It’s the day after your long-awaited Holiday vacation.
You’ve had a few days to relax (maybe more if you banked your time right) and work feels like a foreign concept at this point.
Maybe you woke up late. Or, you can’t remember your password to your work computer. Perhaps you spilled your coffee all over yourself in a daze as you crave a mid-morning nap —and then another one shortly after. That sudden change of pace from the living room to a work desk can throw anyone off their game.
So before anyone notices just hard you have fallen off, it’s time to get prepared. Try these top tips when you return from your holiday break to get back on track.
Schedule a Short Week
If you can, schedule your first day back in the office for midweek. That way, if you use a vacation day or two, you’ll have a shortened week — the perfect pace to ease yourself back into office life.
Clear your calendar
The first day back from holidays can be overwhelming: there are dozens of emails to read and reply to, projects to resume, and bosses to check in with. Help yourself out by planning ahead. Block off a chunk of time in your calendar to take care of all these tasks first thing. You will feel more organized and ready to take on the day.
Arrive Early
I am a firm believer in arriving for everything 30 minutes early. My friends think I'm weird, but hey, it’s a beneficial skill for times like these. When you return to work, arrive at least 30 minutes before everyone else. I know — setting your alarm earlier is not always ideal. But after a few days off, you’re bound to have a ton of emails and missed calls awaiting your response. You’ll accomplish much more if you can sort through them without the welcome distraction of your co-workers’ rehashing of their holiday shenanigans.
Come Back Refreshed
Sure, you’d probably much instead like to continue and indulge in Christmas candy and Netflix. But, instead of dwelling on the fact that the party is over, focus on reaping all those amazing benefits from your time away from the office. Get full night’s sleep, relax with a good book, go shopping and finish up some house tasks that you had been procrastinating on — these are all things that you’re probably not used to getting done at once, so they should help you feel refreshed and ready to focus on the New Year.
REMAIN POSITIVE
Trust me; no one likes an office complainer. If you and your coworkers are experiencing the post-holiday slump, chances are you will all want to commiserate. But this is not good for the overall work environment. Try to be the rock of the office by providing a positive example. Plow through your backlog of work and maintain an optimistic attitude at all costs, sis. The morale in the office will quickly go back to its usual animation if you refuse to let your co-workers dwell in their NYE-induced daze. Dive into the New Year anticipating significant accomplishments for you and the people around you working just as hard as you.
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