YBB Newsletter

As the holiday season ramps up, many of us feel the invisible hand of urgency. Deadlines loom, inboxes swell, and every task seems to come with a ticking clock. It’s the classic December sprint—trying to wrap up projects while juggling personal and professional demands.

I’ve been there too, racing against the clock in December, only to look back and realise that the “rush” often left me frazzled and reactive, rather than intentional and effective.

So here’s the question I am asking as we hit December: how much of our busyness is driven by actual need, and how much is the weight of expectation—ours or others’?

Fast doesn’t always mean Effective

In leadership, urgency can feel like momentum. But the truth is, busy doesn’t always mean productive. During high-pressure times like these, it’s easy to lean into our natural bias toward doing—filling every moment with action and pushing forward.

What if, instead, we gave ourselves permission to slow down?

Slowing down doesn’t mean doing less or ignoring deadlines. It means leading with clarity and intention. When we pause to think, reflect, and prioritise, we make better decisions—and model a calm, focused approach for our teams.

It’s a paradox, but slowing down helps us achieve more, with less stress and better results.

Who are you doing it for?

The festive season amplifies the expectations we have come to put upon ourselves: the pressure to perform, to pull off the perfect Christmas, the guilt when we feel like we’re not doing enough.

And this feels exhausting.

But where do these expectations come from? Who’s expectations are they? And who decided it was all on you to deliver against them?

Questioning versus accepting these stories unleashes a feeling of emotional steadiness that can ripple out to your entire team.

3 things to TRY to slow yourself down

As we approach the holidays, the pace of life might not slow down—but you can.

So, what’s the rush? Take a breath, step back, and consider: where can you slow down to speed up your impact?

1. AFFIRM YOUR INTENTION: Being a pragmatist, I don’t normally go in for mantras, but this Taoist saying has genuinely helped me keep the productivity gremlins in their cage.

   There is so much to do

   There is so little time

   We must go slowly

2. PRIORITISE WITH PURPOSE: A practical tip - at the start of the day / week, identify one to two tasks that truly matter. Let go of the pressure to do it all.

3. SET BOUNDARIES: Protect time for focused work by limiting meetings and setting clear communication windows.

Ready to lead with greater clarity, confidence & control?

I help talented insight professionals become effective managers and strategic leaders.

I run 121 and group coaching programmes within agencies.

I also have one space left on my cross-industry leadership development programme starting in Jan.

It’s open to anyone in the research industry - agencies, client-side and partners - who is ready to go beyond the doing and scale up their impact & influence by:

• Growing their Confidence & Self-Belief

• Empowering & Enabling Others

• Building strong relationships internally, with clients & beyond

• Communicating Honestly and with Clarity

Starting January 15th. Only £595pp.

Thank you for reading

Let’s keep the conversation going. You can reach me at zoe@youburnbright. If this resonated with you, share it with a colleague who might need the reminder to pause and breathe.

Thank you for reading—you’re making a difference, one intentional step at a time.