The holidays are a great time to recharge and reconnect with family and friends. Sinking into the comfort of time off, it’s easy to forget the structure of a workweek. That first week back can feel grueling and overwhelming especially as we continue to face uncertainty.
Here are four strategies that help you dust off the cobwebs and help you achieve a smoother transition.
- Focus on what you can control: Increasing cases of COVID followed by lockdowns and restrictions can make returning to work stressful. Adding to that stress are your upcoming deadlines, meetings and goals. Instead of focusing your energy on things outside of your control, focus on what you can control including your daily routine, your relationships with your coworkers, your craft/work, and how you feel about yourself. Ask yourself, what are the steps I’m going to take that will bring joy and stability to my work week? It can range from meal prepping, meditating before work, taking a walk during lunch time or scheduling a virtual coffee chat with a co-worker.
- Come up with a plan of attack: Don’t let the day rule you with never ending emails. Take control of your day and come up with a plan on how to meet your goals. Look at upcoming deadlines and deliverables. Determine what must be completed this week—the non-negotiables and break down the steps in order to achieve them. Block time in your calendar to actually get the project done. With access to your calendar, it is easy for others to fill up your work week for you. Lastly, every Monday morning, set aside time in your calendar to organize your week ahead by cleaning your inbox, identifying your non-negotiables and preparing for upcoming meetings.
- Reflect on past failures and successes: Have an honest conversation with yourself and your team about what went wrong and what went right last year. It can be a conversation focused on deliverables but it should also include conversations on communication style, processes, methodology, etc. Having some time off during the holidays gives us perspective and makes us less emotional. Capture the learnings in a journal or document to reference moving forward. Have a clear understanding of what needs to be improved if it didn’t work and what should be replicated for things that went right.
- Let go: We all make mistakes. We’ve done or said things in stressful moments of our life. Let go of the guilt, shame and stress from last year. Be kind to yourself. Learn from your mistakes and move on. Because hardship brings wisdom but only if we forgive ourselves, otherwise it becomes pain.
The last two years have been difficult ones. Continue moving forward and make small improvements every single day. Remember, every day is another opportunity to start again.
The upshot 