What an awesome vacation!!!
But now . . . reality is setting in.
You return to work tomorrow. And you are NOT fired up about that.
First, appreciate that this is normal – especially if you successfully unplugged during your vacation and you were out for more than a week. Returning to work is a dramatic change in routine and orientation.
Following are some ideas to help you get back into the groove, based on a recent article in Harvard Business Review.
*Plan & Prepare Your Reentry. Prepare your environment – your boss and your team – that you will be easing back in. Be clear in your “out of office” messages that it will take time to get back to people once you return.
*Start Slow & Small. Don’t agree to any big projects for the first week you are back. Consider taking a day or two at home to get re-oriented there, before you go back to the office. You can’t flip a switch from vacation to work.
*Plan Work that You Enjoy. Set up some work activities on your calendar and To Do List for your first few days back that you especially enjoy. Set up meetings with your most inspirational and likable colleagues.
*Connect to Your Noble Purpose. Every organization adds value to the world – this is your organization’s Noble Purpose. And you add value to your organization! Focus on this confluence. Learn more about Noble Purpose here and about creating and organization Noble Purpose statement here.
But, what if you can’t get back into the groove after a couple of weeks? If you find it hard to re-engage and cannot connect to the organization’s Noble Purpose, then maybe it’s time to think about something else. In that case, the vacation did you a big service.
None of these ideas are magic, but they will help with your transition. It bears repeating – it will take some time. Soon, you will be fully back in gear and adding even more value to the world – your Mission Impact.
*Ideas for this blog taken from: Knight, R. “Post-Vacation Blues? How to Cope,” Harvard Business Review online, July 9, 2024.
