It’s beginning to look a lot like … the post-holiday slump. Ugh. You’ll probably do some partying to ring in the new year, maybe watch a few football bowl games. And then it will be time to clean up the mess, throw out the leftover fruitcake, and beat the bathroom scales to dust with your kid’s new baseball bat.

For six weeks, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s keep Americans on one extended high of sugar and hustle-bustle. Then it’s back to reality … a little poorer, a little fatter, and a lot less motivated than we were before. No more whistling “Frosty, the Snowman.” No more candles in the window as we pull into the drive. No more pretending candy canes are calorie-free.

So how do we get out of the slump and gear up for the next project, the upcoming assignment … sigh … the elliptical machine?

• Refocus.  Start by turning your attention from parties and presents to whatever captured your imagination and attention before you went into holiday mode. Get out your notes, review your assignments, meet with your contacts. Remind yourself what you were doing before you became distracted by the season.

• Redirect.  Once you’ve remembered where you were, start thinking about where you want to be. Set new fitness, work, or hobby goals and give them deadlines. (Sure, you could call them “resolutions,” but that only means you’ll probably forget about them in a month.) If you’re looking at long-term goals that will take more than a month to reach, be sure to set interim objectives and deadlines so you can more quickly feel a sense of accomplishment.

• Re-energize.  Remember how excited you were about your holiday plans? How you shared the details with friends and family? Well, now you have new plans for completing the goals you’ve set. Share your objectives with people you trust to be enthusiastic and encouraging. With a goal ahead and support behind, you’ll be as anxious to greet new days as a kid on Christmas morning.