Ah, Summer! If you’ve just returned from that well-deserved vacation, you may need support to refocus. Perhaps you’ve even got a case of the blues. I completely get it! Here are some tips to get you back in gear!
5 Simple Tips To Refocus After Summer
1. Environment is Everything: You’ve probably heard the old saying, “Change is as good as a rest.” Take time to reorganize and/or make your work environment more efficient and enjoyable. Shift your desk around, clear that dusty pile of files off your desk, get a new picture for your wall, a plant for your desk.
2. Maintain Perspective: Often, when we are away from work, we can gain perspective on tasks and/or projects. If you keep a journal, perhaps you made a note of some of these. Revisit your list and list the steps to move your tasks or projects forward. Commit to a tiny action per day, make it the first thing you do when you get into work.
3. Sustain Lifestyle Changes: Often when we are on vacation we implement healthy lifestyle changes, exercise more, change our diet, take time for ourselves, try new things, and see friends we haven’t seen in a while. The list of possibilities is endless. Make a point of carrying these new habits forward, and carve out time in your work schedule to ensure these healthy changes continue. By setting a healthy foundation, you’ll create a more consistent you, which will lead to a sustainable pace at work. No more hard on the brake, hard on the gas!
4. Get organized! Prioritize your day and your week. Sometimes, we plan to get things done, but by focusing on the minute details of our daily jobs, we lose sight of the bigger picture – primarily if we work in a fast-paced environment. Take time to lift your head to the horizon of your project or goal and consider what would you be accomplishing if you weren’t constantly reacting to the everyday demands of your job. Write down your findings and commit to scheduling time to achieve them every week. Check your results against your actions; if you continue, will you be where you want to be in six months? A year? If not, alter course and keep going.
5. Rest, Reflect & Act: If after several weeks you still find yourself suffering from the post-vacation blues, it could be a sign of something deeper. When we finally give ourselves permission to rest and reflect, we often discover that the pace we have been setting for ourselves may be completely out of alignment with our values and/or goals in life. This realization can be a powerful catalyst for change. Discuss your options with someone completely neutral who can support you with reflective questions.
This could be the start of an exciting new chapter in your life.
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandela
