Question of the Week
Five Things to Do For Yourself After Vacation
Happy Friday, all!
I hope you had a good week. I had a wonderful time on vacation. Many of you saw pictures on my IG, and it was as gay, fun, and replenishing as it looked. In proper post-vacation bubble-bursting fashion, Chicago gave me an abrupt dose of reality with snow this week.
While the time leading up to vacation is often thought of as the most beneficial part of the trip, the things you do coming back are just as important when settling in. So here are five things you can do to help ease yourself into reality.
1. Journal about your time
Those of you who are clients know reflection is a crucial part of our relationship. I ask about Successes and Challenges every meeting to keep awareness around the joyful, comforting, or empowering moments in your life and those things stressing or disappointing you. This awareness helps cultivate a sense of gratitude (and thus fulfillment) and empowers you to change the things within your control.
Similarly, journaling about your vacation can help cultivate gratitude for the vacation that was and give you insight into things you might change for your next trip. What did you enjoy the most about your time away? What surprised you the most? What would you change?
Reflections on these questions may also give you more insight into how to consistently bring those moments of joy, comfort, or gratitude into your business.
2. Give yourself a couple of days to reacclimate
I got this tip from my coach, who suggested I block off the first two days back to catch up on tasks, emails, and organization that need to happen. No matter how much preparation I do before leaving or how much notice I give clients, something inevitably comes up. Having a couple of days to ease back in helps with the stress of returning from time away.
Additionally, if you need guardrails to protect yourself, coming back on a Wednesday or Thursday builds in some time during the weekend to reflect and reengage.
3. Focus on Self-Care
Before I left, I wrote about the importance of self-care. It’s just as important when you’re back. Focusing on exercising, getting good sleep, and eating well will make you all-around better for your business. Our wellness is inextricably tied to the success of our business. So, starting with these fundamentals gives you the best chance to get on the right foot.
4. Start with small wins
One of my favorite mantras is “momentum is often better than motivation.” So, as part of my reentry, I list things I need or want to do. Once I’ve compiled the list, I start with some smaller ones to build some momentum. Ticking off the small wins helps spark the energy for more significant tasks.
Of course, you don’t want to get bogged down in minor stuff, especially emails (Hopefully, you had your out-of-office on, and people understand why you might be delayed in responding). Having that list can also ensure you can keep an eye on the bigger rocks you need to accomplish.
5. Give yourself some grace
I used to feel some guilt or embarrassment around going on vacation and taking time for myself (more so when I was at my tax firm, but still some as a business owner). And I would often feel overwhelmed coming back feeling like I needed to finish everything immediately. But, I’ve internalized that taking time for and care of myself helps everyone involved. So, if you find yourself getting down or expecting too much of yourself, give yourself some grace. Your clients understand. And you likely offer the same grace when you’re the client. Take one day at a time, one task at a time, and you’ll soon be back on track.
Quote of the Week
“I remind myself every day just how lucky I am to do what I love! I feel so fortunate, and I’m just trying to take my life one day at a time.” – Misty Copeland.
Task of the Week
I’d love to hear your post-vacation tips. What practices or tools do you implement to reengage with your work and business? Hit me up at the links below.