Cowes!
Anyone else with us when we say we could literally go on vacation until Christmas?
We’re here to help you feel motivated to get shit done pre and post-vacation.
Pre-Vacation
- Just think, you finally have something to look forward to. We always feel best enjoying time off after powering through a long week/month(/year) LOL. So, just keep reminding yourself that there is a light at the end of the tunnel AND it’s closer than it appears.
- Make to-do lists. We can’t not make daily to-do lists. Sometimes it’s overwhelming to write out EVERYTHING you need to do before taking a vacation, especially if you’re a month out but if you break it down daily, or even weekly, then have a master to-do list where there are non-negotiables that must be completed before your departure, it makes your checklist easier pre-vacay.
- Stop complaining to your co-workers about your job and workplace. This energy is contagious and it actually makes the reality much worse than it is. Of course, we all have bad days but honestly, if you and the people around you decide to have a bit of a mindset switch, your energy will shift and work won’t feel so bad- we promise!
- Anticipate what could go wrong. To avoid having to be contacted by your workplace, create a brief handover document with important information about the occurrences taking place while you’re OOO and who to contact should something not go according to plan. It’s a pain to create but definitely worth it.
- Shut it down. In today’s world of hustle culture, it can be hard to fully detach from your Gmail app or Slack client channels, however, this is the last thing you must do the moment you activate your automated OOO reply. We promise everything will be A-OK!
Post Vacation
- The first week back is the hardest, this is not news. Cherish the memories you just made wherever and whatever you did to relax, spend time with loved ones, indulge and/or disconnect. Remember, vacation is special because it’s not our everyday routine. In order to enjoy it to the fullest, you need the balance of getting shit done and having an element of discipline in your life for the “rest of the time”.
- Take it task by task. Don’t overwhelm yourself. Wake up an hour earlier on your first day back and go through your inbox or begin reviewing the threads you missed and file/respond accordingly. It always seems like more all at once but as you start breaking things down, it becomes more digestible.
- Connect with your team, if you do have a team! Ask for an update when the day begins before you start going ahead and starting tasks that may already be in progress.
- Find something you like about your job and how you can incorporate MORE of that moving forward. Post vacay feels like a mental reset and it almost motivates you to focus more on what fulfils you. We challenge you to find ways to make elements of your job you like more prominent in your day-to-day schedule.
- Stay motivated by continuing to have things to look forward to. We say this as we’re also trying to focus on being present and living in the now, but finding that sweet balance of wanting to complete something to achieve something else is an important part of maintaining motivation.
P.S. Don’t forget to get some R+R in, even from home! Our #SelfLoveClub series is a good place to start (click here to check it out).
xx
The Cowe