The lead up to the summer break is the least productive time of the year with productivity dropping by 38 percent according to the 2010 workplace study commissioned by Leadership Management Australasia.

Work management expert Cyril Peupion posits the wind-down actually starts to happen as early as Melbourne Cup (just declare this a national public holiday and be done with it).

Anyway,  work slaves can be demarcated into three categories:

The Stresser:

You suddenly realise that the end of year is only a month away and you have no idea how you are going to meet all of your commitments.

The Drowner:

You feel as though you’ve accumulated a year’s worth of documents, emails and requests. Your email is at capacity and you’re drowning in what seems to be an endless supply of work.

The Dreamer:

You stare at your screen, wishing the day away. Your productivity has dropped and you cannot wait to get out of the office for the long-awaited Christmas break.

For the stressers and the drowners, Peupion has one piece of advice: prioritise.

“Think high impact – between now and end of year what are the two or three things that I absolutely need to achieve and that will have real impact long-term,” he said.

Dreamers, on the other had, need to make sure they stay focused.

So in other words, December is a lost cause.