Quite often you can return from the Christmas break full of good intentions until the moment you open your email only to be confronted with over 100 urgent messages that all need dealing with there and then. The phone is ringing non stop and you still have half a dozen tasks left on your to do list from before you finished.
Do you feel like you are drowning in paper?
How do you cope with all the demands on you? Are you starting to think you shouldn’t have taken that extended break? Well don’t worry here are my top tips to getting yourself organised and feeling less stressed as you get back into work mode:
1. Make yourself a drink – take 5 minutes away from your desk, grab a drink and breathe – you can get through this.
2. Put your voicemail on or ask a colleague to take messages for you
3. Review the tasks you didn’t complete before you went away and decide if they are urgent or not
4. Spend an hour reviewing your emails using the criteria here:
5. Make another drink and start working your way through that to do list!!
6. Before you go home tonight identify three key tasks to do tomorrow and do those first thing before opening your emails.
I hope this helps you get through the first few days back in the office, let me know how you get on below.