Are you going back to the office after a nice, relaxing vacation? If so, you might still be excited about all of the fun things you did and the interesting places you visited. But instead of dreaming about days on the beach, why not take all that positive energy and put it to work for your career? Here are some tips for ramping up your productivity after a vacation.
Give yourself time to catch up. As Val Wright advises in her Inc. article “How to Supercharge Your Productivity After a Vacation,” it’s wise to plan a day without meetings. This will allow you to connect with your colleagues, take care of pressing matters, clean out your inbox, and generally get back up to speed.
Evaluate your workflow. Are there things you could do differently to streamline your workflow? Are you prioritizing your most important tasks and projects, or are you getting caught up in the minutiae of the day-to-day? Take a good look at how you work, and see if there’s a better way of doing things that will allow you to be more productive.
Use ideas that you came up with during your time away. Did you get some great ideas for your next project while you were on vacation? It’s not surprising if you did, since we often get our most creative ideas when we’re not at work. Make a list of all the ideas you had, and see how you can apply them to your and your company’s advantage.
Get enough sleep each night. In her Psychology Today article titled “3 Easy Tips to Reduce Job Stress and Avoid Burnout,” Amy Cooper Hakim, Ph.D. states that when you’ve had enough rest, your brain will be sharper, so keep your energy levels high during the day by sleeping enough at night. This will help keep you maintain your productivity while avoiding burnout.
Refocus on your career goals. Remind yourself what your career goals are, and evaluate your progress. Are you advancing in the way and at the pace you want to? Could you benefit from additional training or more stretch assignments? Asking these questions and placing yourself in a position where you’ll be expected to do more will help you advance — and simultaneously make your manager aware of your aspirations.
While vacations are fun, relaxing, and a great change of pace, getting back to work can be re-energizing as well. So long as you remember to make the necessary adjustments, prioritize your work, and keep a good focus on your career, your return to work can come with a boost to your productivity and motivation levels. After all, when it’s time to go back to work, being positive is the only way to go!
Sources:
https://www.inc.com/val-wright/how-to-rapidly-maximize-your-productivity-after-a-vacation.html