Beating post-vacation blues: How to get ready for your first day at work
Updated | By Portia Cele
Are you ready to say goodbye to the sun and the sea? While some may embrace the end of the holiday season, others may be left feeling like it's time to prepare for the worst. As the work week begins and the first term for schools across the country gets underway - Newswatch speaks to Johannesburg-based clinical psychologist, Bradley Daniels on how to best prepare for the first day back.
A common mistake amongst professionals is rapidly trying to get into the year, Daniels says.
"They don't set up progressive goals for themselves to get through the bigger goals they want to achieve for the year. You need to start the year a bit slower and more consistently. Often what happens is people have big goals and they tackle them 'fast and furious'. Generally, they don't have the staying power to see them through the rest of the year," he said.
Nearly three out of four employees will feel stress in the workplace once returning to work in the new year. Daniels says to combat this - preparation is key.
"If you're starting work next week - for example - it's a great idea to gradually start preparing for the week ahead so that they start the day and week prepared. There's nothing to be lost when starting to prepare sooner rather than later and to try and anticipate the upcoming challenges.
"Prioritising is just as important - sometimes one can't handle all the goals at the same time - they should be executed in stages. It's best to start with the simplest one and build up to the most complex one at a later stage," he said.
How it feels to go back to work after the holidays... #TheMuppets pic.twitter.com/3r94NiFoe5
— The Muppets (@TheMuppets) January 4, 2016
Daniels further explains that although attitude is key, it's not just about changing your mindset. Listen below.
The look on your face when you have to go #backtowork pic.twitter.com/53sXwhIM8a
— Jon Snow (@LordSnow) January 4, 2016
Here are more tips on how to ease back to work after an awesome vacation
- Come into the office at least the day before to get a head-start for the next day.
- Make space for transition time, for example, start the day with simpler tasks and progress to those that need more time.
- Get motivated! Look forward to returning to work.
- Review your calendar for the month and briefly, the year ahead.
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