You just got back from a calm, relaxing and well-deserved vacation where work was the last thing on your mind. You had no meetings, no early wake-up calls, no deadlines and no stress. Now it’s time to get back to work, and you’re probably wondering how you’re going to get “back to the grind” after some time off. Here are a few tips that should help you get the office ball rolling again.
“When you come back from vacation, it’s best to have a plan of attack,” said Louis Douglas, resource manager at Kavaliro. “Walking into the office without a plan after any amount of time off usually leads to a lack of progression.”
Before stepping back into the office, it is important to feel as motivated as possible right from the start. One way to do this is by looking at your break as a fresh start to a great work week. It is a chance to get yourself organized and to get a good night of sleep ensuring you are ready to start back energized with a great mindset. We suggest coming home from your vacation early enough to allow yourself to get organized at home. We guarantee if you can unpack, do laundry and clean the house before you go back to work, your first day will feel less overwhelming knowing things at home are in order.
Don’t overwhelm yourself with work your first day back. Douglas suggests never trying to handle everything on your day of return. Be sure to clear your calendar, and instead utilize your time for catching up. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, but with a proper plan of action and organization, you’ll get everything you need accomplished done in no time. One way to ensure organization is to take things one step at a time and knock out the most important tasks before you do anything else. Taking time to catch up before jumping right back in is key to successfully turning your work mode on.
Instead of going through and reading every single unread email that has built up during your vacation, tackle the important emails first and come back to the less urgent emails later. One way to do this is by organizing your emails into folders, labeling them by level of urgency or with a certain day of the week. By doing this, you are spreading out your emails throughout the week instead spending the whole day looking through each one when there are other things you need to get done. For more tips on dealing with emails check out our blog here.
In order to stay on top of things, productivity is crucial. In order to be productive you need to focus on other important tasks that need to get done, not just emails. As soon as you come in the office, make a list of what needs to be done that day. It is easy to get caught up in the little things that can wait to be attempted, so manage your time efficiently by making a to-do list to help you stay on track.
All in all, take things one day at a time. If you stay organized by focusing on what is important, your mind will stay stress-free as you catch up during your first week back.