The holiday season is winding down and this is the time of year when most of us have lots of lists of things to do. It also seems that every single blog, tweet and newsletter that I read is sharing their top picks for anything and everything as we close out the year. There’s the Top Ten Best Holiday Videos. The Top 10 Articles of 2014. The Top 7 Marketing Trends. You get the idea. I must say that I do get intrigued when I see these headlines and so I end up reading the articles.

It’s that time of year. There are holiday open houses, luncheon get-togethers and company parties.  While retail operations are in full swing many service businesses like mine find that this is a difficult time of year when it comes to productivity. There are lots of reasons. Customers are trying to get ready for the holidays or wrap up the year so many projects get stalled. They are also reluctant to start new projects. Employees are busy trying to attend family holiday events or prepare for visits. Some are trying to get in vacation time before they lose it.