Even when you love having your own business, & you’re passionate about serving your clients, coming back to work after a break can be tricky.

I’m fortunate to work with people who love their work, and who are passionate about helping their clients achieve their goals and dreams.  They love having their own business and getting to choose how they spend their time and energy.  Even so, coming back to work after a holiday can cause anxiety.

It’s all too easy to think ‘I have SO much to do!  I have to catch up with a backlog of messages, there are those things I didn’t have time to do before I went away, and then there’s all the usual stuff,  plus the projects I’d planned to get my teeth into on my return!’ It can all feel overwhelming and prevent us from sitting down and actually taking stock, re-connecting with our business, and making a start.

I often find that both with myself and my clients, we tell ourselves things that aren’t actually true!  Such as I have so much that I need to do today.  The reality is, often lots of those things don’t actually need to happen until another day!

It’s also common to be tempted to miss the self-care activities that help you stay on form, thinking that ‘you’ll get more done if you just miss that exercise class/meditation/journaling session, etc.’ 

If any bells are ringing here, read on for top tips to get you back into work with ease.

7 steps to get you back into work with ease, regardless of whether you prepared well before you went away or not.

1. Acknowledge that coming back to work can be a challenge, even if you love your work.

Coming back to work after a holiday or break of any sort is a transition.  Transitions are change, and change is challenging.  Even when it’s a change we really want, it requires us to shift momentum in a different direction. Acknowledge that it’s ok for this to be a bit of a challenge.  You’ve done much more difficult things than this,  before you know it, you’ll be back to running like clockwork.

2. Take some deep breaths and use your tools.

Centering and grounding yourself will give you a good basis to let go of the anxiety. It will also allow you be more realistic about what needs to happen and when.  Whether it’s physical exercise, meditation, EFT, journaling, or an infinite number of other tools which get you back on track when you’re feeling off, use them.  

We work so much more efficiently when we get ourselves into alignment BEFORE we start work.  Don’t make the mistake of skipping this step thinking you’ll save yourself time – you won’t!

3. Do a brain dump of all the things which are on your mind and all the things you need to do.

Often, once we get all the things down on paper we recognise that either there’s not as much to do as we thought, or, it’s no wonder I’m feeling anxious, there really is a helluva lot of stuff on there! Either way, you get clear about the reality of the situation.

4. Connect your brain dump with your calendar.

Get your calendar out and see which things need to happen by a set day and schedule in time to work on those things.  It can bring such a sense of relief to know you don’t have to do ALL the stuff today!

5. Prioritise the rest.

List in order of importance the other tasks or projects from your brain dump.  Ask yourself questions such as what is most important to me and my business?  What is my main focus right now?  What am I wanting to achieve this week/month/quarter/year? What will most shift the dial on my business?  What will enable me to make the most impact?  What will enable me to reach the most people?  What will enable me to increase my income with the most ease?  What will get my momentum going the quickest, what will I most enjoy?  What will be the easiest?

6. Diarise when you’re going to make a start on the top three items.

You can’t do everything at once, but you can commit to making a start on the most important things at a certain time.  This isn’t set in stone, you can always course correct, but it’ll enable you to have a plan for all the important things you need to do in the coming days and weeks on your return to work.

7. Take a favourite beverage break, then make a start on the first thing you wrote in your calendar.

Starting is the hardest part if we don’t take the time out to get ourselves into alignment.  Imagine how you’ll feel when that first item is done, and you’ve well and truly got your ‘back to work momentum’ going. 

Follow these simple steps and you’ll feel organised and in control.  You’ll know you’ve taken a bird’s eye view of your business and scheduled all the important tasks.  You’ll see where you’ve got space to rest, relax and play!  You’ll remember how much you love working for yourself. That’ll give you the headspace to think about how you can bring the holiday vibes into your working week!

If you’d like to feel more organised and in control whilst growing your business, send me an email at heather@getaccomplishedwithheather.com or arrange a free call to talk about whether working with me would benefit you.