Here at Fox in a Box we use immersive games to help teams connect and build healthy work relationships. We also like to share tips to use inside of your office to foster productive habits and provide tools and tips to make operations run smoothly! Here are some few key learnings that we would love to share with your team!

Holiday Mode: How do you reset at work after the holiday?

It can be tough to come back after holiday, but it can also be really nice. The workplace can feel like a place of imprisonment, but it can also feel like a refuge. The future may look promising, but it can also feel daunting. Which view depends on who and when you ask.

 In either case what is true is that coming back to work after your holiday is an official thing. It has a real impact, and it can give birth to all kinds of thoughts and feelings. It’s also true that how to deal with these thoughts and feelings is a common theme amongst my clients at this time of year. The question that comes up is “How do you reset after a holiday?”.

“(…) what is true is that coming back to work after your holiday is an official thing. It has a real impact, and it can give birth to all kinds of thoughts and feelings.”

So, how can we use the reflections that arise post-holidays in a smart way? 

Rule no 1: Don’t overcomplicate things.

 Acknowledge the fact that your mind is playing tricks on you. It’s generally still in vacay mode where all it wants is to stare at the ocean, without a thought, without a must, where the biggest challenge is to decide whether to take a nap now or later. Or if you’re that type, it’s still on that mountain top with arms raised high over the head feeling on top of the world after fulfilling that climbing challenge you’d been dreaming about for a long time.

In any case you can’t compare work and holiday, because it just isn’t the same thing. That’s the point of it actually. So just stop. Don’t overcomplicate it, don’t compare. Acknowledge that it’s a shift and that that’s ok, you don’t have to make too big a deal out of it. And importantly you don’t want to make any major changes with big consequences in this space. 

“In any case you can’t compare work and holiday, because it just isn’t the same thing” 

Rule no 2: Capitalize on the refreshed perspective.

Pauses like holidays allow for getting out of the everyday, for changing environments and for changing wardrobe and to spend time doing other things than we usually do, in other places than we usually do. The great thing about that is that it automatically allows us the space to step out and to step back. It allows us perspective, because we are observing it with refreshed eyes.

So make sure to make notes along the way. What stands out to you as you’re back at work? What do you notice that you never thought about before? What feels good? What feels limiting? Who are you happy to see and who not so much?

(On a side note you can do the same thought exercise but for the initial step: from work to holiday. What do you observe? What about your holiday were you looking forward to? And which parts not so much? What was different than you expected?)

"The great thing about that is that it automatically allows us the space to step out and to step back."

 Rule no 3:: No, wait, let’s re-visit no 2 before we go to no 3.

‘Don’t overcomplicate things’.

Make the observations you make but don’t go running into any big time master changes just yet. Acknowledge that you are likely suffering from a bit of holiday blues that might make it interesting to overinterpret the meaning of what you’re thinking and feeling. For now, just keep the observations without acting straight away on them. 

And now, Rule no 3: Sketch a plan.

With the observations that your refreshed perspective offers you, look at all aspects of your job– what could potentially need re-designing?

Does your personal development plan make sense to where you want to go, does it need adjustment? Does your team fall goal seem relevant and achievable? What looks different now that means adjusting the path could lead to a higher goal achievement? And for the company direction and strategies, do your refreshed eyes see any gaps or opportunities that could be beneficial?

Don’t forget the practical things; the arrangement of chairs in the lunchroom, the fix Wednesday meetings, how your agenda is organized, who takes part in which meetings. The refreshed perspective works miracles on those ‘administrative’ things that have big impact.

Jot your thoughts and potential changes down to form a sketch of what might be. Make it easy. Now keep it and look at it for a couple of days, then share it with a trusted colleague, maybe someone who has done the same exercise, and compare notes, discuss, ideate.

Imagine the impact if you would do this is a team exercise.

Imagine proposing doing the same in your management or leadership team.

Now we’re talking impact and alignment.

Now we’re talking moving forward together.

“With the observations that your refreshed perspective offers you, look at all aspects of your job– what could potentially need re-designing?”

How do you feel about coming back from holiday now? To which extent do you think a reset at work after the holiday can be used in a smart way? What’s your next step to use the power that your holiday perspective has given you?

Let me know if I can support you in capturing your thoughts or your sketch, or if I can help you facilitate a group session on the topic so you can focus on growing together with your team and organisation and keeping the holiday reset opportunity intact.