Thanks to the pandemic, most of us have forgotten what the word holiday even means, but with restrictions relaxing you might have been lucky enough to get away for the half-term week. Perhaps you jetted off to a warmer climate, or perhaps you stayed local and visited the countryside or the seaside, it makes no difference. Maybe you didn’t go on holiday at all, you’re simply returning to work from furlough or you’re just starting to go back into the office after working from home for over 18 months. No matter the reason, we’ve all felt some dread at the thought of returning to work sometimes. This week we’re looking at a few simple ways to make that better!
1 - Give yourself an extra day – Yes, booking more time off than you physically need can feel like a waste of annual leave. Those days are precious and we want to use them wisely. But instead of rushing around late at night or early in the morning to get yourself ready, why not book an extra day off? You don’t have to spend it doing chores and stressing, plan something fun to ease yourself back into things. Go out for a walk, plan a movie night, whatever it is that you find fun so you aren’t moping!
2 - Take time with your inbox – There’s nothing worse than loading up Outlook, coffee in hand, and watching 200+ emails load onto the screen in front of you. Take a deep breath, a good chunk of those are either going to be junk mail, already dealt with while you were away, or not time-sensitive, so take a glance at them all, delete the ones you don’t need to deal with, and mark the ones that are urgent. Then, refill your drink and tackle things one at a time.
3 - Add a bit of fun to your day – Plan something fun for your day, it doesn’t have to cost the earth. Get your favourite hot drink from the café around the corner, or treat yourself to that extra special sandwich or pasta that you don’t get very often. It might seem small, but having something to look forward to can make even the gloomiest day feel brighter.
4 - Make some time for your colleagues – You should never feel guilty about taking time off, and your colleagues wouldn’t want you to either, but it’s almost certain that they’ve been picking up the slack while you’ve been away and maybe dealt with a crisis or two along the way, so take the time to offer them a drink and thank them. Having a good chat and sharing a bit of office gossip is bound to make your day better.