You've been away for a few days and it's your first day back in the office (unless you’re lucky enough to have this week off too).
It can take a while to settle back into your normal working routine, especially after the Christmas break.
Here
are a few tips that will help to get you back on track:
- Don't overload your first week back at work. Give yourself time to get back up to speed.
- Avoid booking too many meetings in the first week so you have time for planning and catch-up.
- Resist the temptation to just get on with the first thing that comes up. When you've been away there will be extra demands on your time.
- Book short review meetings with direct reports to get you and your team
back up to speed.
- Take time to plan your week. List and do the important first rather than just reacting.
- Prioritise your tasks and add them to your schedule.
- Review your daily schedule - what meetings do you have booked in for this week. Set reminders ahead of time - you're less likely to miss appointments if you get a reminder in plenty of time or you review your schedule regularly.
- Work in short bursts to clear an email or paper backlog.
Don't get drawn into the detail - just quickly go through your Inbox or pile of paperwork and sort and prioritise it first, before you deal with it.
Use this strategy throughout the year when you’ve been away from the office for any length of time.
