The Christmas decorations are down, the festive food has been eaten, and the new year has well and truly begun. Your first day back at work is looming and it seems like Christmas was only yesterday. Don’t worry though, because these tips will have you feeling ready to get back to work in no time. 

• Get organised 
• Wear your mood
• Schedule your time for you
• Set goals 
• Eat happy 
• Catch up with your colleagues 
• Try to keep a positive attitude 
• Give yourself a break 

Get organised 

As the saying goes: fail to prepare, prepare to fail. The evening before your first day back at work get everything you need for the next day organised. Think about what you are going to wear and make sure that each item is freshly washed and ironed. Pack your bag, making sure that you have everything you need, including a spare charger, keys, purse, etc. This will prevent a mad rush to find missing items in the morning. Finally, make sure that you have breakfast provisions. Even if your breakfast is a coffee and a breakfast bar, make sure that you have the essentials in. Even if you are working from home it’s important to be organised the night before your first day back as it will help you get back into a working mindset. 

Wear your mood

Whether you are working from home or back in the office, wearing your mood will make your first day back at work a lot more enjoyable. Whether you want to dress in a colour that makes you happy, wear a piece of jewellery you received for Christmas, or wear an outfit that makes you think of a fond memory, wearing something that makes you smile will make your first day at work a little less painful. 

Schedule your time for you

It can be overwhelming going back to work after an extended period of time off, so it’s important that you schedule your time. Rather than scheduling a week full of meetings and catch-ups, schedule your time for you. Use your first day back as a way to ease in to your workflow. Blocking out time to look through your emails, catch up on projects, and evaluate what there is to do. Your first day, or even your first week, back at work may not seem very productive, but it is a great opportunity to reorganise yourself, and your time, ready for the year ahead.  

Set goals 

During your first day, or week, back at work think about what you want for the upcoming year. You may have made personal new years resolutions, but what about your professional ones? What are your professional goals for this year and how are you going to achieve them? You won’t be able to get back into the flow of work without knowing what goals you are working towards achieving, so use your time wisely to think about what you want. 

Eat happy 

They say that you are what you eat, so eating happy will make you happy. By eating happy, we mean eating food that makes you feel good. This should be food that is nutritious, balanced, and, above all, tastes amazing. Eating a well-balanced and nutritious meal will keep your energy up throughout the workday. You may also want to make your plate as colourful as possible as looking at bright and vibrant colours is proven to make us feel happier. 

Catch up with your colleagues

On your first day back at work make time to catch up with your colleagues. It may feel like you have so much to do that you don’t have time to catch up, but it’s important to make time to socialise with the people you work with and show an interest in their lives outside of the office. Schedule a coffee break with your work friends, even if just for 30 minutes, to catch up on what they’ve been up to and share holiday anecdotes. You can even share your first-day back stresses.  You, and your colleagues, will feel a lot better afterwards.

Try to keep a positive attitude  

Going back to work can be incredibly stressful and overwhelming. It’s much easier said than done, but on your first day back, try and keep a positive attitude. Focus on the positives of going back to work, such as seeing colleagues and getting back in to a routine, rather than the stressful aspects. This will help to keep your stress levels low, and help you manage your workload better. Just remember that the first day back is hard for everyone, so a positive attitude can brighten your day as well as everyone else’s. 

Give yourself a break

The most important thing to remember when getting back to work is to give yourself a break. Accept that you will have a lot to catch up on, but won’t be as productive as you many want to be. Give yourself time to ease back into your routine, catch-up with colleagues, and think about what you want from the upcoming year. Start your year at work off right by being kind to yourself. 

Whilst you get back to work, we will tick laundry off of your to-do list. To book your Laundryheap order head to the Laundryheap website or download the free Laundryheap app.