Episode #79: How to Avoid The New Year Blues

Why is the end of the year so stressful for business leaders in Japan?

For many executives in 東京 (Tokyo), the end of the year feels like a race. Projects must be closed, reports finished, and targets met before the calendar resets.日本企業 (Japanese companies) and 外資系企業 (foreign-owned companies) both push hard to avoid problems “spilling over” into the next year.

At the same time, you are buried under email, paperwork, and unfinished projects. You have no time to think, reflect, or learn from the year. You may start your holiday already exhausted and worried about what is waiting for you in January.

Mini-summary: End-of-year pressure is normal, especially in Japan’s business culture. The problem is not only the workload, but also the lack of structured reflection and realistic expectations.

Many leaders in Japan face the same issues:

• A heavy backlog of emails not deleted, delegated, or decided

• Piles of paper and documents on the desk, filling the in-basket and surrounding space

• Dust and clutter in non-work areas, signaling “I am too busy even to tidy”

• Half-finished projects competing for attention, all feeling urgent

• A sense of guilt when you see books, learning materials, or training plans you never touched

Meanwhile, other people somehow send Christmas cards, Season’s Greetings, holiday emails, and 年賀状 Nengajo (New Year cards) on time. You may wonder, “How do they manage all this?”

Mini-summary: The visible mess (emails, paper, clutter) and the invisible mess (unfinished goals, guilt, and stress) combine to make the year-end feel overwhelming.

You can go back to the office to attack the backlog during your break. Many leaders in 日本企業 (Japanese companies) do this every year.

But this usually creates a repeating cycle:

1. Work too hard all year

2. Collapse into a stressful year-end rush

3. Use holidays to clear the mess

4. Repeat next year

This pattern does not change the system. It also blocks time for deep rest, リーダーシップ研修 (leadership training), 営業研修 (sales training), プレゼンテーション研修 (presentation training), and other development that could actually make your work easier.

Mini-summary: Using holidays only to “catch up” is a short-term fix. Without new principles and habits, next year will look the same.

Dale Carnegie, in “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living,” offers simple but powerful principles that apply directly to the year-end rush. Here are five key ideas, adapted for busy executives and managers in Tokyo.

1. How do I accept that year-end stress is inevitable?

Principle: Cooperate with the inevitable.

The end of the year will always be busy. Instead of fighting this, plan for it:

• Expect a natural “peak” in workload as you approach New Year

• If your financial year also ends in December, focus only on results-critical items

• Accept that some lower-priority tasks must wait

When you stop resisting reality, you can concentrate your energy on what truly matters.

Mini-summary: You cannot change the fact that year-end is busy, but you can accept it and focus only on the highest-impact work.

2. How can I shift my mindset from worry to gratitude?

Principle: Count your blessings – not your troubles.

In today’s world, layoffs, restructures, and business failures are common. Being busy means:

• You have a role

• Your skills are needed

• Your company trusts you with important work

Instead of thinking, “I have too much to do,” try: “I am fortunate to be in demand.” This mindset shift reduces fear and makes stress easier to handle.

Mini-summary: Busy work is a sign of opportunity and trust. Gratitude reduces the emotional weight of your tasks.

3. How do I prioritize when everything feels urgent?

Principle: Do the very best you can.

You cannot do everything. You can do the most important things:

• Identify 3–5 top priorities that must be finished this year

• Accept that some emails and documents will never be processed in detail

• Treat many papers as potential “round-file” (trash) candidates

• Let go of artificial deadlines that only create extra stress

Remember, email is like a growing amoeba: it multiplies nonstop. You will never reach zero. Measure success by impact, not by inbox size.

Mini-summary: Focus on your highest-value tasks and accept that some low-value work will stay unfinished.

4. How can I protect my health from year-end stress?

Principle: Remind yourself of the price of worry.

Worry and overwork can damage your health:

• Poor sleep, low energy, and weaker decision-making

• Increased chance of burnout or illness

• Less patience with your team and family

Ask yourself: “Is this level of worry worth the cost to my body and mind?”
Often, the honest answer is no.

There is a famous Australian expression: “She’ll be right, mate,” meaning “It will work out somehow.” This relaxed mindset can help you release unnecessary pressure.

Mini-summary: Your health is a strategic asset. Reducing worry is not soft; it is smart risk management for you and your company.

5. How can I start the New Year with a clear mind and plan?

Principle: Fill your mind with thoughts of peace, courage, health, and hope.

Use the quiet early days of the New Year as a reset:

1. Reserve five days at the start of the year

2. Dedicate three days to sorting, sifting, and tossing (emails, papers, projects)

3. Use one day for reflection on lessons from the past year

4. Use one day for planning the new year

If possible, do the reflection and planning away from your usual office. This could be a quiet meeting room, a co-working space, or even a hotel lounge. The goal is an honest, deep conversation with yourself about your life, leadership, and goals.

This is also a good time to commit to リーダーシップ研修 (leadership training), 営業研修 (sales training), プレゼンテーション研修 (presentation training), エグゼクティブ・コーチング (executive coaching), and DEI研修 (DEI training) that will help you lead with more confidence and less stress in the new year.

Mini-summary: A structured five-day reset—three days to clear, one to reflect, one to plan—gives you a fresh, strong start to the year.

Turn this process into an annual routine:

• Block time for your five-day reset in your calendar every year

• Communicate this plan to your team so they can support you

• Combine it with formal learning, such as Dale Carnegie programs, to upgrade your skills

Over time, you will:

• Feel more in control at year-end

• Reduce the emotional weight of unfinished work

• Build a stronger, more resilient leadership style

Mini-summary: A planned annual reset, supported by continuous training and coaching, turns year-end from a crisis into a habit of renewal.

• Accept the cycle: Year-end will always be busy; focus on what is truly important instead of trying to do everything.

• Shift mindset: See busyness as a sign of trust and opportunity, not only as a burden.

• Protect health: Worry has a high cost; protecting your energy is a leadership responsibility.

• Plan a reset: Use a five-day New Year routine (clear–reflect–plan) and support it with training and coaching to make each year better than the last.

Founded in the U.S. in 1912, Dale Carnegie Training has supported individuals and companies worldwide for over a century in leadership, sales, presentation, executive coaching, and DEI. Our Tokyo office, established in 1963, has been empowering both Japanese and multinational corporate clients ever since.