The Christmas holidays are upon us, and it can be challenging for workers to get back into the working groove. The struggle will be ten times harder if you take a long holiday break.

Fortunately, there are ten great tips to help you return to work smoothly after the holiday break and get your productivity back:

#1 Declutter Your Workspace

Before starting any work, make sure you declutter your workspace from old reports and files. It would help if you also took time to process the items in your file inbox first, so you don’t miss them by accident later in the week.

#2 Review Your Calendar

Since you have been out of the office for a while, you will need to check your work schedule to be reminded about your tasks. Take note of the upcoming meetings you have and other key events. Make sure to have an alarm a day before these events to prepare accordingly.

#3 Don’t Look At Your Email In Chronological Order

It can be frustrating and stressful to check your emails in chronological order because it may make you feel guilty for taking a break. Instead of doing it in chronological order, do it by subject or sender so you can get an idea about what happened while you were away.

#4 Do One Task At A Time

Multitasking is an urge that you may feel to catch up on the work you left during your holiday. However, multitasking may affect the quality of your work, and it may even stress you out. To help you get back into the groove, work on one task first and finish it before moving to the next one.

#5 Ask For Help From Your Colleagues

Sometimes, you may feel guilty going on a holiday and having your colleagues do the work you leave for you. However, you need to remember, you are a team, and when they take a break, you can give back by helping them with their work. Just make sure to bring them souvenirs when you get back as a thank you for helping you out.

#6 Enjoy Your First Week Back

Since you are now back at work, you may think that break times are over because you have a lot of work piled up. However, this is not a productive mindset to take, especially right after your holiday break. Don’t hesitate to enjoy your first week back by getting your favourite meal at your favourite work hangout area or catching up with your colleagues.

#7 Have Prioritised Goals

While you review your emails, voice messages and file inbox, you will recall the tasks you are working on before the holidays. But, instead of starting on the first task you see, list down the tasks first and start with the one that needs to be prioritised.

#8 Eat Well

When you get back to work, you will need a lot of energy to get back into the zone and finish the work ahead. With this in mind, before going to work, have a decent breakfast. During your break, select a filling lunch and a healthy dinner when you get back home. The meals will help you recharge and regain your focus.

#9 Don’t Do Overtime

If you are the type of person who does overtime after your holiday, you should stop because you are just wasting all the energy you recovered from your holiday. You don’t have to work more hours just because you went on a holiday. Go home on time and make an alarm so you won’t get the urge to work overtime.

#10 Don’t Beat Yourself Upon Your Return To Work

There is always a transition period after you go back to work from your holiday. Don’t feel guilty that you took a long holiday and will use a lot of time to catch up. Remember, you also need to rest after working so hard, and without it, you can burn out. Take your time, and sooner or later, you will be able to go back to your regular work routine.

Enjoy the Moments

Vacations during the holidays are an excellent way to prevent burnout and restore our work-life balance. However, you will only be wasting your break time if you force yourself to work overtime without pause when you get back into the office. Take it slow and do the steps above to help you regain your work rhythm without feeling guilty about your holiday.