So you just had a three-day weekend. Or a four-day weekend, or maybe you just got back after a two-week vacation to Mali where you danced like a dervish and ate an unconscionable amount of chutney. (I know I just combined six cultures there, but I don’t care.) The point is, you’re back at work after a long weekend away, and you’re having trouble getting excited about being productive again.
No problem! Here’s what you need to get yourself back in the game.
Do 25 Pushups – Or 25 situps, or 25 jumping jacks, or just run up and down the halls and make monkey noises. The point is, get your blood up. Because I doubt you spent the last 4 days freeclimbing in Yosemite. In fact, I wrote this piece of advice while doing pushups. One-handed ones. Oh, and I was upside down too.
Tackle Easy Issues First – Answering a few quick emails or returning a couple phone calls will immediately make you feel like you’re actually getting something done.
Do Something You Like – There has to be some element of your job you genuinely enjoy, and you should make a point to work on it as soon as you get back. If I’m wrong about that, though, then change this piece of advice to Find a Sympathetic Friend And Let Them Hold You While You Cry And Cry And Cry.
Watch One Stupid Video Before You Start Working – No reason to start working immediately. But stop at one and then push yourself to work. Because let’s be honest – you’ll be watching plenty more stupid videos throughout the day.
Close Your Eyes And Let Yourself Think – Just because you’re sitting at your computer doesn’t mean you’re going to get anything useful done. (See ‘Stupid Video Time’ again if necessary.) If you need a few minutes to collect your thoughts and organize your day, don’t be ashamed to take them.
Go To Lunch With a Colleague – That way you’ll be able to extend the feeling of vacationhood a little longer. Lunch alone means you’re definitely, completely back at work. But lunch with a friend is different. Plus you’ll probably maybe talk a little about work, right? I mean that could definitely maybe happen. See how productive you are?
Stay 15 Minutes Late – That should make up for all the time you wasted playing on Facebook, it won’t get you home much later than you normally do, and it will make others think you’re determined to make up for lost time. You might even get a promotion out of it – and wouldn’t it be awesome if your long weekend led to a promotion? You should take long weekends more often!
It’s always hard to get motivated after a long break. (That’s probably why parents rarely take vacations without their children, because they know if they do that they won’t want to deal with the hassle of parenting anymore.) But if you determine yourself to jump back in as quickly as possible, the transition will almost certainly be more enjoyable than it would be otherwise.
How do you get back at it after a long weekend? Leave your tips in the comments!
