24-07-2025
The Leader's New Year: Why September Success Starts Now
How not to get stuck in the 'simmering six' this summer.
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This article is co-authored with Jason Leavy.
There's a historical obsession with the New Year period being a critical window, but if you're an entrepreneur in the Gulf, you know that it's actually September that hits different.
As your increasingly brief summer hiatus soon becomes a distant mirage in the rear view mirror, the question is how you're going to show up - get it wrong and you'll find yourself on the back foot in permanent catch-up mode. Get it right and you'll be coming out of the blocks quicker than Usain Bolt.
As any great entrepreneur knows, it's the prep work you put in in the shadows that makes the difference.
The paradox we've observed at Prime Performance Labs is that the very intensity that drives your success can undermine your ability to perform at your best when it matters most.
As an entrepreneur, you're not just managing your own stress, you're absorbing it from your team, your investors, your customers and clients. The bottom line is that the buck always stops with you.
Your brain processes this constant stimulation by defaulting to what neuroscientists call your sympathetic state - your nervous system's 'always-on' mode. Stay there too long and you'll hit September having burned through your cognitive 'runway'.
Here's what most entrepreneurs get wrong about summer: they treat it as a binary choice - either complete shutdown or business-as-usual. The fact is that both approaches miss the mark.
The shutdown camp believes rest means switching off completely - no stimulation, no reflection, just pure escape. At the other end of the spectrum, the business-as-usual crowd can't resist the urge to keep grinding, treating summer like any other time of the year - for them it's 'game time' all day, every day.
But there's a third way that has the power to be far more effective: intentional rejuvenation.
This is all about having agency over your choices and understanding what you truly want out of this period. Think of it like building your vacation MVP - are you actually solving for what your mind and body need most?
The Neuroscience Behind Why This Matters
We often assume the brain thinks like a computer, either processing at full capacity or shutting down. This leads to that 'hustle or hibernate' mentality, where people think they need to either push relentlessly or tap out completely. The reality is that the brain actually operates more like a complex ecosystem that requires different types of activity for optimal performance. True neural resilience comes from alternating between focused work, active recovery and restorative practices.
But when this ecosystem gets disrupted by chronic stress, things go sideways fast, as it literally rewires the brain. When we are constantly in high-pressure situations, our brains adapt by creating a higher sensitivity to potential threats, therefore prioritising threat detection, while compromising higher order cognitive functions such as working memory, cognitive flexibility and strategic planning.
What you need to be able to do is switch from your sympathetic state to your parasympathetic state as quickly as possible - think of this as like a 'powering down' of your nervous system, allowing you to shift into a state of replenishing and recharging. You've been hard-charging at a 10/10 pace, and you now need to switch to a 1/10 ASAP.
Your summer break is a huge window of opportunity in this regard, but you need to be intentional here - one of the biggest dangers is that you end up in what we term the 'simmering six', that dangerous grey zone where you think you're rejuvenating, but in reality you're just burning through your energy at a lower pace. You know what that looks like - checking emails by the pool, doom-scrolling, eating and drinking to excess. To use start-up terminology, you're taking action, but not solving the core problem.
The research here is proven: opt for the right kind of downtime and it doesn't just prevent burnout, it actively improves your cognitive health and performance. This means that when you're back in the game, you're better able to manage stress, better prepared to make complex decisions at speed and better placed to regulate your emotions.
These are precisely the capabilities you'll need when September's intensity kicks in.
We want to be really clear here, this isn't about stripping all the joy out of your well-earned time off, quite the opposite. Things like social connection and embracing new experiences can be huge cognitive health enhancers. What we're saying is optimize for the user experience - and in this case, you're the user. Are you actually getting what you need from this product called 'vacation', or are you just going through the motions?
We believe entrepreneurs are akin to the athletes of the business world, so we want to give you the insights and tools that will ensure you have a great vacation AND show up in September on your A-game.
Five Growth Hacks to Prime Your Performance
1. Analyze the Data
You know the value of data in your venture, but are you bothering to check in on the 'data' from your body and mind? There's an increasing amount of evidence that how you feel is one of the best predictors of performance, so consciously tune in to how stressed you're feeling, what your energy levels feel like and how it makes you feel when you visualise aspects of your vacation.
2. Make Trade-Offs
Life is about trade-offs. What worked for you last summer might not be what you need this year. Be willing to consciously choose a different path - reading over scrolling, reflecting over reacting. Consider the opportunity cost of blowing through your most precious commodity: time.
3. Disconnect… And Connect
Neuroscience tells us that social connection is hugely important for your health and wellbeing, so take the opportunity to ditch the phone - be present, be engaged, be curious. Apply your amazing growth mindset to your social surroundings.
4. Do Some A-B Testing
Your brain craves stimulation so lean into that and engage in an activity that stimulates different neural networks - explore an unfamiliar place or tackle a physical challenge that demands presence and focus. Novel experiences trigger neuroplasticity, strengthening the brain's ability to adapt and form new connections. They also release dopamine and reduce cortisol, naturally easing anxiety and promoting a sense of discovery that counters mental fatigue. Don't try to overload here, the key is balance. Adopt an explorer mindset and have fun. Your brain will thank you for it.
5. Prioritize Sleep Mode
Sleep is when the brain literally cleans itself. Think of it like your phone - if you never restart it, it gets sluggish and glitchy. During deep sleep, the brain flushes out metabolic waste and toxins that accumulate during the waking hours, including proteins linked to cognitive decline. Simultaneously, deep sleep is required to strengthen synaptic connections that consolidate the day's learning into long-term memory.
Finally, remember that choosing to rest and rejuvenate is an action, not an inaction. We live in a world where you're bombarded by distractions, but resisting the noise and focusing on yourself and those you're with? That's where the real opportunity lies.
Don't Underestimate the Network Effect
As an entrepreneur, you're 'on stage' performing a role nearly all year round. That can weigh heavy, and it's vital you feel empowered to shed that burden for a limited time. You owe it to yourself. You owe it to those around you.
When you show up in September, rejuvenated and primed rather than depleted and drained, everyone benefits. You're not just investing in your own wellbeing, you're investing in your company's future.
