The Year-End Hustle is Here: Tips for a Stress-Free Holiday Break
Ever notice that when you’re just about to go on holiday break or a vacation, everyone suddenly needs you? Projects that have been slow to kick off, all of a sudden have an arbitrary urgency. RFPs storm your inbox like locusts. The office phone rings like a Jerry Lewis telethon (I’m aging myself). This is the case for me and the team this time of year. While we are always excited to take on new work, the end of the year always seems to come with a level of chaos that can make it difficult for us to truly enjoy the winter break.
Compared to some, Studio Dzo is just a baby. We’ve only been doing good work for good people since 2016. But over the last 8 years, we’ve learned a few things that help us minimize the stress just before we close out the year.
No pto after Thanksgiving
Our team gets quite a bit of time off. In order for our team to do good work, we as owners must do right by them. Since this time of year is quite busy, we require that all PTO be taken by the Thanksgiving break. Having the entire team on deck to help close out the year means we all get to unplug and enjoy the holidays without dreading returning in January.
Check out our 27 Dzolidays post to see all of the company holidays our team has off.
communicate early and often
Any change in a business’ regular schedule is going to be disruptive for clients. As we approach December, we consistently remind our Partners of the dates we pause operations. We do this at the end of emails, in meetings, and by clearly noting dates that will affect estimated timelines in contracts and proposals. Clearly communicating your holiday schedule early and often will set expectations and hopefully minimize stress and frustrations, making for a more enjoyable time away from the office.
Gift giving
Whether it was our 2020 gift box filled with select products from Black-owned businesses or our classic “Some of our favorites to One of Ours” baskets, if you’ve worked with us before, then you’ve received our “coveted” end of year gifts. We truly appreciate our Partners, and this time of the year is our opportunity to show our gratitude. While some companies might order fruit baskets or wine boxes, we pride ourselves on giving thoughtful and intentional gifts that align with who we are as a studio of creatives. A memorable gift for your clients doesn’t require a ton of money, just a little thought and some planning. If you’re still not set on what you’re giving this year, a well-designed letterpress card from a local shop like Paper + Craft with a thoughtful handwritten message will make a lasting impression. Whatever you do, be sure to show your appreciation to everyone who helped make the year a success. And don’t forget your team!
reconciling & paying the man
We might be a creative studio, but there’s nothing creative about our books. Reconciling accounts and preparing to pay taxes is necessary to doing business. Avoiding or delaying these only invites headaches, fees, or worse (Audits). Making sure your books are right and tight before breaking for the end of the year will set you up for a great start when you come back. This year brings a new federal requirement for all small businesses: the Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting (BOIR). Learn more and file this document yourself here.
celebrations & gatherings
While we always make time to celebrate another successful year together as a team, Liz and I could be better about planning ahead for our end of year team events. We’re a small team, so it’s easy for us to reserve a venue, plan a team outing, or book a workshop or activity. A larger company will definitely need to plan further in advance. We’ve learned that people don’t need or want much. If you’re short on time, remember K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Silly). A low-key gathering at a restaurant, brewery, or even a zoo or park are great for small remote teams. If you have a studio space or office, the classic company party onsite can make for a great party.
But remember to keep it classy. You don’t want to give HR any extra work in the new year.
Review fees & subscriptions
With the holidays approaching, time seems to fly by even faster. We tend to forget all the various products and services we’ve signed up for. It’s a good idea to take a moment during the winter break to review the various subscriptions your business is paying for and make sure you still need and use them. Applications and services like Google Services, Later.com, Monday.com, Headspace, Adobe Creative Cloud, and Sign Tracker are just a few of the tools and services we rely on. Bloated website hosting contracts, unused domain names, and excessive cloud storage contracts are some of the more common costly expenses that many of our small business Partners don’t realize are being charged monthly and annually.
set your OOO response
Setting your out of office response while you’re away for the winter break isn’t hard, but for some reason, we all just forget to do it. This is an important part of the clear communication point above. You might think that you’ve told everyone already, but new email requests, invoices, and W-9 requests will come in while you’re on break. Be sure to set your vacation responder so people know when to expect a response from you. To help make it easier for you, here’s a solid out-of-office response everyone can use anytime.
Subject
Taking a Pause. Returning (date)
Body
Thank you for your message. In observance of the (name the holidays, event, or reason), our team will be pausing operations to enjoy time with our friends and family starting (date). We will return to our regular hours on (return date) and will respond to your message soon.
Thank you.
As we all close out the year and excitedly or begrudgingly welcome 2025, we hope that you are able to take some time to enjoy family and friends and rest and recharge. And in the spirit of clear communication, Studio Dzo will be taking pause to celebrate the winter holidays starting Friday, December 20th. We will return to our desks Monday, January 6th.
Cheers!
— Russell
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