Get Reacclimated to Your Workplace

We hope you had tons of fun this past long weekend, and that your joy has allowed you to recharge before coming back to work on Monday. But we know that it can also be tough to transition back to work after having time off. So today we’re focusing on concrete ways to get reacclimated to your workplace. Readjusting doesn’t have to be a drag! And living in the moment will help make your transition both more meaningful and easier. Check out what the pros we’ve turned to below have to say on ways to do just that.
Alexandra Samuel at the Harvard Business Review offers up this surefire way to bring more positivity as you settle back into your professional environment: “Make work fun. Put your first week back to good use by doing neglected tasks you actually enjoy. I’m a productivity nerd, so (surprise!) my idea of fun is cleaning up my tech setup and adding to or improving the productivity tools in my toolkit. (The Apple app store always enjoys a little revenue bump the week I come back from vacation.)” Bring the fun you had over the weekend into your workplace! Everyone’s idea of fun looks different–let yourself lean into what you enjoy doing at work. This will bring your unique strengths to the table while boosting your mood. Which will allow your positivity to shine, inspiring all of your colleagues around you.
We love this tactic that Marina Khidekel at Thrive Global has highlighted from business strategist and content expert Lisa Pezik: “Slow down and be intentional. ‘Instead of getting right into my never-ending to-do list, I’m starting 2019 in a more intentional way. So instead of checking my email, social media, and making my lists first, I’m doing 10 minutes of meditation, 10 minutes of voice and physical warm ups, and using 10 minutes to pinpoint the necessary tasks of the day using my High Performance Planner. Slowing down and being intentional is actually helping me get more done and feel calm about what I have to do. It feels like I’m ‘easing back’ into work, but I’m actually going full speed ahead with the important things: my mind, my body, my service, and my connection with others.’” While hitting the ground running upon returning is certainly an admirable goal, it’s also important to dedicate time to slowly down and planning. As the saying goes, “Measure twice, cut once.” Being intentional in your work will allow you to make fewer mistakes; even though it may feel like you’re moving more slowly in the moment, this will enable you to save lots of time later as you won’t need to exert extra energy recovering from errors. So take a deep breath. Take some more. And then tackle the task of reacclimating to your professional environment.
Through this combination of fun and intentionality, you’re sure to succeed! We also love the ways these pros integrate multiple approaches to getting back in the saddle–for example, if productivity apps aren’t your thing, you can try out meditation. Consider these hints as first steps back into your workplace rhythms. We’ll be back on Thursday with even more concrete ways to readjust to any professional environment, but be sure to check back tomorrow for our latest set of Wednesday Wellness: Readjust mood boosters!
This posting is brought to you by Contemporaries Inc., one of the best temp agencies in Boston MA. Also available for payrolling employees in Boston and Greater Boston
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