Returning to work after time off can be overwhelming. Where do you begin? Here's how I ease back into work as stress-free as possible.
Have you ever come back from a vacation, refreshed and ready to go, when you feel this is the scene you’re walking into?
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Your inbox is overflowing, you have more Slack messages than you can possibly read, and you have no idea if there were any critical project updates. But it doesn’t have to be this way! While you can’t control the fires that started while you were away, you can set yourself up for a smooth transition back to work.
It all begins with what you do before you head out of office.
First, reserve time in the morning on your first day back to work to just catch up. Avoid scheduling meetings for the first 2-3 hours of the day. Use this time to catch up on project updates, Slack messages, and emails.
Second, think to yourself: “Would future me want this many meetings on my calendar the week I return from a vacation?” Where possible, keep your meetings for the week to a reasonable level. It’s easy to say “this is a problem for my future self” but when your future self becomes your present-day self, you’ll be disappointed with your past self. Keep your meetings measured between the week you leave and the week you return, and delegate anything else you can.