Instead of packing suitcases, you’re packing briefcases and school bags – it’s September! Why is that a week at work can sometimes drag indefinitely, when two weeks on holiday go by in the blink of an eye? Your summer holiday just wasn’t enough this year, and now you find yourself at your desk, daydreaming of lie-ins and LiLows. But the emails are piling up and the Zoom calls won’t stop. How do you get yourself back into “work mode” when your brain is still desperately clinging onto memories of your summer holidays?
Set Attainable, Short-term Goals
It’s important to set yourself attainable, short-term goals to work towards. Aside from the fact that short-term goals are proven to boost productivity, they also keep you motivated in your work as you tick things off your to-do list. If you have a large, daunting project you’re meant to start on, consider chunking/microchunking to make it more manageable. Take some time each week to review your goals, congratulate yourself on what you have learned and achieved, and assess whether your targets are realistic (and adjust them if need be).
Understand What Detracts from Your Work
Most people don’t take the time to analyse what is detracting from their work and productivity. Perhaps you have too many meetings without enough space between them to give you time to buckle down and focus on work. Maybe you have an energy slump after lunch. Or you have to do the school run in the morning or afternoon and that eats into your workday. Once you’ve identified these productivity detractors, find ways to offset or mitigate them.
Understand How You Work Best
Some people work best with background noise or music, whilst others work better in silence. If you’re home-based, and the quietness is deafening, put on some music or use a background noise app such as A Soft Murmur that lets you choose a single or a combination of sounds to work to.
Some people prefer to break the day up into focused sections (for example: one section for meetings; one for projects/work; one for emails) whilst others thrive on constantly changing tasks. Understand your preferred work style and run with it.
Plan a Mini-Break
Even though the Christmas foods will be in the shops sooner than you can say “office Christmas party”, there’s still a long wait till your next big break – for someone still fantasizing about your summer holiday, that can be quite demotivating! Consider planning a small getaway to tide you over until the Christmas break. Think: a relaxing spa day; a reviving weekend in a cottage with your friends or family; an extravagant night in a boutique hotel. Choose something that won’t consume too much of your time to plan, but that will recharge your batteries. It’s important to have fun things in the not-too-distant future to look forward to. As Oscar Wilde wisely put it: “The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it”… allow yourself yield to your daydreams by having the next fun break already booked.