Vacations are over. Do you find yourself back behind your desk but unable to dive into your work without thinking nostalgically about the relaxation of the last few weeks? 6 tips to get back to work efficiently!
1. Sort your messages
You have probably received hundreds of emails while you were away, but how many are still to be dealt with? Most of them are undoubtedly obsolete or don’t really concern you. This is the first thing to do when you turn on your business computer – delete these messages and sort others between those that are urgent and those that can wait. The same applies to voice messages. Pull out a notepad and pen and attack your answering machine. Automatically delete anything that is no longer valid or has been taken care of while you were away, and divide the numbers of people to call back into two columns, one immediate and the other less urgent.
2. Organize your desk
There’s nothing more unpleasant than having to search through all the drawers to find what you are looking for or not knowing what the folders in your pile of mail are. If you did not take the time to do so before leaving or if file folders have built up in a few weeks, begin by putting them in order – you will then be much more motivated and effective to move your work forward.
3. Take stock
When returning, it is important to take stock with your colleagues and managers in order to get back into the swing of things if, during your holidays, a colleague took care of handling your work, responding to your clients, monitoring your mail, etc. What happened while you were away? Were there any problems? Are certain contracts waiting for your approval? Has anyone in particular been trying to contact you? And what is planned for the future?
4. Setting goals
Don’t forget the golden rule of a good goal: it must be achievable, clear, time-bound and measurable. With this in mind, you can define an overall objective (whether financial results or a large project to be wrapped up) in the medium term, say by the end of the year, with short-term intermediate goals (number of prospects to contact per week, for example). Don’t hesitate to consult your superior on the subject, who can help you based on the company’s larger-scale goals.
5. Network
The back-to-work time is a good time to get back in touch with former colleagues or classmates, people you met at trade shows or other professional events, etc. But be careful – if you don’t get responses right away, don’t forget that it’s time to get back to work for everyone and your message may have been filed in the non-urgent pile, so don’t try again right away, to avoid being mistaken for a stalker! Leave it for a few weeks.
6. Think about perks
Finally, it’s good to be efficient in the office, but be careful about overworking. You cannot switch from cocktail-beach days to working 10-hour days without a transition! Set yourself limits and even if you go home exhausted, don’t neglect your leisure activities (sports, having a glass with friends, cinema, etc.), or you might not be able to maintain the pace until your next holidays.