6 Ways to Get Back to Work Recharged After Your Holiday

No one wants to think about emails, deadlines and meetings after a holiday. Unfortunately, it can’t be avoided. The one thing you can do? Follow these six tips to survive your first days back at the office as well as get things accomplished.

#1 Set it up before you leave for your break
If possible, do as much as you can before you leave on your break so you don’t come back to emails requesting your immediate action or unfinished tasks you need to complete ASAP. Make sure your colleagues and clients know you’re on a break so they don’t constantly email you during your break – unplug if you can!

#2 Go back to work a day or two after you return
It’s best to have some me time to get back into the groove of things at work so if you can, take a day or two to relax and recuperate before you start work. This way, the post-holiday blues won’t hit you so hard and you’ll have time to get your chores like laundry and grocery shopping out of the way. Or even have a mini-holiday at home where you give yourself a few hours to chill and Netflix. Focus on adjusting back to your routine so when you do get back to work, you feel less stressed out and eager to go.

Tip – arrange to get back to work middle of the week where it is less stressful, and before you know it, it’s the weekend!

#3 Create a to-do list immediately
List the things you need to accomplish for the week at work. Write down everything and anything. This helps to recharge your brain and set it up to focus on work stuff.

#4 Clean up your email
The most dreaded thing after a holiday: Tons of emails in your inbox. Getting through emails can take up a lot of time. If you can, take 30 minutes a day during your holiday to go through your email (nothing longer than that!). On your day back, delete spam and respond to emails so that when you’re back at the office, your inbox isn’t chockful with emails that require your attention.

#5 Go easy on the first day
You’re not going to come back on your first day finishing up that major project or sealing a deal so why put that stress on yourself? Take it easy! Ease your way back to work by starting with old tasks you didn’t finish before your holiday. Tackle what takes the least amount of time then work your way up to the bigger stuff. You’ll feel more accomplished and your engines will be up and running by the time you jump into a new project.

#6 Have a good lunch break with your colleagues
Going into full work-mode without a break is sure to make you feel burnout and tired at the end of the day. Don’t force yourself to work into the ground just because you took a holiday – you deserve it! Take a break and go for lunch with your colleagues to catch up on what you missed when you were away and to share your holiday stories.

#7 Go to bed early
First day back to work – done and dusted! Now to get yourself ready for the next day, unplug from work when you return, have a nice meal, snuggle p to a good book or movie and go to bed early. You’ll wake up recharged and ready for day two.

Photo by Shopify Partners on Burst