Lance Thoo“Why do I have to go back to work so soon?”
“How am I going to make it through the day at work?”
“I want to go on vacation again!”
These are things that people would normally say the minute they step foot in their office after returning from a holiday break.
Whether it’s a quick getaway to Miri or Kota Kinabalu or a two-week retreat to Europe, you will never be satisfied with the amount of time spent away from the office.
But alas, working is a fact of life for most of us.
Here are 5 tips to help you realign yourself energetically for your first day at work after the holidays:
1. Take things slow
Don’t try to tackle all your work all at once.
You may be feeling overwhelmed with the mountain of outstanding tasks that you have to do.
“It’s important that you keep your cool. Thinking about everything all at once can be overwhelming. Don’t abuse yourself mentally,” a top executive working for a private firm in Beribi, Gadong.
According to him, it’s important that you prioritise your work based on four categories.
“Top of your priority list should be tasks that are ‘important and urgent’, followed by ‘important and not urgent’, ‘not important but urgent’ and ‘not important and not urgent’,” he said, adding that this has helped him with his day-to-day affairs.
2. Unpack your luggage a day before work
Unpacking may not be fun, but it’s necessary (Photos courtesy of Pexels)
A well-travelled friend of mine strongly advises that you should not put off unpacking.
“Unpacking after a trip does not have to be big drama,” she said.
“First thing first … take all your dirty laundry directly to the laundry.
“Nothing will stress you out more than knowing that there’s a pile of laundry that you have to tackle after a long day in the office.
“Unpacking can also be therapeutic, where you get to look at all the cool things you bought from your vacation.”
3. Souvenirs for colleagues
“You will find going back to work easier when you have a bag of goodies for your colleagues,” said a colleague of mine who recently returned from Japan.
“Chocolates and other snacks would usually suffice.
“You don’t need to spend a fortune on souvenirs for your workmates.
“It’s the thought that counts.”
4. Let the photos do the talking
Memories are made of these
If you’ve just returned from a theme park, chances are you may have forked over a pretty sum for a framed photo of you screaming with your loved one during a rollercoaster ride.
So why not take that photo to work and place it on your work station?
Alternatively, you could replace the desktop image of your office PC to one from your holidays. If this isn’t possible, select that image as your home screen of your mobile phone.
These photo will not only boost your mood, it’ll also give you something to look forward to i.e. planning your next holiday getaway.
5. Leave the office on time
Time is ticking … Go home!
As the saying goes: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
There’s always tomorrow.
“Better to do your work slow and steady, rather than rushed but careless,” said a mid-level supervisor of a private printing company.
“I would rather work with a person who double-checks his/her work than a fast but careless worker,” he said, adding that success is the sum of small efforts – repeated day in and day out.
Do you have any tips on surviving the first day back to work after your vacation? We’d love to hear from you. You can e-mail your comments to lance.thoo@hoco.agency.