Solutions

It’s amazing how quickly everyday life kicks in again after a holiday. And, with so much work having accumulated on your desk, it’s hard not to feel like you’re soon ready for another holiday.

The holiday was incredible! And now you’re back sitting at your desk – unfortunately – still dreaming about La Dolce Vita, sun, sandy beaches or cool, shady landscapes. But, the e-mail is spilling over, there’s a mountain of files and mail on your desk and, even before you’ve had a chance to turn on your computer, the phone is already ringing.

Even if you normally love your job, the first days after a holiday can be a real challenge to even the most die-hard workaholics. If you’re not careful, that great feeling of relaxation you worked so hard to achieve will be lost!

We’ve got some tips on how you can ensure a smooth and quick transition back to work, and how you can keep that holiday peace of mind alive for as long as possible.

e-mails and mail

After a few weeks out of the office, when you open your e-mail program, the first thing you want to do is turn around and run away. The list of incoming e-mails seems endless.

It can help if you first organise your e-mails according to their urgency and put them into sub-files. Which are just for your information? What has already been taken care of? What can be forwarded to colleagues who may be directly responsible? Which e-mails are important and which are urgent?

File those e-mails which can be dealt with via a short phone call in a file called “Phone”. You’ll have to let some colleagues know that you’re back, so it makes sense to combine the calls with your follow-up on the e-mails. And, you may even want to talk about your holiday – just a little – to keep the memories alive.

You can organise your “real” mail using a similar approach. What is important, what is urgent and what can wait? Are there items which can be taken care of with a quick phone call?

Prioritising

If the mountain of work still appears insurmountable, stay calm and try to get an overview of the situation. Set priorities. What needs to be done today, over the next few days, or this week? Write to-do lists – and follow them. Ask yourself if you really have to be present at specific meetings, or whether it may be possible to deal with the issues more quickly by phone.

Delegating

Nobody expects you to handle everything that has accumulated while you were away on your first day back. And it wouldn’t be at all inappropriate for you to ask for support from your colleagues. Most of them would probably be pleased to help. They have all been in the same situation themselves at some time or another – and they’ll hope that you will return the favour after their next holiday.

If need be, talk to your boss and find out whether certain tasks could be reallocated. And, if you have been assigned an intern or a trainee, now is the time to give them more responsibility. It’s the only way they’ll learn!

Overtime?

Of course, the last thing you feel like is to start accumulating overtime again. But, staying at your desk a little longer can be effective. If there aren’t any meetings you need to attend, and if your boss and colleagues have all gone home, you may well find that you can concentrate on getting things done a lot faster. Once you’re freed from the feeling you have mountains of work to take care of, you’ll sleep better and you’ll be able to begin the next day with renewed energy.

Finally, don’t let the stress get to you!

Even if you come back to work well organised and with the right attitude, the work could still get out of control and lead to stress. Make sure to take advantage of the peace of mind you experienced while you were away. Stay calm and try to see things in a more relaxed way. Having your best holiday shot on your desk as a reminder of white sandy beaches or sunny mountain landscapes can work wonders! And, although it may sound simplistic: think positive!

If all this doesn’t work, mental training and relaxation techniques can help you keep the internal holiday feeling longer than your tan. Next Sunday afternoon, why not pack a picnic basket and a blanket and find a beautiful summer meadow. You may even succeed at keeping both: your tan and that great holiday feeling.

Image: © saflora 2004 @ Stock.XCHNG