Beating the Back to Work Blues

It’s January and as you pack down the Christmas tree and pick the remnants of New Year's party poppers off the living room lamp, you can’t shake that foreboding feeling. That sinking sensation in the pit of your stomach that reminds you of a very sobering fact.

You have to go back to work.

Yes, I’m afraid the Christmas holidays are over and the time has come to trade in boardies for boardrooms. So how do you save yourself from staring out the window and daydreaming of Christmas holidays past?

Here are a few tips to help you beat the back to work blues.

Start off on the right foot

As tempting as it is to spend your first few days scouring Instagram for snaps of your lucky friends who are still on holidays, be strong. Not only will it make your office walls seem smaller but you won’t get much work done either. Set yourself a good example for 2014 by being productive from day one. You’ll get into a groove early and your next holiday will be here before you know it.

Make the most of your lunch break

Just because you’re back at the office doesn’t mean that the outdoors are off limits. Get out in the sunshine at lunchtime to break up the day and keep the holiday dream – and perhaps even tan – alive. You could even organise a lunchtime picnic with your colleagues and spend an hour pretending that you’re not really back at work.

Be productive on your weekends

While weekends are definitely made for sleep-ins and socialising, make sure you get back to achieving some life admin goals. It’s amazing how much more prepared for the dreaded Monday you will feel even after some Sunday spring cleaning or getting your bank accounts in order.

Learn a new skill

They say variety is the spice of life and some new skills or knowledge might just stop you from feeling like you’re just going through the motions when tackling the new work year. So why not take up a new hobby or enrol in a short course? Not only will it keep you from feeling like you’ve climbed back into last year’s rut, your work will benefit from the extra-curricular stimulation as well.