How To Get Your Work Groove Back Post-Vacation

Your holiday or summer was amazing but too short. Now you’re back to work and feeling….relaxed? renewed? replenished?

Not exactly.

To be honest, you feel exhausted and a bit sad.

Like you need a post-vacation vacation.

You can’t seem to concentrate, and your productivity is way off.

You are not alone!

Many people feel the same.

What happened?

Isn’t vacation supposed to give you more energy? Isn’t that the whole point? Bosses will say ‘Take a break and come back better.”

Why is it so difficult to return to work after time off?

The explanation is simple:

Humans find change exhausting.

Proof?

Have a new baby. Move to a new place. Remodel your house.

Trips are no different.

We are wired for habits. When we change them, even for a good cause, it causes our internal systems to go into confusion.

Why aren’t we waking up at the alarm and going to work at 8am as usual instead of sleeping in? Your body would ask if it could speak during your holiday. Then just when it finally adjusts, you return to work and the old schedule. Talk about confusing! Your body doesn’t like this one bit. It may reacts by tiredness, crankiness, brain fog, or even illness when you switch up your schedule then try to go back to your usual routine.

Not only that but there is something known as holiday blues. Holiday times can be so nice because of a couple of factors:

controlling your own time from morning until night,

getting more sleep (usually),

having enriching experiences,

spending time with loved ones,

seeing beautiful places,

being unplugged, and

taking better care of yourself.

Giving a person all of the above then taking it away sucks. No wonder people are depressed when they return to the grind.

Lastly, you are a different person on holiday. You dress, behave, and live differently. Let’s be honest: it is an improved version of yourself. The holiday you dress better, is tan, is relaxed, and is fun to be around.

So what can we do to feel better about returning to our real lives after a break?

Lucky for you that I’ve put together a list!

Here are ten ideas to try to get your work groove back quicker post-vacation:

1. Take shorter, more frequent holidays

Why overwork non-stop then try to take an abrupt time off? Taking more frequent, short vacations will be less of a shock to your system. Breaks are good for you. Waiting with huge spaces between holidays can lead to burnout and a harder time going back to your usual life.

2. Plan a transition period post-vacay

Don’t return Sunday evening if you need to be back in the office on Monday morning. Ideally, try to plan full days at least between your holiday and your return to work. This will allow for time to rest, unpack and wash clothes, get groceries, and ease back into your regular life. This is even more important after a longer holiday.

3. Bring souvenirs of your vacation home with you

Bring back souvenirs that help keep your holiday feeling, like local chocolates, wine, or home decorations. Print and frame photos from your trip, have art shipped from there to your house, or purchase some local jewellery. This will keep the happy holiday memories going longer and make you smile every time you see them.

4. Buy a vacation property

Vacation is great but what if you could also make money out of it? Real estate investments in vacation rental properties or vacation homes are give you the unique and amazing opportunity to own a place to stay in your favorite holiday location. My family has done so and been able to generates quite a bit of rental income when we aren’t using it ourselves.

5. Prepare a work return agenda pre-vacation

Before you head off on holiday, while your work is fresh in your mind, create a task list of items you know you’ll need to address the first 1–2 weeks after you return. This will make it easier to jump back in.

6. Make sure your email forwarding is on

The worst possible scenario is to leave and return to 1,000 emails. Delegate to someone you trust — a VA or assistant or colleague — so they can serve customers during your trip. They can fill you in when you return on anything important. Trust me: this is a game changer! P.S. Don’t check emails on holiday, seriously. Use the time to fully unplug.

7. Delegate tasks to your team while you are away

This is the best way to train your team: go away on holiday and let them go their jobs. If you never do this, you’ll never really know how well they function without you (and they should).

8. Set up your automations to run while you are gone

This is the best opportunity to test how well you have automated your business. You can have all your processes set up and working for you during your holiday. I plan out my social media and email content in batches and schedule everything for later since I have a business. I also build funnels that work without me. That way, when I return, I have a smoother transition back into my work.

9. Try to keep similar sleep, exercise, and meal habits, if possible

I know this one isn’t always feasible, but if you can, try to eat and sleep like you would at home. Maintaining regularity will keep your body happy and make it easier to ease back into your usual schedule when you return home.

10. Schedule one planning day upon returning to work

If you have control over your work, then try to make the first day one entirely for easing back into your tasks vs. jumping in head first. To do this, block your calendar and review with your assistant or VA what happened when you were away, get briefed on important project updates and emails, etc. Finish by planning out what you have upcoming in the pipeline over the next quarter. You will finish the day with a sense of clarity and feel more prepared.

Conclusion

It is not easy to return to your real life after a nice holiday, but I hope these tips will inspire you to plan out some measures to make the transition less painless.

Let me know in the comments if you found these tips helpful and feel free to share any other tips that worked for you to return to work post-vacation.

Are You Growing an Online Business, Interested in Monetizing Your Content, or Trying to Build Influence in Your Niche? Then I Invite You to Join 31k+ Subscribers Who Receive My Weekly Tips?Here.