It always sucks to get back into a routine after you lose it. This is true with the gym. This is true with diets. And this is true with work. Between last night and this morning I saw about 30 Facebook statuses and tweets complaining about returning to work after vacation. Whether you had two weeks off, one week off, a long weekend, or just a super slow week at work because no one else was there, you most likely lost the motivation you had at work before the holidays (I am assuming as an employed college grad, you are at least somewhat motivated towards your current job).
Maybe you slept in every day during your time off and now have trouble getting out of bed. Maybe you got drunk every single night (and day too, why not) and are still hungover. Maybe you watched a marathon of your OC DVDs and now don’t want to do anything else except that (okay, maybe that was just me). Or MAYBE you just got used to NOT WORKING (like back in the day when you were unemployed/living the dream) and now you just don’t want to work.
Whatever the problem, you’re not alone. Adjusting to post-college life is hard enough, so if you put us back into a winter-break-like habitat, we will slowly fall back into our 50% raging/50% sleeping college lifestyle. Unfortunately, dealing with this obstacle of getting back into work after a vacation is something all 20-somethings must master during the transition into post-college life.
Here are 5 things you can do to make getting back into the work routine easier:
1. Drink Coffee. If you aren’t a coffee drinker, suck it up. Embrace the fact that it is a diuretic and that it will leave you full and empty at the same time. Hello weight loss.
2. Exercise. In the wise words of Elle Woods, “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy.” And people who are happy don’t suck at their jobs. Either keep up with your exercise routine during your vacation (we all have at least 10 minutes to break a sweat)… or wake up early and get yourself to the gym before work.
3. Eat healthy. All those chocolates, cookies, cakes, and bad foods you ate during the holidays/your vacation are probably catching up to you if they haven’t already. We all know eating like this and being a lazy couch potato on vacation (who constantly binge drinks) makes you feel like a gross blob. And feeling like a gross blob not only kills your confidence, but it also kills your motivation. So eat less. And eat healthy.
4. Sleep. You’re not on vacation anymore, so get yourself back into a normal “working adult” sleep routine. Even if you don’t normally sleep “this much,” you need to get some rest to make up for the lack of sleep you got during your vacation. When Jay Leno appears on your TV, know that you are up way too late. (Note: None of this counts if all you did during your vacation is sleep. Sleep is for after work and sick days. NOT vacations).
5. Plan your next vaca. Since we have officially entered the “Post-Holiday Slump,” and therefore have absolutely nothing to look forward to – give yourself something to look forward to. Plan some personal time off to spend running errands or hanging out with family. Plan a vacation to visit a friend you don’t see often. Or plan a week long rage fest to Vegas. Whatever your choice, knowing something good is on the way will motivate you to get through every day until that next vaca comes.
