OMG! Didn’t Memorial Day just happen? And now it’s back to school and big projects and gearing up the fourth quarter!
A planned pause, like a vacation is always valuable to gain a new perspective on how you REALLY want to use your time. It is also a pivot that can re-energize you.
I hope you are one of the lucky people who have been traveling and enjoying life outside your normal routine this summer. There is nothing like a good respite!
That said, re-entry takes some thought and planning to maximize the value of your new perspective and get back into the full-tilt swing of things in the most expeditious way, without losing your new-found perspective.
I’ve found a planned re-entry to be one of the best ways to get back up to peak productivity as quickly as possible, after stepping away for a vacation (or for any reason).
PLANNED RE-ENTRY is my term for those times you return to work and home, after a vacation, an illness, a conference or any absence from your day-to-day routine.
During these times, you need more focused attention on the big picture, rather than the work itself. The key is to maintain vigilance on the immediate goal of clearing your path for greatest productivity and not to get pulled down too many rabbit holes in the process.
You will likely not “hit the ground running” at this process at first, because you need to regain focus on all you missed while away, any new priorities and disengage fully from “vacation mode.” So, give yourself permission to not be at your best for the first day or two (and maybe longer, if you’ve been away for several weeks). I’ve been known to be foggy brained for several days and only feel energized and productive when I regain my full momentum. Here are my nine steps for easing back into the swing without feeling frustrated that it’s all happening too slow:
- First and foremost, put the vacation away. This will make space for new ideas, new actions, and the excitement that comes with these newness. Unpack, refill travel lotions and potions, do the laundry, put luggage and clean clothes away, refill the fridge, and then take care of anything around the house that jumps out at you as a new and urgent To Do (stepping away may have put a spotlight on items you’ve been stepping over for a long time).
Take stock of the top priorities; what MUST get done in the immediate future? Then make a written list of key actions to take and in which order of importance. Allow the list to flow out of you without order at first and prioritize it later, so you don’t get blocked or overwhelmed. If you didn’t plan the return from your trip by adding a re-entry day (or two) before getting back to work, plan this in chunks (like in the evenings over the first week or on the first Saturday back in town).
- Spend thirty minutes to an hour to go through the most recent physical mail;
a. Start with tossing any flyers and junk mail before even looking at the important mail (this will make the pile go down by as much as half),
b. Keep the highest priority action items on the top of a new pile,
c. File that which is just informational like financial reports or bills that are already paid automatically (assuming you have not already gone paperless),
d. Shred anything that is private and leave a nice big space where that pile of mail had been. This step alone will give you a sense of calm and motivation to do more.
NOTE: Since parts of the above are lower priority at this time, you might set this task aside until next Saturday; the filing and shredding can wait until after you make the full shift required to speed more important activities back to your usual efficient pace. However, don’t create a mail pile that you will step over for the next several months or year! Schedule the time to finish all the filing and shredding. You might stack the shredding on top of your shredder and run it through the machine late in the day when you’re not as energetic (or delegate this task to someone who has plenty of time). Then, you will be left with a small stack of filing. Make sure to complete this task, no later than the next Saturday, after a trip.
- Peruse and purge your work email; again, sort, flag or mark as unread, anything that may need your full attention more in depth and keep that flagged until it’s done (or the only thing left in your in box). Delete anything superfluous and file anything that is only FYI. You may experience a strong pull to start taking immediate action on the more urgent email messages. At this stage of the process, resist that pull, if possible. Instead jot a Hot Action List you can later prioritize. That list is the next step, immediately after opening and purging the unopened email. The reason I say this is that you might start doing the work and get so caught up in it that you neglect additional emails that might be further down in the cue but are equally or more important.
- Peruse the piles on your desktop (physical and electronic) and re-prioritize your work. File or put away, anything that is no longer a priority. (Priorities change after we’ve stepped away for a bit.) Depending on your job responsibilities, this step may come before purging the email.
- Write a new plan for next week, including anything from numbers one through four above.
- Take action on the highest priority on that plan. Whittle the list down until it’s complete! Now you are really ready to move back into high gear!
- This time-blocking step is a contribution from my dear friend and client, the talented author and artist, Janie Baskin. You can view her work at https://janiebaskin.com/ … “No matter where my re-entry comes from, there is one thing I find that is useful… Committing myself to each task for a limited amount of time and stopping before that task reaches the point of burnout and discouragement.
I do something exclusively for 20 or 30 minutes and then take a break- get a cup of tea, make a call, throw a load of laundry in the washing machine… then return to the task for another set length of time- always stopping before reaching burn out. Do as many sets of time as needed and you will get huge amounts done.
The 20 or 30 minutes is a time of no interruptions, no phone calls, texts, or stopping to do to anything other than the task at hand. As simple as this is, it has made the biggest difference in the quality and efficiency of what I do.”
- OK, now it’s time to create another mini pause. This time, grab a cup of tea or coffee and a notebook, your favorite pen (or a tablet or laptop). Sit in your favorite spot; in your own yard, on a porch, in the park, anywhere you feel inspired (preferably outdoors or with a view a nature).
Remember your vacation time and all the new ideas that came flooding into your mind, while you were there. If you didn’t capture them when you were on vacation (likely you were a bit too busy just enjoying your vacation–as it should be!), use your notebook or device to capture all those ideas. Then organize them into the appropriate topics; work projects, home projects, life goals and dreams, etc.
Now set a reminder to review these ideas within a month or actually put them on your calendar to implement. Capturing your own pearls of wisdom and creating a structure to utilize your brilliance is key.
- Return to your life with your lists in hand. Pay close attention to being efficient and effective for 95% of your day and build in some time to share about your vacation. Be sure to share what opened up for you regarding your list from number eight, in addition to all the vacation highlights. This just might be the start of something very special and an innovation that no one would have thought of implementing, had you not stepped away for that pause.
That’s it! Nine steps to re-enter powerfully.
Before you know it, you will be back up and running at full tilt and with a new sense of enthusiasm and clarity.
Only after you’ve taken care of business (both work and personal), sit down and relax to binge watch all the shows you recorded while away. I promise you will be happy you did this process. You will have waaaayyyyy more energy than you think you would by doing this simple but often tossed-aside practice. You just might find yourself wanting to stay productive instead of vegging out more.
If you’ve read this entire message, I’d love to hear your feedback. Was this message helpful to you? Also, what are your shortcuts and best practices for PLANNED RE-ENTRY after time away? I’m eager to hear from you!