Many of us take some time off work at this time of year – late December and early January there are the Christmas and New Years holidays. During the months of January and February a lot of people take some time off to head somewhere warm. So, when it’s time for you to get back to work, what are some ways that you can get back on schedule and motivated for work again?

  1. Focus on what you like about your job. By reminding yourself about why exactly you like your job, you will feel more excited to get back to it.
  2. Plan something to do in your free time or on your next holiday. Having something fun to look forward to can often help us get through the unexciting parts of our day-to-day lives.
  3. Make a list of what needs to get done. Knowing what it is that you need to do to get caught up will help – and the feeling accomplishment when you can cross something off your list will motivate you to work on more items.
  4. Set some (realistic) goals. 30 day, 60 day and 90 days goals will give you something to work towards when you first get back to work.
  5. Take a couple of breaks. Don’t forget to get up from your desk a couple of times a day, whether it’s to make coffee, or to stop by and say “hello” to a coworker.
  6. Eat lunch away from your desk. Eat with your coworkers – in a lunchroom or at a restaurant. You need to take a break from work for a period of time in order get back more energetically than you left it.
  7. Delegate. The first few days back at work after holidays can sometimes result in being overwhelmed by the amount of work that needs to be done – delegate to other people on your team if you can’t handle it all on your own.
  8. Take one day at a time. Thinking too far in advance can get overwhelming when you’re first getting back into the swing of things. Work on focusing only on what you have to do today – tomorrow, focus only on what you need to get done tomorrow, and so on.
  9. Revisit business plans. Taking some time off has distanced you from the day-to-day happenings of your business. Now is a great time to take an objective look at any sales plans, marketing plants, etc. to see whether they are still in line with where you want your business to go.
  10. Spend the first day back doing the small tasks, and tackle the larger ones once you’ve adjusted to being back at work. Organize your email box. Spend time tackling that pile of papers on your desk. Doing the little items first will help prepare you for the next few days when you start to work on the larger items.