How to Use Downtime for Professional Development During the Holidays
Forward from Andrew Edwards, co-founder of designACE
Let’s be honest—the holiday season can feel like a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it’s the perfect time to relax and recharge. But for those of us driven by ambition and always looking to level up, downtime doesn’t have to mean idle time. The holiday season is actually the perfect opportunity to invest in yourself and your professional development without the usual rush of meetings and deadlines.
At designACE, I’ve learned that the key to making the most out of slower periods is a blend of reflection, learning, and planning for the future. Here’s how you can use this holiday downtime to boost your professional growth in ways that set you up for success in the coming year.
Dive in below to explore how you can use this downtime to accelerate your professional development.
-ACE
Co-founder, designACE
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The holiday season often comes with fewer meetings and less work-related stress. This makes it the perfect time to shift focus to your professional growth. From learning new skills to reflecting on your year, here’s how you can use your holiday downtime to set yourself up for a more productive and successful year ahead.
📝Reflect on the Year’s Lessons
Before diving into something new, take time to look back. What did you accomplish this year? Where did you fall short? Use the holiday downtime to review your wins and challenges. This isn’t about nitpicking mistakes—it’s about identifying trends in your performance and learning from them. At designACE, I always make time at the end of the year to reflect on our projects, client feedback, and even personal goals. The insights you gather will help guide your professional development journey moving forward.
✅Action step: Grab a notebook or open a Google Doc and jot down three major accomplishments and three areas for improvement from the past year.
🎓Pick Up a New Skill or Hone an Existing One
The holidays are an ideal time to tackle that online course you’ve been eyeing or dive into a skill you’ve always wanted to improve. If you’re ready to start planning strategically for 2025, consider the OCAD U Co Strategic Foresight course—a powerful resource to help you anticipate trends, think proactively, and lead with insight. With this and other platforms like LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, or even YouTube, there’s no shortage of resources to learn something new. Whether it's brushing up on SEO skills, learning data visualization, or improving your public speaking, adding a new skill to your toolkit will give you an edge when work picks up again.
✅Action step: Pick one course that aligns with your career goals and commit to finishing it during the holidays. Don’t overwhelm yourself—quality over quantity.
📚Catch Up on Industry Reading
When work gets busy, it’s easy to fall behind on reading. Use the quiet time during the holidays to catch up on industry news, thought leadership articles, or even that business book you’ve had sitting on your shelf. Not only will this help you stay informed, but it will also inspire new ideas and approaches to your work. Personally, I like to dive into Harvard Business Review articles or check out the latest LinkedIn trends to keep my finger on the pulse of what’s happening in the business world.
✅Action step: Make a short reading list of 3-5 articles or books you want to finish before the new year.
🤝Network and Reconnect
Holidays are also a great time to reconnect with your network. Since it’s a slower period for most professionals, reaching out during the holidays is a natural way to check in with old colleagues or connections, congratulate them on their year’s success, or even set up virtual coffee chats. I often find that this is a great time to touch base with mentors or peers and discuss upcoming trends, projects, or opportunities in the coming year. LinkedIn is a great place to start—send a quick message wishing someone well or thanking them for their support during the year. To make the most of your networking efforts, check out our blog, How to Build Genuine Connections on LinkedIn, which dives into the 4 C’s: connecting, commenting, conversing, and collaborating. These tips can help you turn LinkedIn connections into meaningful relationships.
Curious about maximizing your LinkedIn impact? Consider booking a free LinkedIn audit with me. Together, we’ll uncover insights tailored to boost your presence and strengthen your engagement, setting the stage for a productive year of growth and networking!
✅Action step: Set aside 15-30 minutes each week during the holidays to send messages or comments to your key connections.
📅Plan for the Upcoming Year
Finally, use your downtime to map out your professional development goals for the year ahead. What do you want to achieve by the end of next year? Whether it’s taking on a leadership role, launching a new product, or mastering a particular skill, planning ahead helps you stay focused when the work picks back up. At designACE, we always use December to do strategic planning for the upcoming year, ensuring that we hit the ground running when January arrives. At designACE, we rely on tools like our Goal Planner Bundle to clarify our vision and outline quarterly milestones. With December as our planning month, we’re always ready to hit the ground running come January.
✅Action step: Set three clear, actionable goals for the new year and break them down into quarterly milestones to make sure you stay on track.
💡Final Thoughts
The holidays are a time for rest, but they can also be an opportunity for growth if you approach them with intention. By reflecting on your year, picking up new skills, catching up on reading, reconnecting with your network, and planning for the future, you can come back from the holidays not only refreshed but also ready to tackle new challenges with confidence.
Looking for more ways to optimize your professional development? Let’s connect and discuss how we can help you reach your goals.
