Boredworkers.com

Going back to work after a long break, weekend, or vacation is a pain. It is difficult get back into the groove and moving again. Kind of like trying to crank an engine which refuses to turn on a cold morning. Worse still if you left a pile of work prior to your break. The amount of work has probably doubled while you were away and your deadlines are suddenly that much closer. The prospect of returning is depressing. The feeling you get is akin to one of impending doom.

Well, it’s the New Year. Between Christmas, New Year, and Qurban holidays, and clearing leave, I’ve had myself a relatively long break. I did come in for two days of work last week. Had to meet some deadlines before calling it a year. Thankfully, everything was done on the close of business day last Friday. There’s not been much change in terms of workload so it’s all systems go.

Different people have different tolerance levels and approaches for such occasions. Some don’t give a damn and trudge right into the thick of things. They are able to pick up where they left off. Others take a little while to get back in synch. There are others still which simply get swamped and need to be bailed out.

I’d like to think that I’m the second type and need a little time to get back in gear. I’m not motivated enough at the moment to be in the first and I’d hate to fall into the third category. From the way things stand, I might have to do a little bailing on the side to help get the department work load back in balance. Here’s my approach for speeding up the process.

Make a list and check it twice
When I do go on long holidays, I usually make a list of outstanding items before I go and leave it on my desk for when I return. This way, I know more or less what needs to be done and have a check list to go by. It also helps to ward against someone volunteering my service or putting me up as a scapegoat while I’m away. Not a nice thing to come back to.

Refresh your memory
On the last day of my vacation, I’ll take a few minutes to take stock of what I left behind. Yes, I have that list on my desk but it doesn’t hurt to refresh my memory and see if I can’t at least remember half the shit before I wade in. It helps to mellow down the holiday mood and gives me a head start. While I’m an advocate for leaving work in the office, this is one of the few occasions that I give exception to. It’s only fair since I was probably into the whole holiday mood during office hours a few days before it actually began.

Start small, grow big
There’s probably a mix of items on that list, some difficult, some easy. I usually start with a few easy tasks to grease things up first. It doesn’t help to start on the heavy tasks right off the block. You get frustrated when you find yourself getting no where. Working on one or two easy tasks first gives you a little morale boost when you complete them successfully. However, do not get lured into the trap of doing only the easy ones. Otherwise you’ll find yourself faced with an imposing sheer wall of hard work that you’ll have to climb. Once you find that you’re comfortable with the schedule again, mix in the tough with the easy jobs.

Aside from that, it’s business as usual. Prioritise your jobs, manage your time, etc. If done right, I’m usually at full swing after lunch. But results vary depending on the length of the holiday I’ve been on. How about you? How do you tackle the blues when getting back to work after a long break?