Returning From Vacation

How to Handle Work After a Break

Written by the Mindtools Content Team

You've had some time off, staying up late, sleeping in, and spending your days relaxing. It was great! However, it's now your first day back at work after your vacation.

You've been in the office only an hour, and you're not sure how you'll survive to the end of the day. You have hundreds of unopened emails, a huge list of phone calls to return, two reports that are overdue, and three meetings to attend. And that's just this morning!

In this article, we'll explore how to ease back into work after a break. We'll look at strategies for coping with your workload, as well as for dealing with the emotional aspects of getting back into your working routine.

How to Manage Your Workload When You Return

When you return from a vacation, it's often difficult to remember what you were working on before you left, and which tasks or projects were urgent (and which weren't). Here are some tips:

• Start work early – Whether it's clients calling, colleagues asking how your vacation was, or your boss requesting a project update, you'll probably have lots of interruptions once everyone is in the office. So consider going into the office early to give yourself a chance to get organized, and catch-up before everyone else arrives for work. Or, work from home on your first day back so that you can focus on your priorities without office distractions.
• Get organized – If you didn't leave yourself a note before you left, get organized during your first morning back. Look at your schedule and what you were working on right before you left. Make a To-Do List, and prioritize what you must do first. This will keep you from spending time on tasks that aren't important. Our article on Eisenhower's Urgent/Important Principle will help you determine which tasks are important and which ones can wait.
• Meet with team members or colleagues – Catch up with team members or colleagues as soon as possible on the morning of your return. Have them tell you about anything important that happened while you were away, and update you on any urgent projects or deadlines. (Don't call these "meetings" – present them as quick, informal chats.)

Emotional Transition Back to Work

Returning to work after a week or two of sleeping in and not keeping a schedule can affect some of us emotionally. Follow these guidelines:

• Focus on the positive – We have a choice: we can choose to look at the negative aspects of our workload, or we can choose to focus on the positive. The way that we choose to think about work is largely the way that we're going to experience it. For instance, imagine that you've returned to find 300 emails waiting for your reply. Yes, it's tempting to feel overwhelmed and angry about the overload. But there are probably at least a few positive emails hidden in the long list. Instead of reading each email in frustration, why not make it a game to hunt for the good ones? Take time to process the important emails and organize them as you go along, but expect to find something great, somewhere, in your inbox. This subtle shift may make a world of difference to your attitude.
• Schedule extra vacation time at home – Ease yourself back into your regular routine by scheduling some days at home before you return to work. For example, if you're due to return from your trip on a Sunday, take that Monday or Tuesday off of work, or work half days. Do your laundry, go to the grocery store, and check your email from home. This will allow you to come to work on Wednesday feeling a bit more relaxd. Plus, you'll have a shorter workweek. Even doing small things like this can put you in a much better frame of mind for your return to work.
• Plan something fun – Keep yourself motivated by planning to do something fun at the end of your first week back. Go to your local art museum, take your kids on a fun day trip, or even spend all day in your pajamas, watching movies and reading books. Planning your own fun day for the following weekend will give you something to look forward to.
• Improve your mood and energy – If you find yourself getting overwhelmed and feeling negative on your first day (or week) back, try these tips:
• Remind yourself of the meaning and purpose of your work.
• Increase your energy by walking around your office while you're on the phone.

Continue reading the article on mindtools.com

Video taken from @desktime