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Returning to work from even a couple of days vacation can be a drag. And if it’s an extended vacation like the Christmas and New Year Holidays, things can be far more complicated and indeed very challenging.
You’ve truly enjoyed detaching from your usual work mode, and changing gears the second the morning after the New Year comes and suddenly getting things done for work is practically unimaginable. Am I right, or am I right?
Yes, it’s true that you need your jobs but you would rather rest a little longer, right? I bet everybody feels this way, but that is alright! You can feel guilty of being sluggish, but you're a human after all, not machines. It's totally normal to feel somewhat “tamad” and demotivated to go back to work.
So how do you get back to work-mode after the fulfilling weeks of celebration, family, and friends that you’ve had?
Here are some tips so you can get back to the grind after the awesome holiday celebration/vacation:
After the special celebrations you had, it would help a bit if you take it slow. Instead of jumping right to your computers/laptops, why not take a few more hours to relax, and enjoy time with yourselves, or your kids? Once you got your minds ready to work, don’t dive in right away just yet. Use this time to reflect on how your work has done for you and plan how you would want the year to be for you. You can also try doing the easiest tasks first, so you can get back to things gradually.
In this way, your mind, heart, and body weren’t rushed from being relaxed to suddenly becoming productive for work. Give yourself some time to prepare for work.
So you’ve been away for a few weeks, and now it’s time to work with them again with renewed spirits. Chat with your boss or your colleagues and ask how they’ve been, how their holidays went, and learn something new about them. This makes a cheerful and great segway to start the work right.
Plus it’s also a great way to ask about new directions, tasks or reminders about work, and set them right as you start your work.
With the long pause during the holidays, it’s normal that you may have lost track of the tasks that you usually do. Now that it’s time to go back to work, it can help if you try reviewing the routine that you have, or better yet, set a new routine that you think would work for you better. I know, routines may be boring for some, but during these challenging times of getting back to work, having a routine may do the trick.
You can make it enjoyable for you by setting up a new work schedule, including waking up and sleeping times, and don’t forget the breaks that would be super helpful for you physically and emotionally.
During this time, it would be extremely hard to get up on your feet. But being active does not just necessarily mean getting into your running shoes and run outside. Being active during this time may mean getting on your feet by doing actual housework, get your mind active by planning your day so that it can help you easily shift back to work and feel like you never left.
Note: A morning run is still a good idea to get promote an active mind. Goooo!
“A good vacation pulls you back a little bit, from the day-to-day grind,” says cognitive psychologist Amanda Croyoull.
This is definitely true because it can truly pull you back a bit, but you know that you have to return. But what can a good break give you? It can give you renewed energy!
So take advantage of these break times and incorporate them into your work routine. It will not just save you from burn out, but it will give your spirits new energy and ready for work.
Be kind to yourselves. Don't force yourselves into working right away even if you know that you still need a little more time. If not, it will only be a recipe for an early burn out from work.
So just take it slow, but be very appreciative that you still have clients and jobs to return to after a very fulfilling holiday break. After all, the holidays are just a phase, and you know that it will come to an end, and soon will be back to your usual grind.
All things come to an end. So whatever you’re feeling right now, the feeling of sluggishness will also wear off soon. After a few days the “post-vacation hang-over” will soon be gone and you’ll be working productively like before.
Don’t be too hard on yourself, and give yourself time to re-adjust. Again, you’re a human being who needs time to relearn things. Hopefully, these tips will help you out in the smooth transition of getting back into a renewed and fierce WORK-MODE after the fun holidays.
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