Today is back to work for me. I have been off on vacation for the past week and it has been wonderful. If the emails I received while off are any indication, when I walk in the door today, a million things that need done are going to be hitting me in the face.

During the past week I have stayed up late having fun, playing games, walking on the beach, enjoying the company of people I care about.   I have slept in past 8:00 every single day, some days past 9.   I have exercised in the water and by walking every day.    I have done the things I enjoy the most, spending time with my family and time on the beach.  I feel relaxed and refreshed.

Today I go back to work and within a day, that wonderful feeling of relaxation will be gone.

I love my job, but there is lots of work to do and not a lot of time to get it done.   School starts in a few weeks so things have to be completed for that to happen.    Everyone wants some of my time.   Everyone needs something done.

I enjoy my job, but don’t enjoy the stress and the demands place upon me.  I don’t enjoy that other people’s failure to plan gets thrown on my plate as an emergency.   I like to be organized and plan projects out and complete them in a systematic process.   I like getting things done ahead of schedule (even though I sometimes procrastinate getting started.)

I wish vacation lasted a lot longer and I only worked 3 days per week. (Doesn’t everyone!)

Tips For A Successful First Day Back

I did do a number of things to make sure I didn’t lose any time when I arrive at work.  They only took a few minutes and will make a big difference.

1:  I took 10 minutes before I left a week ago, and wrote down a list of the projects I was working on and the status of them so I can pick up where I left off.

2.  I also made a list of things that need to get done this week.

3.  I scheduled my trip so that I would be home a full day before returning to work.  Need that day to recoup from the trip and do laundry, etc.

4. I scanned email several times while away and deleted everything but the important messages that I would need to act on.   So today I will only have 50 messages to deal with instead of 1000.

5. I took a few minutes yesterday to plan my clothes for the week.  Sounds minor, but I don’t have to think about anything when I get up in the AM except getting out the door.

6. I prepared the items I want to take with me in my lunch.  Just need to grab them out of the fridge and put in my bag.

7.  Last evening before going to bed, I made sure everything was in my tote that I would need for my first day back.  (Keys, important papers, tablet, laptop, etc.)

8.  Before shutting down my computer last evening, I took a few minutes to review my schedule and what is on tap for the day.

9.  Made sure I got to bed at a decent time.

These things won’t make my day perfect by any means, but they will cut down on the stress and make things go a little smoother.   Everyone needs that their first day back to work, regardless if you work from home or in an office.

Today I am wearing suntan lotion, scandals, and pretend I’m still at the beach!  I’m going to do everything I can to extend this relaxed vacation feeling into the week ahead.

What is your favorite way to keep yourself relaxed and rejuvenated after a vacation?  How do you prepare for the first day back?