Long weekends are a bit of a double edged sword. It’s nice to have an extra day off but what most of us do with that extra day can be exhausting. We try to fit in as much time outside as possible, as many moments with friends as they’ll allow us, as much good food as we can hope to digest, and as much activity as our bodies can tolerate. The three day weekend arrives and it is go time.
Tuesday arrives and the words, “I need one more day to recover” echo all across the country. But with good planning and the right attitude, you can “recover” right at your desk.
Think Positively
Mindset can be the biggest roadblock in our efforts to readjust after time off. We want more time off and less time at work. We want to be back outside, with our friends, in the sun, or in maybe just in bed. Whatever the reason for our discontent, we can snap out of it by being present in the moment and thankful for what we have and had. Instead of feeling unhappy that we aren’t still on the long weekend, we can focus on being thankful that we were fortunate enough to get a three day weekend at all, and to be able to spend it with friends or family and doing activities we love. Let that thankfulness help you glide through Tuesday back at work.
Prepare the Week Before
Having an extra day off usually means having extra emails in your inbox and more requests for your time when you return. Take a little time the week before to prepare.
- Make sure everyone knows who to ask for help while you’re gone. This way, you’ll have fewer people asking you questions when you return and it will be easier to get back in the groove.
- Empty out your inbox before you leave and reply to everything that was on hold.
- Consult with your team to and offer any guidance or assistance before you leave.
Make a To Do List
Planning ahead will help minimize the busy work when you return and making a to do list will help you stay focused. When you return to work, your mind will inevitably wander back to boating, bbqs, and margaritas in the sun. If you don’t prepare a to do list ahead of time you might not have the motivation or focus to create one now. Coming to work with a plan will help you be productive in your most distracted state. Any time you start to drift, just glance at your to do list and get to work.
Add Your Favorite Tasks to Your To Do List
Chances are, you will be a little less productive the Tuesday after your three day weekend, so don’t get too ambitious when sketching out your plan. Rather than adding all of the things you wish you could get done on any normal day, just make a list of your more enjoyable tasks. This will help ensure that you actually get something done. How likely are you really to get those rote tasks done while you’re lamenting about sitting at your desk. Get your favorite jobs done first. This way, at least you can say you did something.
Being distracted and unproductive at work is a terrible feeling. Not only is it unsettling to watch work pile up but it doesn’t feel right to get paid to stare at the wall, watch cat videos, or chit chat with co-workers. Get ready for Tuesday now! Coming back to work isn’t an easy transition but it doesn’t have to be miserable!
Track Your Time On Tasks
Tracking your time on tasks can help you see the big picture of what you are accomplishing day to day. The list of your tasks will also help encourage you about progress and remind you where you left off. Time tracking with an online service like Timesheets.com can be really useful for personal productivity.
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2 Responses
So true. Thank you for the good advice. Have a great weekend, Peggy!
I like the suggestion “Add Your Favorite Tasks to Your To Do List” . It is really true that if any person is very tried that he/she may not be able to concentrate in important work in that case Get your favorite jobs done first idea is really nice. It is not only help to boost person but also make him/her comfortable in work.