Tips to Recover from Back to Work Blues

Below are some strategies and tips that we have sourced to help ease you back into your work routine.

1. Tidy your workspace first

If you left a mess before you went on holiday, shame on you, but now's the time to remedy it! Upon your return, ease back into work by spending a morning (for some it might take a day...) organizing your space.

-          Tidy up your desk space, shelves and files.

-          Clean out the in-box and electronic files.

-          Decluttering is liberating, empowering and a physical way to make decisions about your life. Find a positive image to inspire you and help you stay motivated.

2. Plan your next holiday

The obvious way to get through the seemingly endless weeks of work ahead is to plan your next trip. It might be a low-budget weekend away or an overseas trip – whatever your plans, it will make returning to work much easier. Even planning a weekend away in the short term will give you something enjoyable to look forward to.

It can help the transition if you start making plans for the next holiday experience. Call into a travel agent at lunchtime or set up a new travel planning itinerary on your favourite travel website when you are at home in the evening. Doing this might give you a renewed sense of adventure and make work seem less onerous.

3. Set yourself up for a good week

Treat yourself to a gourmet coffee, take a friend to lunch or download a new podcast or book to make your commute a bit more interesting.

Small reminders of your time away will also keep the good holiday mood lingering. Find your favourite holiday photo, save it to your desktop or phone screensaver or print it and pin to a board near your workspace to remind you of those relaxed days. 

4. Reflect and plan for a successful year ahead

Be optimistic about the year ahead. Think about goals or things you'd like to improve this year. Now is the time to start implementing those fresh ideas that the summer holidays inspired.

Did you achieve the things you wanted to in the past year? What specific things would you like to change or redirect? Asking yourself questions about progress, change and where you want to be right now can help to keep your perspective fresh, giving you new motivation to make this year a more fulfilling one.

5. Prioritise and do one thing at a time.

You may feel the urge to work on three different things at the same time in order to catch up. This may only confuse and stress yourself out! Make a point to focus, without any distractions, prioritise your tasks and then work on only one item at a time. You’ve just come back from a nice relaxing holiday; why stress yourself out if you can avoid it?

6. Leave the office on time.

Make a point to leave the office on time. Set a timer or reminder, if need be, to help you get out the door. If you find it difficult to do this, plan to leave even earlier than you want to so you get out the door on time!

7. Exercise & practice good health

You probably have heard many times that exercise is the answer to everything—that's because it's often true! Going to the gym or yoga class, having a lunchtime run, or simply walking for a half hour will make you feel a lot better. Your physical well-being flows back into your emotional well-being and helps you to work better and focus more.

8. Give yourself a break.

Returning back to work after a vacation is a transition period. Don’t beat yourself up over how long it’s taking you to catch up on things! It may take several days for you to finally get readjusted…and that’s perfectly fine. Stay calm. You’ll be back into a work routine before you know it.