For my friends in the US, Happy Labor Day.... I hope you are able to take the day off and enjoy some rest and relaxation!
Quick story on why I always like to use this holiday as a learning point.
A few years back I was managing a project that was supposed to wrap by mid-September.
It was simple work. Six weeks, clear scope, good team.
But...... I didn't even think about Labor Day. Yea, I know it is the national holiday for workers contribution to national strength, prosperity, and well being. But, that never really resonated with me, it felt more like a random holiday.
And here's the part that really messed me up that year: my team wasn't even all in the US.
So while half the team took the long weekend, the other half showed up Monday like it was any other day... pinging people who weren't there, waiting on approvals that weren't coming, wondering why the thread had gone quiet.
Now, let's get Proactive Over Reactive!
"Labor Day is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race or nation."
—Samuel Gompers (Founder of the American Federation of Labor)
I have a confession. For years, Labor Day was just a random Monday to me. A day off, a mattress sale, the unofficial “get new furniture" time for me.
I didn’t think about why it existed or who it was for. It was just… there.
Then I had kids in school.
Suddenly it clicked.
Labor Day is the last long weekend before the school year really kicks in... the final trip to the lake before homework and sports schedules take over everyone’s life.
For a lot of people, it’s not a day off work. It’s the last real family moment before fall swallows everything.
Labor Day isn’t just the unofficial end of summer. For a lot of your team, it’s the last checkpoint with family before everything gets busy again.
So here’s what I ask now, running anything through early September:
Am I treating this as an inconvenience, or does it actually matter?
For a parent squeezing in one last weekend before school ramps up, this isn’t a scheduling obstacle, it’s the point.
Am I expecting people to be “still pretty available”?
If someone’s treating this as their last real family window, a quick Sunday ping isn’t quick. Plan like people are actually gone.
Does my post-holiday plan expect fresh energy, or road-weary energy?
The Tuesday after might be someone’s first day of a new school routine and a work deadline. Give re-entry some room.
Good project management isn’t just accounting for time. It’s accounting for why a date matters more than it looks like it should.
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