Holiday Slowdown, Startup Style: Making the Most of the Quiet Weeks

We all know the feeling. The emails slow down, the Slack channels go quiet, and suddenly the marketing machine that’s been running at full tilt all year starts to hum instead of roar.

Welcome to the holiday slowdown—the two or three weeks when your partners, clients, and prospects are either at home in matching pajamas or still logged in, technically, but very much in holiday mode.

If you play it right, this downtime can actually provide you with a meaningful reset. Whether your goal is to close the year strong or clear your mental runway for 2026, here are a few productive (and restorative) ways to make the most of the quiet period ahead.

1. Give Your Tech Stack a Winter Clean

The holidays are the perfect time to tidy up your CRM, marketing automation, and project management tools.

Start with HubSpot (or your CRM platform of choice). Clean out duplicate contacts, fix broken workflows, and archive records for prospects that have gone cold. Check your nurture sequences to see if they still align with your audience segments and lifecycle stages. Make note of content gaps or outdated automations you’ll want to rebuild in 2026. If you have custom reports, make sure they track the metrics that matter most for your goals next year.

If you want, take it a step further. Update your lead scoring model, double-check integrations, and finally address that “temporary workaround” you created back in March. 

A little system hygiene now can save hours when campaigns ramp up in January.

2. Audit, Reflect, and Document

This quiet stretch is perfect for looking back at what worked (and what didn’t) this year. Pull performance reports on recurring campaigns, newsletter engagement, ad spend, and lead conversions.

Document what you learn. Jot down takeaways, record your hypotheses for next year, and capture ideas while they’re still fresh. Future-you will thank you when January gets busy and everyone’s trying to remember what that “brilliant idea from Q4” actually was.

This is also a great time to:

• Revisit your messaging and positioning framework

• Evaluate your ideal customer profile and other prioritized personas

• Review existing audience segments and look for new engagement opportunities

• Create a list of assets you wish you had (one pagers, case studies, or guides)

When you get back into the office in 2026, you’ll have a great to-do list to pull from. 

3. Reach Out Thoughtfully

Cold emails can wait, but genuine connection never goes out of season. Take this time to send sincere notes to clients, partners, and leads who’ve made an impact this year. Skip the generic “Happy Holidays” email and send a short, thoughtful note instead. Mention a shared project or win to make it personal. 

Something like, “I was doing some reflecting this week and wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your work on the beta launch this summer. You were instrumental to our success there, and I want to make sure you know that. I hope you get some well-deserved downtime over the break.” 

Although brief, a genuine note like that goes a long way in keeping relationships warm heading into the new year.

If you have bandwidth, consider handwritten cards or short voice messages. These gestures feel increasingly rare and very personal in today’s digital-first world.

4. Write Without the Pressure to Publish

If your calendar is clear, the holidays are a perfect time to tackle deeper, more strategic content pieces that get pushed aside during busier months. Consider things like thought leadership blogs, think pieces, and long-form explorations of your niche—they all benefit from uninterrupted focus time. And December often offers just that.

Whatever you create, wait to push send. The time between Christmas and New Year’s isn’t exactly peak engagement season. Put it all in a small content bank instead. Come January, you’ll be ready to hit “Go” just as your audience starts paying attention again.

Not in the headspace to write? That’s fine too. Capture your ideas in whatever way feels easy: scribbled notes, quick outlines, or even a few voice memos while you walk the dog. Those rough thoughts often turn into your sharpest content later, once your work brain kicks back into gear.

5. Revisit Your Big Picture

Use this quieter period to reflect. Take a step back and look at your marketing from 30,000 feet. Make quick notes on how your strategy evolved this year and where you might want to adjust course in 2026.

Jot down early thoughts about potential brand updates, new creative directions, or cross-team priorities. Your reflections will bring sharper focus to those projects once everyone’s back, refreshed, and ready to collaborate.

You might even run a mini “year in review” for your brand:

• Look at your metrics: How did they perform against the goals you set in January?

• Where did your efforts land the strongest? Where did they fall flat?

• What channels deserve more (or less) attention next year?

These questions often lead to the kinds of strategic adjustments that define growth years.

6. Cross-Train to Sharpen Your Skills

When the pressure is off, learning often becomes a lot more fun.

Use the downtime to take a short course on analytics, AI, or persuasive writing. Experiment with new tools or automation features you didn’t have time to explore earlier in the year. Or finally read that industry whitepaper you bookmarked in July and forgot about.

The best part? There’s zero rush. You’re not cramming for a deliverable, you’re genuinely expanding your skill set in a calmer, more creative headspace.

7. Make Time for True Rest

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is not work at all. So, use your annual hall pass for unproductive time. Step away from screens, to-do lists, and the endless scroll of notifications. Let your brain fully reset.

Consider spending your time napping, taking walks, and reading books that have nothing to do with work. Or, if you like, spend time with family, travel, or tackle personal projects that recharge rather than drain. 

However you rest, do it without guilt. You’ll return sharper, steadier, and ready to hit the ground running in 2026.

8. Dream a Little

If your startup brain refuses to stop, go ahead and lean into it, but gently. 

Grab a notebook and daydream. Ask yourself questions like: 

• What would a truly exceptional year look like? 

• What big swing would you take if you had more time, budget, or courage?

• Where do you see yourself and your business in 5 years? Or 10? Or 15?

You don’t have to turn those thoughts into goals yet. For now, just imagine and feel into the possibility. The best strategies often start as quiet sparks before they’re fully formed plans.

A Season for Reset, Reflection, and What’s Next

The holiday slowdown is more than a pause. It’s a gift. A rare stretch of time where no one’s demanding answers, and you can think clearly about what’s next.

At Wheels Up, we love this season for the breathing room it brings. We find strategy sharpens, ideas settle, and the quiet lets a little extra inspiration to sneak in. So, tidy your tools. Capture your learnings. Reach out to your people. Then close the laptop, take the break, and let the new year come to you.

The best startups don’t sprint into January. They glide in, grounded and ready. Come 2026, that could be you. Happy resetting!

If the quiet weeks spark ideas you want to bring to life in 2026, let us know! The team at Wheels Up is here when you’re ready to share them.