So we’re about to hit 2023 (I know, I know, how did that happen???) and many will be thinking about having a well deserved festive break.
For some people, however, it can be difficult to bring your holiday brain back to working life and handle the transition between holiday and work. For most, this is completely normal, so don’t worry.
We’ve provided a few key tips to help you settle back into the world of work and get back into the rhythm of things after the Christmas break so you can start the new year running…
If possible, try to shorten your first week back
For those of us lucky enough to benefit from the New Year bank holiday this will already be a given. But having an extra day or two off can really help to ease you back into working life after a couple of weeks of overindulgence.
Ease yourself back in
Holidays, with good reason, are a place to slow down the pace both mentally and physically. You will probably not be able to start work at the same high level as when you are in the flow of things. Try to respect your own pace as much as possible and remember no one benefits from you stressing yourself out trying to hit all your targets in the first week back.
Break old patterns and make new paths
After the holidays is a perfect time to work out new routines, habits and ways of working that you can implement to make your work life more joyful. January is the perfect time to try and troubleshoot, find out how to thrive and see what works and does not.
If you’re seeking more joy at work then why not try our free career tools and turbocharge your next career move.
Catch-up with colleagues
This is probably more vital than ever. With the pandemic changing how we all work and many people now working remotely, going back to work, especially if it’s in the same room that you’ve spent most of your holiday in, can be quite isolating. Therefore if you are working remotely it is a good idea to set aside a little bit of time to catch up with your colleagues and chat about what you got up to during the holiday.
Set priorities and goals
Set a couple of key priorities or goals to focus on after the holidays so you avoid feeling that you have to do everything at once. Setting some smaller, easily attainable personal goals like “today I will do X and Y”, can help to ease you back into work.
Writing down your goals is also a good way to get an overview of what needs to be done throughout the year, allowing you to plan more effectively.
Feeling stagnant? Do something about it!
If you feel like you’re stagnating or need a change of environment then the New Year is a great time to make some positive changes. If you’re unhappy at work then now is the time to do something about it.
Ask for that payrise, take stock of your current skill set, develop yourself, update your CV and Linkedin profiles etc…
Continue to enJOY life
For most people, January can feel like a long, hard slog. Therefore it’s important to try and enjoy life as much as possible during these 10 long weeks.
Do wholesome things at the weekend, take walks, exercise, hang out with friends, make plans for the year etc. Many days a year we have no free time at all, so it is important to take advantage of the moments we do have.
