VEXED IN THE CITY
I’d so rather be on the beach than at work
DEAR VEXED: I’ve just returned from a three week holiday and I’m swamped at work. Worse, I’m really not feeling like being here. It’s like I can’t remove myself from the beach, mentally. What can I do to regain my old groove?
Larry, human resources, 41
WE all know the sorry feeling of getting back to work after a long break. It can be such a wrench transitioning from paradise – and total indolence – to the office with all its woes. On a purely physical level, you’re going from sunlight and nature to artificial light and air conditioning.
The key to managing this transition is to allow a period of adjustment between the holiday and the office. But as you’ve gone straight back to work, you’ll just have to deal with it. First, make sure you’ve got enough physical energy: are you sure a sluggish metabolism isn’t tricking your brain? Start by loading up on energy-boosting foods such as berries, spinach and brown rice. Exercise is also essential. Force yourself to work out in the morning before work, at the gym or pool, or by going for a long walk. Take vitamins, particularly zinc.
The office can be a depressing physical environment, as above. Make sure you have something natural in yours; a plant, flowers, a mini water feature. All these can boost your mood.
Now, enough procrastinating. Sit down with a blank Word doc or a piece of paper and set out what you have to do in a great big long list. Then put numbers next to each job denoting the order you’ll do them in. Be realistic: don’t try to get through them all in one day. Do, say, four a day. Once you start making headway, your self-esteem will increase and I guarantee your taste for work will return.
Next time you go on a three week holiday, factor in two or three days at home before you head into the office. Day one: catch up on sleep and laze around, maybe do some chores. Day two: get up, work out. Then start checking your email. Put things into folders according to urgency and of course, topic. This should take about two hours and will absolutely improve your re-entry into work. Most people arrive at work and become instantly swamped by email, all the while being hounded by colleagues – it all gets a bit much and can quickly feel depressing. By the time you get to work, you’ll already be partially in the zone, and you won’t be tired. More impressively, you’ll have dealt with a number of emails and will know what to do with the rest. Oh, and perhaps rethink the three-week break. Shorter and more frequent holidays have been proven to be more rejuvenating.
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