How to return to work after holidays

Returning to work after a long break due to the holidays is more than difficult, whether you are in love with your job or not. Often the first working day is filled with stress in the morning, starting with the alarm we hate. Expectations of accumulated emails, tasks, and urgent appointments also help us to be tense and anxious. In the last year, this has been an even more difficult task when both work and fun are from home. For those who do not have a separate place to work at home, the task of redirecting their mind from work to rest and vice versa is even more complicated.

To maintain a good mood on the first day, today we have prepared some tips that if you follow we can guarantee that they will make you calmer.

1. More positive thinking

The transition from negative to more positive thinking does not happen overnight, but practicing positivity in the days before returning to work can help. When you think about your first day at work, instead of focusing on the negative (eg. a full mailbox or a discouraging customer meeting), think about those things that you love. Whether you're working on a project, spending time with a colleague, or even visiting your favorite coffee shop during lunch. Focus your mind on the things you look forward to.

2. Preparation from the previous day

Do not jump directly into the tasks from the first working day. Prepare mentally from the previous one, whether it is Sunday or another day of the week. Instead of thinking about what lies ahead as work tasks, prepare physically. Exercise, even for 10 minutes, will increase your endorphins and will directly affect motivation. Fix your bag - most likely during your vacation you carried only keys, a purse, and a phone, well, it's time to add the laptop. What clothes were you wearing in the last 5 days - loose, comfortable, and casual? It's time to go back to the neat outfit, so check if you have washed/ironed clothes. Do you go to work by car? Prepare it with a car wash and fuel. If you do not complete all these tasks the day before and leave them for the morning of the first working day, you will certainly be late for work and create unnecessary stress.

3. 8 hours of sleep

Your sleep pattern has become different due to the long days of vacation. To get back into the game, one day before work, arrange a task that should be completed early in the morning. This way you have no excuse not to get up early, which will guarantee that you will also go to bed at the right time in the evening. Your 8 hours of sleep will help your first day go smoothly.

4. Organize your workplace

If you work from home on the first working day, you will most likely put the laptop in bed, as you will not have motivation for a desk or table. However, this is a mistake. Be sure to organize a space to work on. This way you will not wander in thoughts of rest. In case you work in an office, don't miss this step either. Arrange your workspace - remove unnecessary items and leave what you need. This also applies to the desktop.

5. Slowly return to life

If you have followed our previous tips, you are probably already super motivated to conquer all the peaks. However, be careful not to let all colleagues know that you are available again. Do not rush. Update your messages and email accounts first. You do not need to report your return to all departments at once.

6. Catch up with colleagues

After telling some colleagues that you are already working, you will have to catch up. Before you dive too deep into all your emails and projects waiting at the desk, talk to your colleagues, your boss, your customers and catch up. Try to understand what happened while you were off the radar. Having a general idea of where projects or campaigns or commitments currently stand will help you better prioritize your to-do list.

7. Organize your inbox

It's time to deal with email, which is probably cluttered with spam, threads you've been unnecessarily logged on to, and more worries. Do yourself a favor and don't actually open or even browse all of them. Instead of checking them in chronological order, it may make more sense to sort your emails by sender now that you've talked to your boss and colleagues and have a general idea of ​​which ones are particularly important. For anything that doesn't need to be opened right away put them in a separate folder for later. This way you will get rid of the mess.

8. Review (and possibly revise) your appointment calendar

Take a quick look at your email and to-do list, as well as your calendar. If you have new, more pressing appointments that replace others, revise them. This way you will be maximally productive and not so stressed.

9. Take an exotic lunch break

Eating a different lunch will make you feel like you're still experiencing new things and breaking away from the routine, even though you're back at work. Learn to be a tourist in your own home if you are a home office. If you are in the office, then order from a different restaurant or the regular one, but try food that you have not yet tasted.

Even these tips don't help you feel good at work?

Keep in mind that no employee is 100% happy for 8 hours of work. This is perfectly normal due to minor setbacks in the work routine. However, the goal is to be satisfied with the direction in which you are developing and the value you bring to your work. If you have been reluctant to go to the office after a long vacation, then it's time to think about change. In the "Find a job" section on our website, you can find offers from every sector of the labor market. In case you are serious about your desire for change, just send us your CV. This is the first step to success!