6 Post-Holiday Productivity Tips To Hit The Ground Running
The festive season is upon us. However, it's safe to say that January may be one of the least favorite months for employees. There are no more celebrations, days off, or parties to look forward to. Instead, they have to return to their everyday work routine and deal with an inbox that's bursting at the seams. Understandably, employee morale may be a little low during those days, which will inevitably impact productivity. So, what can employees do to get back in the saddle after the holiday break? Read on to discover 6 post-holiday productivity tips that will help leaders and staffers alike get back in the groove.
6 Tips To Fight Off The Post-Holiday Slump
1. Organize Your To-Do List
Once you return to the office after your holiday break, an avalanche of tasks and requests will probably be waiting for you. There's no need to panic and head for the exit immediately if you know how to organize yourself. It's not that your tasks will become fewer or easier, but at least you will know what you're dealing with. So, grab a piece of paper or start a new doc and write down every task that needs to be done during the first month of the year, from the smallest to the biggest. Then, you can prioritize them by urgency or deadline and single out a couple to start your day with.
2. Tackle Your Inbox
This will probably be the task you dread the most, as one can only imagine the sheer number of messages waiting in your inbox. It might be impossible to get through all of them on the first day, but you can certainly put them in some order. There are various methods of categorizing your emails. You can start from oldest to newest or group them according to the sender or the project they pertain to. In any case, it's important to only answer the most urgent ones so as not to overwhelm yourself on the first day back to work. Believe it or not, most of them can wait for a couple more days.
3. Take It Easy On Your First Day
The previous post-holiday productivity tips that we described can only be implemented if you declare your first day back a catch-up day. We often think that we are filled with energy when returning from vacation and ready to dive right back into work immediately. But the truth is that going from a relaxing and festive atmosphere back to the office and a large volume of work might quickly overwhelm you. Therefore, make sure to start small and focus on organizing your responsibilities, setting goals for the next few days or weeks, and reconnecting with your colleagues and teammates.
4. Don't Attend Non-Urgent Meetings
We did talk about reconnecting with your colleagues, but that doesn't include meetings. While a water-cooler catch-up session about what you did during the holidays will lighten your mood, an hour-long strategizing meeting will certainly put a damper on it. If nothing urgent is calling for your attention, then it's best to block off your calendar during your first day back. Use that time to get up to speed with your to-do list and ease back into your everyday schedule. We're sure your colleagues will be understanding. Besides, the first week of the year is a challenging time for all.
5. Maintain Healthy Habits
Going back to work and expecting to be on your A-game from day one is unrealistic. The post-holiday productivity tip we would suggest is to allow your mind enough time to transition from relaxation to efficiency. So, don't get buried under your workload, and remember to take frequent breaks to move your body and clear your mind. Don't skip lunch and, most importantly, don't eat in front of your computer. Finally, you must maintain a positive attitude about your return. Think of the positives of going back to work and find motivation in the things that give you joy, such as interacting with your team and being productive.
6. Set Goals For The Future
Once you have taken care of everything waiting for you after the holiday break, you can turn to the future. If you had already set goals for the new year back in December, this is a great opportunity to reconsider them. Maybe something has changed since then, and you need to add, remove, or modify your list. If you didn't have time to set your goals before the break, you can do it now. Having targets and objectives to look forward to and work towards will motivate you throughout the year and give some purpose to your work. Don't forget to make your goals achievable and measurable so that you can check their progress regularly.
Conclusion
Returning to work after a long break can be hard, especially after such a relaxing holiday as Christmas. But your responsibilities are waiting for you, and you will probably face one of the heaviest loads of the year. Although there is no secret formula to hit the ground running, there sure are some post-holiday productivity tips you can keep in mind to make your return to work smoother. Make sure to follow them so that you return to your normal self as fast as possible.