Going back to work after a relaxing and joyful holiday break can be a harsh transition, especially if you have spent your time off in the very same place as you work - your home office. Here are some tips to make returning to work from the holidays much easier and stress-free.
Establish a list of things to do before leaving for the holidays
Before disconnecting from work for the holidays, you should finish your tasks by prioritizing what is important and urgent; this will help to reduce backlogged work before you go on your holiday break. It is crucial to make it accurate! Avoid creating a checklist with hundreds of bullets and to-dos, as this could stress you out before leaving and complicate your graceful detachment from work. Ensure to tick all the boxes before leaving and get ready to disconnect.
Schedule a Buffer Day to get things organized
Consider all tasks that need to be in place to set yourself up for success.
Get yourself re-situated and organized by tidying up your workspace. Think of it as a metamorphic process of throwing away the old year and making room for new ones. Assess the stuff you need and want that helps you set your mood at work (a.k.a. your favorite coffee mug). Take time to wipe down all surfaces, including your desk and chair, file cabinets, and electronics.
Meanwhile, do not ignore the household chores left untouched while you are away or busy “couch-potatoing” during your holiday break. Eliminate the additional cause of stress by allocating a few days for buying groceries, doing the laundry, or prepping your kid's school stuff. Yes, this might feel exhausting and may cut a day or two from the last few days of your holiday break, but you will be thankful for it later.
Block out your calendar for the first morning to create a plan
Coming back to work with a day full of meetings may hinder you from looking at what has been going on in your absence, organizing a plan of action, and prioritizing tasks.
Identify and rank tasks according to their importance and urgency. Your to-do list will help you catch up on emails and attend to urgent messages. Keep this list visible throughout the day so you can refer to it as needed.
Be strategic with your email
Starting your first day back at work by checking your emails will do nothing other than make you overwhelmed, and without a clear plan, you might end up lost and just skimming your inbox for hours.
You may start by scanning your inbox and looking at subject lines only. Use the star function to categorize email messages that are important to read and need urgent responses. Once you have gone through it, filter them by category and work through them one at a time. By focusing on one type of message, you will be able to get through them quicker and maintain your focus.
Catch up with colleagues
Your workload can be high, but another excellent way to smoothly reconnect with work is having a virtual coffee break or catch-up call with your colleagues. Talking about holidays, experiences, and stories helps reduce stress levels and get updated on what has been going on while you were away.
Ultimately, a good conversation with your colleagues can make the first week after your long holiday break guilt-free and more bearable.
Be conscious of your mindset
Returning to work when you are working from home requires a bit of extra discipline. Condition yourself about returning to work by reminding yourself that the holiday break is over and you need to refocus your mind for new excellent results and achievements. It may sound unfun, but it is necessary.
Holidays are essential in maintaining a work-life balance. After your holiday absence, you might think you need to extend your working hours to catch up. However, this can lead to additional stress and will most likely drain your energy and negatively impact your productivity in the long term.
Remember, everyone else may feel unexcited days before getting back or overwhelmed on the first day of work, so it is okay to take a little bit longer to ease back to your usual and daily work routine. Take the work days one step at a time to keep the positive energy accumulated during your holidays as long as possible.