September has come around super quickly and unfortunately that means Summer holiday season is coming to an end for most of us. This means it’s time to swap that sun lounger for the ear-splitting alarm clock and busy commute. Now doesn’t that sound appealing?
Sorry I didn’t mean to rub it in! A bout of the post holiday blues can make getting back into work mode tough and concentration can often be running low after a harsh snap back to reality.
Don’t fret though, you’ll soon get back into the swing of things; all you need is a fresh burst of motivation to get your career back on track after your break.
To give you a little productivity boost, here are some of our top tips for transitioning back into office life.
1) Set aside some ‘catch up time’
When you’ve been away from the office for a certain amount of time, you may not know where to start when it comes to tackling your workload. Make sure that you have some time that you can spend refreshing your mind about what you need to focus on, catching up with emails and creating a plan about what you need to be focusing on.
2) Treat September like a new year
Think of September as a fresh start back in your job. Your Summer break has left you feeling refreshed, so you’re bright eyed, bushy tailed and ready to go. You can use this time to set yourself some new goals or targets that you want to achieve in the coming months, revise your existing strategy and make improvements. If there are any projects that you’ve thought about getting involved in in the past, or something that you want to be doing more of, now’s the time to launch yourself in!
3) Give yourself something to be excited about
Remember that feeling you got when it was the first week back at school and you had a super cool new school bag or pencil case you couldn’t wait to show off? Well you can recreate this experience in adult life too. A new set of gel pens may not fill you with enthusiasm anymore, but a few new additions to your work wardrobe might! Alternatively you can treat yourself to your favourite lunch, so you have something to look forward to on your first day back.
4) Get some fresh air
Ok so unless you live somewhere exotic, chances are the weather’s not quite going to match up to that of your favourite holiday destination, but that doesn’t mean a bit of fresh air won’t do you some good. If you have a bit of free time on your lunch break, why not use it to go for a quick walk? Giving yourself a serotonin boost will help to elevate your mood and keep you energised throughout the day.
5) Snack on healthy food
It’s easy to slip into bad eating habits once the ‘beach body’ pressure has passed, but by snacking on high sugar foods you’re likely to experience an afternoon energy slump. Snacking on healthy foods such as nuts and berries can keeping you feeling energised and alert at work. If you can’t fight the chocolate craving, dark chocolate is thought to boost serotonin and endorphin levels, which are associated with greater concentration.
6) Catch up with colleagues
Talking about what you’ve been up to over the Summer break may help to maintain the excitement of it all, so why not catch up with a colleague over a coffee or drink after work? Holding a team meet up can also help to boost morale in the workplace and refresh relationships.
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