Everyone is familiar with it, that dreaded back-to-school feeling when you land on home soil after a holiday. It’s that imminent realisation that you’ve returned to reality and it’s time to get back to the grindstone following a much-needed break. After lots of sun lounging, fun and freedom, it seems almost impossible to bounce back into the work mindset.
Unfortunately, we can’t take your holiday blues away completely, but we do have a few tips to help soften your re-entry into the office.
1. Take an extra day off
There’s nothing worse than getting back from your holiday and having to get up at the crack of dawn for work the next morning. Or even worse: you arrive home in the early hours of the morning and have to work the next day trying to function on just a few hours sleep. Rather than getting straight back into the office, take an extra day off to recover, get organised and prepare for the working week ahead.
An extra tip – everyone loves a four-day week and taking a Monday off will ease you gently back into the working environment.
2. It’s all about the to-do lists
Before you do anything (minus making your morning coffee or tea), make a list or five, however many you need, for each section of work that your role covers. You know that you’re going to be welcomed by a tonne of emails and it’s going to take a while to catch up on your workload, but multi-tasking and completing little bits of each task isn’t going to be efficient in the long run.
Separate your lists by importance and concentrate on the tasks that need to be completed each day to help you get back into it. Ticking things off of your list makes you feel more productive, knowing that you’re getting things done!
3. Don’t be too hasty
The first thing you may want to do is tackle your pile of unread emails. Stop for a second. Keep your out-of-office on until you’ve gotten through, processed and dealt with your inbox. The last thing you want is an influx of emails from people chasing you!
Spend this valuable time to get to grips with the emails you’ve received whilse you were away. (Just think, a few days ago you were relaxing getting into a good book). Okay, not helping. But seriously, rank and section your emails, responding to the most important matters first.
4. Take a few breathers
You’ve come back from a glorious break; the transition back to work isn’t a laughing matter. It’s a tough time guys…
Jokes aside, boost your productivity by taking a break every once in a while. It’s probably best to do this after you’ve completed a task in a particular section, avoiding interruption while working through it.
Take a step outside to clear your mind too! A little walk can freshen you up and energise you, sharpening your focus and ease back-to-work stresses.
5. Book another break
Now you’re back to the grind, you could start planning another break to get rid of those blues. So what if you’ve just had a holiday, it’s always great to have something to look forward to, why not book another break?
Another getaway will boost that morale of yours, well, until you come back from your next break and have to relive the blues again….
