Five tips to maintain your zen-like calm after your vacation
Most people manage to recharge their batteries while on holiday, But how do you hold on to that relaxed feeling for a while when you are back to opening your mailbox and running from meeting to meeting?
1. Formulate a plan
Make a list of what you will do on your return, and go through it step-by-step. This way, you avoid wanting to start doing everything at once and immediately getting that feeling of drowning again.
2. Start dreaming about your next vacation
Fun ‘before and after’ is one of the important reasons why travel experiences do us so much good, according to Ap Dijksterhuis. So, you can also look ahead to a new adventure while you're still reminiscing. There is nothing wrong with that!
3. Block your first working day and leave your out-of-office notification up for a while
If you can keep your first day back free of meetings and emails requiring immediate attention, then you still have some time to handle the most urgent matters in relative peace. And you don't need to set a schedule packed to the limit for the following days either. Besides, a lot of your colleagues are probably still on vacation or just recently returned, and they will appreciate that you don't immediately go into busy-busy-busy mode.
4. Enjoy it afterwards
Are you still enjoying your trip afterwards, and is your brain still a little in vacation mode? No stress... Give it time. Feel free to chat with with colleagues and tell them a nice holiday anecdote, and occasionally give yourself some time to reflect on a good moment during your trip.
5. Delete all your mails!
Denise Hulst, the Dutch author of the successful book 'Het Betere Werken' (Better Working), states that, after your vacation, 80% of emails in your inbox are no longer relevant. And any messages that are really important will come again in the form of a friendly reminder. So, just delete all the emails that arrived in your inbox during your holiday. Will you dare to do that?
