Ease Back into Work After Your Vacation

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After taking a vacation, it can be tempting to overwork to try to make up for “lost” time, get back up to speed, or relieve team members of the extra work they were covering for you. Whatever your motivation, resist that urge. Boomeranging from one extreme to the other can increase your stress and actually undermine your ability to catch up. Here are some strategies to help you ease back into your routine. First, shift your mindset about rest and recovery. Rather than treating time off as a last resort only after you’re depleted and unproductive, or as a special reward when your to-do list is finally done, take a cue from top athletes and think about recovery as an essential element of performance. Then create buffers upon your return, like setting a no-meeting policy on your first day back, or waiting a few days before working on any high-stress assignments. It’s also important to give yourself permission to say no to new requests. Remember, you don’t owe anyone anything just because you took time off. Take this as an opportunity to refresh your work boundaries—and reflect on whether your employer respects them.

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