Whether you’ve been ahead all game, or trying to make a comeback, it’s what you do in the fourth quarter that really counts (or in the ninth inning, if you’re the St. Louis Cardinals).

The holidays are looming ahead of us, and as the final quarter rolls along, staying focused on making placements can get tough. But it’s the effort you put in now that will reflect how you fared in 2012.

Now is not the time to wind down and put in the effort of a mere benchwarmer. It’s time to bring your A-game and blow your numbers out of the water.

How do you sustain your momentum in Q4?

Stick to a process.
If you’ve been winging it all year, it will be easier to succumb to the temptation to slack off during the end of the year. Creating and maintaining a process helps keep your team in line, so when the end of the year frenzy hits, you won’t be thrown completely off track.

Cut out distractions.
It’s easy to spend all day on tasks that just don’t matter. Before committing to something, ask yourself how it gets you closer to hitting your biggest goals for the year. If it doesn’t, it might not be worth doing.

Avoid burnout.
There’s nothing worse than petering-out at the end. So take time to recharge, whether you set time aside for social media, listen to music, or turn off your mobile for a few hours.

What do you do to stay in the game during the end of the year?

(p.s. find out what benchmarks other recruiting and staffing professionals are hitting this year)

This post originally appeared at www.sendouts.com