The Super Bowl ended last night around 10:30 p.m. Eastern.
By 6 a.m. this morning, an estimated 26.2 million Americans had already decided not to show up to work.
Another 5 million?
Arriving late with lukewarm gas station coffee and no apologies.
Super Bowl Monday isn’t a federal holiday — but it might as well be. Nearly half of workers report being less productive or avoiding work entirely the day after the game. The math is simple: late night + emotional investment + too many wings = a workforce running on fumes.
You’re not bad at your job.
You’re just human on a day when being human means your brain is moving at 60% capacity.
The Case for Maintenance Mode
Here’s what most productivity advice gets wrong: it assumes every day is created equal.
It’s not.
Some days are for building. Some days are for surviving.
Super Bowl Monday productivity is about the latter.
Instead of forcing yourself through deep-focus work that’ll take twice as long and come out half as good, treat today like what it is — a day to keep the wheels turning without expecting them to spin fast.
Maintenance mode looks like this:
Handle must-do tasks only. If it can wait until Tuesday, let it wait.
Clear your inbox. Quick replies. Low-stakes decisions.
Line up 2–3 priorities for tomorrow so you’re not starting from scratch.
Take a real walk or coffee break. Let yourself feel a little off your game without guilt.
The goal isn’t to crush it.
The goal is to end the day without feeling like you wasted eight hours staring at your screen while your brain replayed fourth-quarter highlights.
You’re in Very Crowded Company
If you’re reading this at 2 p.m. and still haven’t hit your stride, you’re not alone.
26.2 million people called out sick today.
Millions more are pretending to work while scrolling Twitter for post-game takes.
The entire country is collectively phoning it in — and that’s fine.
Work backward from the destination: if the destination today is “didn’t blow anything up,” you’re already halfway there.
Push the big-brain stuff to Tuesday.
Handle the small stuff now.
Give yourself permission to coast.
What’s Actually on Your Plate?
If you’re stuck deciding what to tackle first, here’s the filter:
Do today:
Client emails that need a response (even if it’s just “got it, circling back tomorrow”).
Quick admin tasks — invoices, scheduling, light edits.
Anything with a hard deadline that can’t move.
Push to Tuesday:
Strategy work, content creation, anything requiring deep focus.
Calls that need your full attention.
Big decisions or creative problem-solving.
The difference between a wasted day and a maintenance day is knowing which battles to fight .
Today?
Fight the small ones.
The Takeaway
Super Bowl Monday is the unofficial national holiday we’ll never admit exists.
26.2 million workers are out. Millions more are barely present. And if you’re one of them, you’re not lazy — you’re just operating in a reality where half the workforce is running on three hours of sleep and regret.
Treat today like maintenance mode.
Clear the decks. Line up tomorrow. Take a walk.
And if anyone asks why you’re moving slow, just tell them you’re one of 26 million people who can’t today.
No excuses, only results — but sometimes the result is just making it to 5 p.m. without breaking anything.