What to do when everyone else is on holiday?

Consider your daily workload in a regular week. Which tasks tend to be pushed aside when your calendar needs adjusting in real time? Which are the tasks you spend too much time on? And which tasks are the business-critical ones that would benefit from a deeper dive?

Off-season, or low-speed periods, are for catching your breath and getting back up to speed. They are also an opportunity to get ahead before your next high-intensity stretch. While different industries operate at different rhythms, many of the challenges are surprisingly similar. Here are five common tasks you should probably get a handle on before everyone is back from vacation.

#1 - Produce your scheduled content

If you work in marketing, you probably already have a content schedule for the year. If you don’t, this is the time to create one. While we all like to focus on the stories about content that went viral, the truth is that good content requires consistency. With a schedule in place, you know what needs to go out and when. You also know which pieces depend on time-sensitive input and which ones can be prepared in advance.

Let’s look at articles. They usually take a good chunk of time to write – at least if you want to do them properly – but writing in bulk comes with some clear advantages. First, the off-season gives you fewer distractions. Offices are quieter. Fewer unexpected tasks pop up. That makes it easier to find focus and get into a flow state, which improves both the speed and the quality of your writing.

Second, when you already have your content done ahead of time, you make room for other tasks when things get busier. Having content ready to go means better structure, better time management, and more room for flexibility.

Finally, content written early can be reviewed more thoroughly. Nobody gets it right the first time every time. The chance to revisit and improve your work without pressure almost always leads to a better final result.

#2 –Review and improve your workflows

Process improvements rarely happen when everything is moving at full speed. When pressure is high, teams tend to rely on temporary fixes and quick workarounds. These patch jobs build up into bloated workflows, unclear roles, and slow handoffs. The slower summer period is your chance to address that.

Start by identifying one or two workflows that consistently feel clunky or frustrating. This might be your campaign planning, internal approvals, or how you onboard clients or employees. Step through the process in detail and ask where delays happen, what adds value, and what could be simplified or removed.

If you are using several tools to do the same thing, or relying heavily on one person to keep things moving, this is the time to rethink that setup. Try to build processes that are easy to follow, easy to maintain, and not dependent on any single person always being available.

When the busy season returns, the improvements you make now will pay off through fewer mistakes, faster decision-making, and smoother execution.

#3 - Revisit your goals and direction

It is easy to set strategic goals at the start of the year and then never revisit them. But goals don’t stay relevant by default. The market shifts. Priorities change. Your own team evolves. July offers a rare chance to pause and check in on whether your current efforts still match your intended direction.

Begin by looking at your key goals for the year. These might include revenue targets, audience growth, new market entries, or product development milestones. Then look at your current progress. Are you on track? And just as important: do the goals themselves still make sense?

Sometimes teams keep pursuing plans that no longer reflect reality, simply because they are already in motion. This is your chance to step back, reassess, and adjust. You can drop what no longer works, double down on what does, and test ideas that may have felt too risky or resource-heavy a few months ago.

This is also a good moment to check if your team understands the goals. Are they aligned with the bigger picture, or are they just crossing tasks off a list? Clarity today saves confusion and wasted effort later.

#4 - Clean up the mess

Every organization builds up digital clutter. Shared drives become disorganized. Files pile up. Content gets half-written and forgotten. Tools go unused, and contact lists become bloated with outdated entries. It all adds friction to your day-to-day work, and it never feels urgent enough to prioritize.

Start by cleaning up shared folders and file systems. Get rid of duplicates. Rename things properly. Delete what is clearly outdated. Make it easier for everyone to find what they need, without having to ask or guess.

Then turn your attention to your content backlog. Take stock of unpublished drafts, forgotten campaigns, or abandoned ideas. Decide what to finish, what to archive, and what to throw away.

Your CRM probably needs the same treatment. Merge duplicate contacts. Clear out people who are no longer relevant. Revisit your segments and tags to make sure they still make sense.

Tidying up may not be glamorous, but it sets the stage for faster, smoother work when the pressure returns. You’re not just organizing files - you’re clearing a path for better execution.

#5 - Learn something you’ve put off

Learning usually takes a backseat when you are busy. Most people do not avoid professional development because they are uninterested. They avoid it because there is never a perfect time. That is why quiet months are ideal for tackling the knowledge gaps that always get postponed.

This does not have to be formal or time-consuming. You don’t need to enroll in a six-week course. It might just mean taking the time to understand a feature in your software you’ve been ignoring. Or picking up a book on strategy that you meant to read in January. Or spending a few hours exploring a new tool that could help your team down the line.

Learning can also happen through your colleagues. Set up informal sessions where team members share tips, insights, or ways they work. These kinds of conversations often uncover small changes that make a big difference.

What matters is that you use the time to sharpen your skills. Even small improvements add up, especially when you’re not rushing to fit them in.

Closing thoughts

July might feel like a dead zone, but that does not mean it has to go to waste. This is the time to clean up, reset, and prepare. Not because you should always be working, but because working well later often depends on what you do now.

If you use the quiet weeks wisely, you will come back stronger. Clearer direction. Smoother workflows. Better content. And a sharper skill set.

Work when others rest, and when they return, you will already be ahead.