Posted by You should expect post-holiday blues to happen, it’s almost impossible to avoid. Getting back into the routine can seem like the toughest thing in the world to do, especially after a terrific break, but you’ve got to get back in the right mindset to be productive again, which can be hard.
Get Ready
Have an early night before returning to work, on rising have a light breakfast and get to work half an hour ahead of time, but, on the way there whack a Led Zeppelin track way up high on the car stereo, or personal music player, and maybe do a few skips and jumps before grabbing the handle to the office door. You’ll be buzzing!
Get Set
The first thing you will be confronted with is an overflowing inbox. Remember you don’t have to act on the whole 2 million messages at once. What you need is a strategy, set up three files in your email system: urgent, for tomorrow and later. There, now you’ve only got about 20 you have to action immediately.
Your mind can’t tell fact from fiction, so think about a time when you were really productive, make that good feeling a visualisation in your mind’s eye to jump-start yourself back into action.
And go, go, go
Make a list of all the tasks you need to do for the next few days. Prioritize the things that must get done and hold off on some of the not-so important items on your list. Select the first that needs to be done, and set yourself a time limit, perhaps by starting the stopwatch on your mobile phone.
Ignore your email and phone if you can, concentration power is like an actual muscle, if you don’t use it you lose it, speeding up your brain will snap you out of holiday mode.
Things to do on you first day back
Shake the phones
It’s a great time to and touch base with your customers, just to say “Hi, how’s things, I’m back, is there anything you need” this could pay off with some extra work or sales.
Plan a holiday
Sure, having something exciting to look forward to can make all that effort seem worthwhile. Plan your next break NOW and work hard towards it.
Nourishment
You should drink lots of water every day, but after the holiday it can be especially vital. Water is the fuel that our body needs to power us through the day, keep away from energy drinks; they generally have the reverse effect.
At lunchtime stick to simple protein and some fruit, eating a big meal will make you feel even more tired and sluggish.
Keep your holiday glow going
Don’t let it slip just yet, have some enjoyable things planned for after work and mid-week, such as a meal out, a nice walk, or a trip to the movies.
Lastly, before shooting off on your next break, leave yourself something exciting, but not too daunting for after you get back. Small wins and just getting started can go a long way to get you back on track.
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