Post-holiday blues can leave you feeling worse than before you left. These handy tips will help you to maximise your productivity upon returning to the office.
It’s important to take a break from the office every once in awhile.
Working life can be stressful, which can take its toll on your health and lower your productivity over time. Ditching your desk for a sun-soaked sun lounger is just what is needed to recharge your batteries.
Studies have shown that vacations improve happiness, health and, most importantly, productivity. Yet, if you fail to use your first few days back wisely, post-holiday blues can leave you more stressed, unhappy and unproductive than you were before you left.
As tempting as throwing in the towel and taking up travelling full-time may seem, these helpful tips will get you back into the swing of office life.
Banish your post-holiday blues: How to cope after returning to work
Plan ahead
Getting too little sleep before your first day back is a recipe is disaster. You may have been sipping cocktails at a beachside bar in the early hours of the morning just a few days ago, but it is important to get your sleep schedule back to normal before you return to work. Likewise, have your clothes ready and your lunch prepared to ensure that your morning is as easy as can be.
Take it easy
You may feel obliged to double your efforts in the office following your break. Yes, you’re back at work and must do your job, but pushing yourself too hard will only undo the good that taking a break did. Make sure that you take regular breaks, eat a decent lunch and leave the office on time – at least for your first few days back.
Make a checklist
If you’re one to check your inbox upon arriving at the office, make sure that you don’t waste your first day back replying to a week’s worth of emails. Write down everything that you need to get down in order of priority and spend the week working through it.
Think positively
Work exists for a reason. Your holiday might be over, but without the pay cheques that your job provides, it wouldn’t have been possible. You might be back in the office for now, but you have to pay for your next adventure somehow.
Read more:
How to prepare for your work vacation and leave the office in safe hands
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