5 Steps to Feel Good at Work After a Holiday Break

We all look forward to weekends and long vacations, and we all work hard to get a break even during the workweek. But whatever the case, once the break is over, you must get back to “business as usual.
Here are five steps to help you get back to your “regular work” without stressing yourself out that your rest has slowed your skills.

1: Get clear on what’s important before you take a break.

“Well, it’s my day off!” Before you leave the office, you should clarify what you need to do first among the tasks you are currently carrying. Although you may have already completed the work that needs to be done before your vacation, you should look a little further ahead and make various arrangements so that you don’t suddenly find yourself in tears over a big stack of paperwork after your vacation. Also, if you have to take a sudden leave of absence due to illness or other reasons, it is important to use your last-ditch effort to delegate important work to someone else so that work does not slow down.

2: Take into account the period of time required to return to work mode.

It is easy to think that once you go to the office, you will be able to change from vacation mode to work mode, but unfortunately, this is not the case. You should count the number of days it takes to get back to feeling like you are in the office and the number of days it takes to get rid of the laundry that has accumulated if you have been traveling.
Don’t set up a meeting for the first day or two after you return from vacation; use that period as a “back to work mode” day. First, you need to respond to the emails that have piled up. In fact, you may want to let your clients think you are taking a little longer off than you actually are, but if you do, you may suddenly get a phone call, so prevent that from happening by answering your e-mails.

3: Get used to it slowly.

It is not a good idea to come back to your desk after a meeting or vacation and go straight back to work, feeling tired. Even if it is not directly related to the work on your desk, you were certainly working your head off. Don’t try to force yourself to become a working man, but rather let yourself slowly become accustomed to your work and daily life. It is recommended that you first complete a few simple tasks, leaving the more advanced content work for later. Within your free time, try working half a day or two to get back into “work mode. There is no point in taking a break if you suddenly throw yourself back into your usual busyness after having gone through the trouble of taking a break to relieve stress.

4: Make a TODO list

It is difficult and stressful to remember your work all the way until after the vacations. Instead of starting with the tasks that were somehow stuck in the corner of your mind after the vacation, first sit down calmly for 10 minutes and make a list of tasks that need to be done. This will prevent you from accidentally forgetting an important task. Once you have a list of things that need to be done, it is a good idea to try to get the hang of the TODOs.

5: Develop good habits

The longer you take off, the harder it will be to get back into the swing of things. You may get caught up in talking when you need to get back to work, or you may not be able to concentrate well and end up doing a lot of unnecessary things. In some cases, a vacation can be a good opportunity to develop good habits. If you tend to come home late, try to finish your work on time.

Satoshi

Hello, I’m Satoshi. I’ve been working as a staff member for an organization for over a decade. During that time, I’ve had various experiences, from launching new businesses to streamlining operations using information I’ve gathered from the internet and my own experiences. Of course, I’ve been successful with the help of colleagues and superiors, and I’m grateful to them. Nowadays, I find myself in a position where people from various backgrounds ask me for advice and share their knowledge. However, being constantly approached has made me realize that I need to protect my own time. So, I’ve decided to start a blog called ‘Satoshi Lab’ to share knowledge. I hope that by writing about my thoughts and experiences, people will enjoy reading and find it helpful in their own journeys.