7 Tips To Help You Resume Work After The Holidays

Getting back to work after the holidays can sometimes be a drag. This is especially the case when taking a holiday did not exactly mean that your workload was being handled by anyone. Many times, you resume work having to handle a ton of emails and a table full of sticky notes with to-dos. If you are getting ready to take a holiday, well, you are in luck because the secret to settling right into work after the vacation starts before the vacation. However, if you just got back, a few of these tips will still come in handy. So, before you get overwhelmed, here are 7 tips to help you resume work after the holidays.

Tips To Help You Resume Work After The Holidays

The secret to settling right into work after the vacation starts before the vacation. Share on X

1.Make a plan:

Before you head out for vacation, you need to make a plan. This is almost like a handover note which you prepare before you exit a company. You need to clearly articulate what you do on a daily basis alongside any pending activities that need to be done while you are away. That way, someone within the company can carry out some of your jobs while you are away. Failure to do this is the reason why your colleagues will still call while you are on vacation.

2. Turn on out of office responder:

Now that a plan has been made, turn on your Out Of Office responder with the details of the appropriate person whom people should contact. The secret is to give you less work to o upon return. If there is someone handling your job while you are on holiday, you are less likely to have your table full upon return.

3. Return a day early:

Decorate your office space with things that inspire you. Share on X

This does not necessarily mean that you have to go into your office a day early if you can access your work files and emails remotely. All you need to do is check in to get a glimpse of what awaits you on resumption day.

4. Redecorate your space:

Sometimes, giving your office space a new facelift will equally motivate you to get straight into work. You can even infuse a few things you may have purchased during the holidays.

5. Prioritise your to-do list:

Now, you have resumed. Thankfully, you got a glimpse of what awaits you and probably even started to write them down. This is where you prioritise the list. If the person who was taking charge of your responsibilities did a good job, you should have very little to deal with. Since we cannot exactly vouch for that person’s efficiency, we have chosen to assume that you have some old emails to attend to as well. In our opinion, start with the older items and then gradually infuse the new ones. Let your to-do list be as detailed as possible, leaving nothing out.

6. Create a routine:

Work from home has blurred the line between the weekdays and the weekends. Share on X

There are still a few of us working from home. This tip is particularly for you. Work from home has blurred the line between the weekdays and the weekends. The same happens with a holiday. You need to ensure that you create a routine that you stick with. For me, I start the workday by looking at the content calendars which gives me a clear idea of what needs to go up first across all platforms that I manage. I try to design any content that is yet to be designed and get ready for that first post. It is only after being certain that the first post of the day is sorted that I now reach for my journal to create a to-do list. Find what works for you and stick to it.

7. Ask for help:

While you were away, the work continued. Now that you are back, it is your responsibility to get your colleagues to debrief you. That way, your boss does not regret that you went on holiday. Touch base with every department that is intertwined with your job. If there were meetings that held while you were away, get the minutes. If you have deadlines, get your colleagues to help out. You can infuse some of the tips we shared on dealing with fatigue in remote teams.

These tips come in handy even after the weekend, especially if it was an unusually long weekend.

I love reading from you whether it is a question, an observation or a personal tip that has worked for you, please share with me in the comment section.

You can also follow me on Instagram and Twitter as well as the blog accounts on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.