The holiday season is often the most relaxing time for many people. With non-stop festivities leading into the new year, it’s indeed a more than deserved break from a year of hard work and professional effort. When it’s finally time to head back into work for the new year, too often do we feel distracted by the recent festivities and our output, motivation and outlook for what’s to come feels like a struggle.
It’s also something that’s quite understandable and for some, unavoidable. It feels like a monumental task to get back in the groove and being stuck in this post-holiday rut will have lasting effects on your productivity.
Here are some helpful tips and insight on how to beat this slump.
Looking Ahead With Optimism
It can be tempting to just hit the ground running once you’re back in the saddle at work. However, overcommitting to plenty of new projects and proposals can become overwhelming and add to your post-holiday slump. As with most things, it’s best to start out small as you gradually find your groove back in the office.
Starting off small can have a positive ripple effect on your work ethic. You can get a better sense of what you want your goals to be for the week, the month and the entire year without needing to take on so many things. Big projects can be broken down into smaller tasks that will help you ease into more complicated ones later in the year.
Making personal To-Do Lists also aids in keeping your tasks and your thoughts more organized with what you set out to accomplish.
New Things in the New Year
The new year also means sticking by some resolutions you’ve made out for yourself. If the post-holiday slump feels monotonous or stuck in a routine you had, maybe it’s time to put your resolutions in action.
Perhaps the most common resolution people have involves a lifestyle change. This can be anything from losing weight, sleeping or waking up earlier, exercising more or forming (sometimes getting rid of) particular habits. People look back at some of their choices in the year and decide how they can be smarter and more disciplined about different things. The new year also presents a chance to learn new life skills, discover a new hobby or interest and also letting you expand your wings for a bit.
By incorporating these new approaches, you create for yourself a routine that feels fresh and challenging. It also helps you form new, productive habits while also helping you get rid of old, unsatisfactory ones.
Let’s Get Physical (Even for a little bit)
The holiday season is often about doing less and just relaxing with friends and family. It’s a wonderful notion but it can also be a mindset that you carry over when you head back to work. Feeling lethargic and lazy at the start of the year is certainly no way to begin it on a high note.
It may sound simple on paper, but doing some light physical activity before and during your first week back can do wonders. Not just physically, but mentally as well. Taking short walks helps you feel active as you gradually find yourself getting back in the thick of things. Don’t forget to also hydrate regularly.
Different Paces for Different People
There’s a special feeling in the air whenever the new year begins as it means a new opportunity for change and focus. For 2020, it seems much more amplified as it also means the beginning of a brand new decade. As such, many want to start it on the best foot possible and that also means overcoming any personal or professional slump they may have.
The important thing to remember is that every person has a different approach and pace to new habits and productivity. Some may adapt to it quickly after the holiday season while others may need a bit more time. Remember that you need not take on the challenges of the new year on your own as well. By helping each other out in accomplishing what you want this 2020, you will begin your new year on the most positive of notes that you can carry on.
