How to Beat the Post-Vacation Back to Work Blues

Right before you leave for a vacation you’re doing all the things in your business to make sure everything runs smoothly when you’re gone. 

• Systems, check. 
• Content created and loaded, check. 
• Team members know their role, check. 

Looks pretty good. So, you go and have an awesome vacation. 

However, when you get back, you feel tired and a little (or a lot) overwhelmed with trying to figure out where you left off and what’s the priority.  

It’s the “post-vacation back to work blues.”

These are my favorite tips to avoid the post-vacation back to work blues and how to get back into momentum in no time.

First I just want to say, I get it. I used to get back from vacation and not feel motivated AT ALL. My brain just didn’t want to kick into gear and I felt overwhelmed with the huge to-do list not even knowing where to start.

And if you’ve been following me, you’ll know that I just got back from 2 ½ months of traveling all over the world. All of April I was in Mexico, then we spent a week in San Diego, then we flew to Italy and just got back mid-June. 

Now I did work while I was gone on this amazing trip, but really it was me focusing on the  20%, which was a consolidated day a week of one on one client appointments, mastermind meetings, and keeping a daily social presence in my Instagram stories.

Using the strategies I’m about to share with you transformed my post-vacation back to work issues making this last trip easy peasy to return to work.

About 3 years ago I knew I had to do something about this. So I literally sat myself down and self-coached. 

1. Plan it out before you leave.

The biggest a-ha I had was that I needed to make myself a plan before I left. 

So, I don’t know if you’re weird like me, but every month I make a list of things to focus on accomplishing, then I have another list of things I want to accomplish after those things. I even do that for my day-to-day work. 

I just know myself. If I get ideas and don’t write them down, chances are I’ll forget. 

So I applied this to my post-vacation back to work issues. 

About a week before I  leave,  I make a list of the things I want to focus on and do after vacation. Then I have all week to refine it to be the near-perfect list for me to focus on when I get back. 

It can include the projects I’m working on, the projects that are always running in the background, and the post-vacation to-do list, like adjusting my calendar and email settings, and calling certain people who I wanted to reconnect with upon return.

2. When I get back, I give myself the first day off.

The first day back is for me. After all, I want to love my life and my business. I allow myself a day (or maybe 2!) to unpack, do laundry, get groceries, connect with family and friends, and go to bed early. 

If I’m not normalized at home, it’s hard to concentrate at work. 

3. Pull out the list and prioritize.

I love having a list prepped for me to hit the ground running when I get back. 

I feel pampered for and loved by my pre-vacation self.

I pull it out, along with my calendar, and start to fill in when I’m doing everything.

It’s important to me to make it fun so I make myself a fun drink and play some music I love.

Also, I can be extremely tired after a great vacation which challenges my attention span so if I want extra support while I’m tackling things, I’ll pop onto Focusmate (.com) for a virtual co-working session. If you’ve never heard of this or tried it, I highly recommend it. There are thousands of people on it like entrepreneurs and dissertation students. I sound like a commercial, but I’m not an affiliate,  just a happy user. At $5/month you can’t go wrong!

Of course, if you want the ultimate accountability, masterminds are the obvious choice. 

It’s crazy to think that you can do entrepreneurship alone. 

Accountability 10x’s the speed that which things get accomplished. 

Masterminds keep you focused and on track which not only helps with the post-vacation back to work blues but with the everyday blues that happen while running your business.

A supportive group is life-changing.

I share this good news every week with you because I don’t want anyone to go alone.

I have 2 groups. One for those working towards a 100k year and those working towards their next financial milestone.

Hop on a call with me with the link below and let’s see which is best for you!

Let me know your favorite strategy I shared and what strategies you use!