LCI Blog: Get Back to Work after Vacation

By: Tarah Beaven, Account Executive at Landis Communications, Inc.
Vacation season is here! I celebrated recently by jetting off to the southern hemisphere. Upon my return I enjoyed strutting around the office with my tan, sharing vacation photos and telling stories of my adventures. Meanwhile, my email in-box had reached capacity and client deliverables had piled up. When I returned, my work mojo felt off. So I wondered: how do I get back into the swing of productivity?
Psyching up for re-entry into the office wasn’t enough. I needed a plan with restraint and discipline, to replace the mai tais and island hopping. So I polled my professional network and asked them for their best tips and tricks to get back into action. Here are the top results:
The Vacation is Over:
Dive in head first.  Don’t come to work and “decompress.” That’s what your vacation is for. Do people really want to hear about drinking kava (a mild narcotic drunk ceremoniously in Fiji – and yes I drank it)? Not really. The quicker you get into the grind, the faster you’ll be back in full swing.
Grab lunch. When you return from vacation, try your best to get out of the office and take a full lunch to ease back into your demanding schedule. Yes, I know there are laws about employees taking lunch. But let’s face it, we work in public relations. Blackberry is our second meal of the day.
Take an extra day.
Plan your vacation so that you return home a day earlier to acclimate back into your routine schedule. Get the laundry done, stock the fridge and get caught up on your email.
Plan ahead. If you know what the deadlines are the week you return from vacation, create a list of next steps prior to leaving. Your “work” brain will be better at prioritizing and ensuring all tasks are accomplished, while your “vacation” brain may still be stuck between time zones.
Plan your next getaway. Instead of gossiping at the water cooler, brainstorm a mini
staycation or weekend getaway. It’ll keep you looking forward and excited about plowing through your workload until your next adventure.

What tips or tricks do you use for getting back into the swing of things after a vacation? Ping me at [email protected] or [email protected] – I’d love to hear from you.