Going Back to Work After the Holidays
The holiday season provided many with much-needed time off. Between Christmas and New Year’s, days are spent relaxing on a beach or sleeping in and indulging in favorite foods. It can be hard to imagine getting back into the daily work grind when January rolls around.
In fact, returning to work after taking a vacation can be a daunting experience. It often feels like work has piled up, and the emails you have to respond to are endless. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in; getting back to work after the holidays can make any position seem blase.
Take an Extra “Buffer” Day
One of the most important factors you should consider when it comes to returning to work after a vacation is ensuring that all of your personal affairs are in order and complete. Doing so will help keep stress levels down and allow you to feel more rested.
Take an extra day between vacation and returning to work to do things for yourself that you may have put off. Go grocery shopping, finish laundry, or just generally rest and prepare to switch gears. A buffer day will help you to feel ready to start work again.
Clear The First Morning Back
On the first day back, you’ll want to make a point to avoid overscheduling yourself. Clear the first morning and allow yourself to assess what’s urgent and what can wait. Take the time to check in with yourself. Any outstanding items that need to be completed? What’s the status of your latest projects? Make a realistic plan to get you back on track before you jump right back into the daily hustle. If you’re unorganized, getting back into the swing of things will be much harder than it has to be.
Avoid Trying to Tackle Everything Right Away
Maybe you’re excited to get back to work after taking a break. However, it’s important to realize that it can be hard to catch up after taking a few weeks off. Instead of rushing to finish everything, set realistic goals and prioritize more pressing tasks.
Avoid rushing and becoming burnt out. Instead, focus on taking it one step at a time.
Set Personal Boundaries
If you want to maintain the positive vibe you got from your vacation, start planning ahead and building a schedule conducive to relaxation.
It’s important to keep in mind that it’s not likely that you’ll get back to work right away after taking a vacation. Instead, try to take breaks throughout the week to help boost your productivity and lessen the stress of returning to work.
Originally published on Michael Dupont CBS’ website.
