Professional Organizer in NYC Shares Back To Work Tips
Transitioning back to work after the holidays isn’t always easy. You’ve been enjoying a few days off, spending time with your loved ones, and it’s hard to get back into the swing of things. The post-holiday blues are no joke. You spend months getting ready, with the excitement building, and when the holidays are over and it’s time to get back into your normal daily routine and it’s completely normal to feel down. You may feel scattered, rather than well-rested and full of energy like you had anticipated.
This Professional Organizer in NYC can relate! Here are my office organizing ideas to help you beat those post-holiday blues and get back to work.
Give yourself a one-day transition period. On that first day back at work, you may find it difficult to focus and get motivated. It’s hard to jump right back in! So give yourself a little time. On that first day back, your one goal is to get re-acclimated to work, your schedule, and your to-do list. Don’t schedule meetings on that first day. In fact, block this entire first day off on your calendar. If it looks like you are available, people will give you things to do! Take that first day to catch up and get organized.
Catch up on emails and phone calls. Here’s a tip from your Professional Organizer in NYC: leave your out-of-office message up until the afternoon. That way you aren’t bombarded with new phone calls and tasks to be completed immediately upon your return. Instead, spend that day listening to your voicemails and adding any return calls or tasks to your calendar and to-do list. Same goes for emails.
Organize your space. Hopefully you took some time to organize your desk before you left for the holidays, but if not, now’s the time to do it. Even if you did, you may be surprised at the pile of papers that have accumulated since you left for the holidays. Take some time to read through and file away any papers, and work on decluttering your space. It’s much easier to get back into a routine in an organized space free of distractions!
Take a look at your schedule and prep for any meetings. Since it’s been a few days (or weeks!) since you’ve been in the office, it’s important to take some time to review what’s been going on. Schedule your meetings for later in the week and add time to your calendar to prepare. Meet with the coworker who was handling your clients and tasks while you were away so you can be brought up to date on the status.
Do one thing at a time. You may have a sense of anxiety as you are faced with a full inbox, several calls to return, and a to-do list a mile long. Take some time and prioritize your tasks, and then dig in, one task at a time. When you look at your entire list as a whole, it can be overwhelming. Instead, focus on one task at a time and take pride each time you cross something off the list.
Coming back to work after the holidays isn’t always easy, but it’s part of the process. Be kind to yourself! It’s okay if it takes you a little time to catch up and get back into a routine. And when you need more help with creating a productive workspace, reach out to your Professional Organizer in NYC.