While consumers reign in spending after Christmas, and as credit card bills land on door mats across the country, shops struggle to get people willingly parting with their cash, restaurants resemble ghost towns, and hotels slash their rates in order to keep going.
Panic often sets in.
Will it ever pick up again?
Dogs treat down time rather differently.
Down time is an opportunity to recuperate, to get ready for the next adventure. It's an opportunity to go at a slightly different pace. Time to wash paws. Time to cuddle.
As a business our traditional down time is December. It becomes, comparatively, quiet. Clients don't phone as much. There's less work to do. The pace of work is quite quite different.
We use that time constructively. We tidy the office, sort out boring things like insurances and new photocopiers. We research (and implement) new tools and processes. We sort out the filing and set up the new files ready for the new year.
It's a hugely productive time of year for us.
Of course, having client work to do is much more commercially productive. But we recognise that sometimes you have to grease the wheels and we make the most of that time.
Dogs do the same.
So the next time you experience the seasonal dip, don't panic: plan.
Plan to get some important jobs done. Plan to have a good clear out and clean up. Plan to make the most of it.
It's just as important as what comes next.
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