A NEW WORK STATE OF MIND
Happy New Year! Today is the first day back to work or school for many of you, and, as we all know, the first day back from a vacation, time off, and/or time with family/friends/solo is never easy. However, it is important to jump back in and get your work mojo back quickly, so here are a few tips on how to get back into a new work state of mind:
Think positively: This is probably the most important place to start. Look, Mondays suck in general, but the first Monday back after the holidays is often brutal… unless, you look at it from a different perspective. I personally love the people I work with and have some exciting projects coming up, so I decided to come into work today refreshed, focused, and ready to motivate my team to tackle some new, challenging, and exciting projects. Work and school will be what you make of it, so make the most of your situation and approach each new day as one that will allow for new opportunities. Truth is, nobody likes a Debbie Downer. A positive attitude will get you much further and will help you accomplish a lot more.
Make a list: I was feeling quite anxious about coming back to work today, and when I thought about it, it was because I did not have a mental handle on what needed to be done when I got back. So, last night, I sat down and made a list—a few actually—of what needed to be addressed first thing this week vs later in the week into next week. I prioritized everything, drafted a few preliminary emails to get the balls rolling, and felt a million times better about today. Lists help you organize all of your thoughts and can make work and life less overwhelming.
Meet with your team: After a stretch of time out of the office, it is always helpful for everyone to regroup and determine courses of action and next steps. It is also nice to sit with your team(s) to get everyone equally excited about upcoming projects, launches, events, etc., ensuring you are all on the same page and working towards the same goals. Whenever I meet with my team, I feel so much relief in knowing we are getting things accomplished or we are getting ahead of any problems or challenges we may be facing. Either way, it will get your week off to the right start—as will some fun holiday vacation recaps.
Set new goals: There will of course be a ton of projects from 2013 for you to come back to in 2014, but it is also motivating to set some new goals for the year ahead. They can be short term goals addressing immediate launches, finding an internship, planning an event, etc., and longer term, bigger picture goals that you can develop and work towards over the next year or so. Either way, new goals give you something to look forward to and keep you engaged and challenged.
Pace yourself: We sometimes tend to attack a first day or week back to work like a bull out of the gate, but be realistic about the things you can accomplish in the time you have and pace yourself. The lists should help you do that, so get done what you can, and don’t burn yourself out so early in the year. There are 359 days left in this year—I promise you, you will get it all done…
Hopefully, these tips get you off on the right foot. Leave old habits behind you and start this year with a new, positive approach, knowing that a new year allows you the opportunity to do things bigger and better—or at least differently—than before. Happy Monday!
