Every advisor knows the holidays bring a strange kind of contradiction. On paper, work slows down. Fewer client calls, fewer urgent requests, fewer moving pieces to keep an eye on. In theory, this is the moment when you finally gain that extra breathing room — the time you swore you’d use to catch up, organize, or think strategically.

And yet, most of us don’t feel that extra time at all, and we’re right back to January feeling as scattered and busy as ever.

There’s a phenomenon where the tasks we have on our plate tend to expand to fill the time we have available. When work eases up, personal obligations expand to take its place. Suddenly it’s holiday events, family commitments, school schedules, shopping lists, travel planning, houseguests, hosting… Instead of feeling the slower pace, we feel just as frantic, only in a different direction.

This is where travel advisors can miss the opportunity that comes with the holiday season. The inevitable slowdown may not feel like a gift for your business, but using it intentionally can change how prepared, confident, and grounded you feel heading into the new year.

So, how do you take advantage of this precious window without either burning yourself out or squeezing the joy out of the season?

The answer isn’t about trying to DO more; it’s about being more selective and intentional with your time.

The end of the year isn’t the time for huge reinventions or intense goal-setting marathons. It’s the time for small, meaningful touchpoints that set you up to start 2026 with a sense of momentum rather than scrambling. That might mean taking an afternoon to streamline the workflow that always slows you down, or finally updating your new-client questionnaire so it reflects where your business is headed versus where it started.

It could be reviewing your branding to make sure it still matches the clients you want to attract, or taking an hour to map out the content you’d like to share in January, when people are most eager to dream and start planning.

These aren’t heavy lifts. They’re small, thoughtful resets that pay off almost immediately once peak inquiry season begins.

At the same time, it’s important not to treat December like another sprint. This is also the time of year when you deserve to rest, enjoy your traditions, and reconnect with the parts of life that exist outside your business. Finding that balance between tending to your business just enough to feel prepared while still protecting time for yourself and the people you love is essential if you want the holiday season to feel restorative instead of exhausting.

Enjoying this downtime is part of what sets you up for a better year. When you step into January rested, present, and clear-minded, you serve clients better, you think more strategically, and you naturally work from a place of confidence rather than urgency.

So, remember that you don’t have to use every spare moment this month. You don’t have a deadline of December 31st to completely overhaul anything in your business. Just choose a few meaningful actions that future-you will genuinely appreciate and then give yourself full permission to enjoy the season.

If you can find your own balance between thoughtful preparation and intentional rest, you’ll walk into 2026 feeling much more grounded and ready to take on Wave Season.

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