Post holidays – top tips for getting back into routine!

  • Post author:

The long hot summer in Dubai, together with Ramadan, Eid, the school holidays and the long hot humid days, can play havoc with every detail of your life – you probably find that your routine is turned on its head. You get back from your travels feeling disorganised and often demotivated, as work is ticking away at the back your mind.

If you don’t get organised and tackle this head on, it could take well over a month before you get back to ‘normal life’. The longer it takes to get back into routine the harder it gets to return to routine. So, what strategy should you use to deal with these issues and quickly get back into routine after the summer?

1) Plan For Your Return In Advance
You know the dates you are supposed to report back to the office. The date should be your guideline on when to head back home. Most people tend to end their vacation on Saturday and expect to settle back in and resume work on Sunday. To ease the pressure on yourself, get back home two or three days earlier. Settle at home, unpack, get over your jet lag and bring some order to your disorganized home. Giving yourself this time will help you prepare children for school and prepare your mind for work.

2) Give Yourself Transition Time At Work
When you get to the office, don’t jump straight into work. Use the first one or two days to check your inbox. You need to consult with co-workers and get up to speed with all the meetings that took place while you were away. Use your ‘out-of-office’ response to your advantage. Keep the response on for two days while you get organized. This will help you ease some pressure. The message should, however, redirect the calls to someone else who can help. While most of your workmates will know you are at the office, it will help to reduce third party disruptions. Use this time to read and reply to emails, update your files and prepare presentations.

3) Book Some Treats to Avoid Post Holiday Blues
Give yourself a treat to look forward to. Book yourself a massage session after working hours, organise a dinner with friends, or plan a family day out. Having fun events during the return to routine will free your mind from the holiday hangover prison and stop you from living in the past. You should also avoid carrying the work backlog to your home. This will slow down your return to routine at home. If you want your life to be balanced, you will have to do everything at its right time

4) Create a Checklist
Creating a list of the things you have to do in a day is very helpful. At this point in time you have probably forgotten most of your responsibilities. A checklist and reminders will help you keep track of your activities and time and ensure nothing is overlooked while you play catch up. Put reminders on the most important tasks just in case you get too busy on one thing and forget the others. Managing your time is key during this period, otherwise people tend to focus on their work and forget their family.

5) Make Time For Your Health Commitments
Most people jump straight back into work and ignore their health. If you are going to resume your life routine, you need to be healthy. When you jump straight back into a stressful environment, you may not be very productive. Stress and fatigue will slow your work speed and frustrations may be carried home. Take time to go and stock your kitchen with healthy foods, plan activities and exercise and make sure you have plenty of downtime and sleep – particularly if you are suffering with jet lag.

The bottom line is that you need to get your life back into routine as quickly as possible after a holiday. The time taken for transition will determine how comfortable your life will be after the holiday so give yourself a couple of days at least. Don’t jump straight back into work immediately, try and organise both family and work life in order to move ahead smoothly. If you need any support while you are away, or when you get back, in order to take the pressure off, then feel free to speak to our experienced PA’s about how they could help you.