Already missing the summer vacation season? Bounce back by being productive and looking ahead.
Labour Day has come and gone, and in many people’s mind, we have to say goodbye for another year to summer. It can make the start to the work week harder than normal. There’s a distinct feeling of post-summer blues this time of year and, in the workplace, that can be a real killer for productivity. So don’t let the end of summer put you behind. Here are a few quick tips for beating those post-summer blues.
Don’t overdo it.
Some people look at this time as the starting point of a new phase of the working year. Maybe you were taking more vacations time or having a slightly more relaxed schedule over summer but now it’s time to dive back in head-first. However, pushing yourself too hard can be more of a set back than anything. While you might have a productive couple of days, you’re more likely to burnout faster if you don’t take a measured approach. Keep a reasonable workload and don’t overextend yourself right out of the gate.
Get back into a routine.
Summer is generally a more relaxed time and things can be rather unstructured. You want to shake that habit right away. A routine helps keep you focused and on task. Re-establish that schedule right away or else you’ll find yourself wondering off-track pretty quickly. Honestly, you’ll be surprised how much you missed having a little structure to your day.
Make a to-do list.
It probably feels like you have an endless amount of things to catch up on now that summer is over. That can feel overwhelming and it can be hard to know where to focus your energy. Build a to-do list of the necessary tasks. Again, you don’t want to overdo anything so prioritize and tackle the list accordingly. This will help keep you relatively organized and occupied while you get the workload under control.
Get into a healthy lifestyle.
It’s not just your work life that is affected. While some of us might be more active in the summertime, our eating habits are often less than healthy. The laidback nature of the season leads to a more relaxed approach to a balanced diet. Get that back on track with meals that meet your nutritional needs. It can be hard to get back in the habit of cooking meals each night but a meal plan will help with that. Start incorporating exercise into your daily schedule as well. It won’t be easy at first but with time your healthy lifestyle will be back to normal.
Set goals.
Motivation and productivity are always helped when you have something to aim for. Feelings of depression can sometimes be linked to a feeling that you’re just heading back for some of the “same old”. So change that feeling by starting something new. Create new goals for yourself. They don’t have to be too dramatic, but don’t make them superfluous either. Give yourself something that makes you genuinely excited and reignites your passion.
Find an after-work activity.
Remember, it’s not all about work. And summer doesn’t mean that the fun has to end. We can get so consumed with our busy work schedules that we forget to have a little time for ourselves. This can lead to stress and burnouts more often. Find something fun to occupy your free time and allow yourself the time to enjoy it when you’re not working.