You’re never as productive as the week before you go on leave.
It’s actually a bit ridiculous when you stop and think about it.
Suddenly:
- The procrastination disappears
- The priorities become crystal clear
- The small things you’ve been putting off for weeks… get done in a day
Why?
Because the deadline isn’t negotiable.
You don’t want to leave things unfinished.
You don’t want to burden your team.
And you definitely don’t want to come back to chaos.
So you lift.
You focus.
You execute.
You get it done.
I’ve just seen this play out again with a colleague heading on maternity leave.
The level she’s operating at right now is incredible.
There’s no fluff. No wasted time. Just clarity, ownership and pride in what she’s leaving behind.
And while she hasn’t said it out loud, there’s an unspoken standard being set:
“I’m handing this over in great shape — and I expect it to be returned the same way.”
That’s leadership.
I felt it myself recently.
I took a 5-day break (with weekends either side), and the lead-up was intense… but completely doable.
What surprised me most wasn’t the workload — it was how much I’d been putting off.
Tasks that had been sitting in the “I’ll get to it” pile for weeks suddenly got knocked over.
Quickly.
Efficiently.
Without overthinking.
It got me thinking…
Why do we wait for a holiday to operate at our best?
Because what’s actually happening here isn’t about time.
It’s about clarity.
When the clock is ticking, we instinctively:
- Prioritise what actually matters
- Stop overcomplicating things
- Let go of perfection
- Just move
So here’s what I’ve started doing differently.
Each week, I run a simple three-tier checklist:
Must Get Done
The non-negotiables. If these don’t happen, things break.
Should Get Done
Important tasks that move things forward.
Nice to Get Done
The bonus round — great if they happen, but not critical.
And then I attack the week like I’m about to go on leave.
Because the reality is…
No one enjoys coming back from a break to a pile of unfinished work.
It kills the momentum.
It kills the clarity.
And it drags you straight back into overwhelm.
Maybe the real lesson here is simple:
Operate like you’re going on leave — even when you’re not.
Because that version of you?
Is focused.
Is decisive.
And gets the important things done.
