By Abbie Hatch, Marketing Manager for RoboHead
Q3 of 2023 was busy! People in creative and marketing jobs have been working hard, and the RoboHead 10000 has the data to prove it. The index keeps track of how 10,000 creative and marketing professionals are doing. And this year, they’re busier than they have been since before 2020. This article unpacks the year so far and gives a preview of what Q4 might hold, including the seven slowest days of the quarter.
Looking Back
Since COVID-19, it’s been slow to get back to normal, but this year we did it. People are working in offices, at home, or a mix of both, and getting a lot done. Every part of this year so far has been more productive than we’ve seen in a while. We have found a sustainable ebb and flow for getting work done and the trend is likely to continue.
As the year winds to a close, more projects are often punted to next year. Plus, there are around 7 days associated with low productivity in Q4 compared to just four that take place the rest of the year. For 2023, these are likely to be the slowest days of the quarter based on data from the last few years:
- November 23 & 24
- December 22, 25 & 26
- December 29 & 30
Tips for a Great End to the Year
Even though things might slow down, there’s still work to do. Here are some tips to finish the year strong while setting you up for success in 2024:
1. Plan for Fewer Working Hours:
Identify priority projects, distribute tasks among team members wisely, and set achievable deadlines considering the holiday season and expected slowdowns.
2. Communicate Priorities:
- Remember Q4 still offers 3 months to finish achieving your annual goals. Take time to ensure every member understands their role, and rely on your project management tool to track progress.
3. Celebrate Achievements:
This is a great time to reflect back on your team’s outstanding year of productivity. Make sure they feel seen and celebrated for their efforts.
4. Prepare for 2024
Use the Q4 slowdown to reflect and plan for the upcoming year. Assess the achievements, challenges, and lessons learned to strategize for a productive year ahead.
5. Focus on Visibility:
With fewer people available on any given day across your organization, visibility into projects will be more important than ever before. Rely on your project management tool rather than individual email inboxes to keep communication visible and projects moving seamlessly.
Implementing these suggestions, derived from the tips provided in your blog, will aid in maximizing productivity, ensuring that key objectives are met, and ending the year on a positive and accomplished note. Even though we expect Q4 to be a bit quieter, there’s still plenty to do. With smart planning, focus, and a bit of celebration for the hard work, it’s going to be a great end to a productive year!
About RoboHead:
RoboHead is a project management platform built for creative and marketing teams that gets everyone on the same page and allows you to focus on creative work that drives your company’s growth. Learn more at RoboHead.net.
About the Index: RoboHead 10000 tracks marketing activity in real-time across industries, geographies, and company sizes during a given time period. In order to account for continuously adding new users, the raw data is averaged by two ratios, involving users and accounts, in order to normalize the resulting data. At the beginning of the year for each time period (daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly), 100 has been assigned as a constant, so that all future data for that period will be measured against that relative value.
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