take over that most people sense, but rarely use to do this work.

And before they know it, January arrives with all its urgency, goals, and noise.

Pulling you straight into execution mode.

But if you instead pause to reflect, it’s a massive level up to your quality of life and the best gift you can give yourself right now.

You gain a sense of clarity, relief, and mental space.

Your mind is free from the uncertainty and undefined guilt about open loops or things you didn’t fully process that are lurking at the back of your mind.

You can be present with your family and friends to celebrate and relax.

If this resonates…

That’s your signal to take action.

So here is…

My Invitation

For those of you who want to end the year intentionally—mentally, emotionally, and strategically—before the holidays take over…

I’m hosting my annual End-of-Year Reflection Workshop this coming week.

And you’re invited.

This isn’t a productivity masterclass or a goal-setting workshop—though you’ll gain clarity that will help with that.

It’s a structured pause and a guided process to help you:

1. Celebrate and acknowledge your progress and wins this year.

2. Extract the lessons from 2025 so you can grow.

3. And let go of what you don’t want to carry forward.

You’ll enter the holidays feeling victorious with a sense of completion.

And arrive in the new year feeling clear, refreshed, and ready to rock!

You can REGISTER HERE.

Let’s take an intentional pause together to celebrate a great year.

And set up for success to make 2026 our best year ever.

See you there!

Be relentless. Be all you can be.

— Ovi

PS If you’re thinking…

“I’m too busy.”

Or “I’m too tired.”

This is especially for YOU…

It’ll help you find peace of mind, recharge, and take back control.

Most high performers intend to reflect but somehow never get to it, or they start but don’t finish.

Let’s do the work together in one go, so you’re free to unplug and enjoy the holidays fully.

It’s also more effective and fun to do it with other like-minded individuals.

Plus, I’ll guide you, so you can focus on your reflection without having to worry about how to do it.

Let’s be finishers and set ourselves up for success!