Let’s make returning from holidays easier by getting things straight before you go, and using the run up to a holiday when you have more momentum and energy. You know that a really good reward is to follow and you’ll be able to bow out of normal day to day life for a while.
Unfortunately though, we all have to come back!
That’s where a lot of us can all too easily get unstuck. That’s why I wanted to look today at how to make returning from holidays as easy a transition as possible, as this part of a holiday is all too often forgotten.
It is the time that we come back to reality with a bang – but we can make it so much easier on ourselves with a little prep before we go.
It’s all too easy to put things to the back of your mind when going away – because coming back seems a long way off. We are focused on our holiday and nothing else seems to matter really.
But that time does come round, and then you have to deal with it.
Whether you work in an office, work at home, or are a stay at home mum or dad, you need to prepare for your homecoming to ensure that you stay refreshed for as long as possible.
That holiday feeling needs to last!
After all – do you really want to step back into your home or office to be faced with stress from things that have piled up, deadlines and loads of jobs that need doing immediately?
Didn’t think so!
So, let’s get started and let me give you a few tips that I’ve picked up along the way that can really make coming back from holidays so much easier.
I really hope they help!
Tip #1 – Prepare To Clean!
If you don’t want to come back to a home that is in need of a clean immediately then the only thing to do is to give it a big clean before you go.
When you walk into your home after the journey home, do you really want to be greeted by a dirty carpet or old washing up, or see the laundry pile already sky high?
I very much doubt it!
You will be bringing back loads of washing for a start, and what with that and the unpacking you’ll have to do, that’s more than enough to get you back into the swing of housework without having more to contend with!
Giving yourself time before going away to do a clean will reap rewards when you come home. It’s probably the last thing you want to add to your going away to do list, but it really does make all the difference to how calm you feel when you return home.
Ideally it would be the last thing you do before leaving (packing can be done a lot more in advance), as then you will get the most benefit from it.
I have even heard of people vacuuming right to the front door as they walk out! (that may be going one step too far! – although I was tempted to try it…)
TIP – If you currently have a cleaner then you may want to book them in to come while you are away and do a really deep clean for you – what a treat!
Tip #2 – Declutter Your TO DO list
A mountain of stuff to tackle immediately when you come back is the last thing you want to contend with – at least for a day or so.
You want to ease yourself back into normality as much as possible – not feel like you would have been better off not going away…
So why not spend some time getting your TO DO list tackled as much as possible before you go?
It’s crucial in preparation for the fact that you will no doubt have extra things added to it by the time you get back, so keeping yourself one step ahead at all times can really help.
Try and spend a few hours or even allocate a day if you can to getting the TO DO’s crossed off.
Tackle any errands, phone calls, bills, cards and presents to post etc… and you will be much more ahead of the game when you return.
You’ll also feel even more that you deserve a holiday after they’re done!
TIP – If you have time, why not post peoples birthday cards and presents, and do anything else that’s needed for the week you get back before you go, so you don’t need to worry at least for a few days when you return – bliss!
Tip #3 – Do The Washing
It’s a really easy win – but getting all your laundry up to date before you go away can help so much when you get back.
This is one of the most crucial things I can recommend you do – as you are guaranteed that there will be loads of washing from your holidays to tackle as soon as you get back.
The last thing you need is to have more on top of that as well.
Also – if you can get everything you aren’t taking away with you clean and ready to wear, then you can be sure that you don’t have to have a mad panic to get a school uniform ready for the following day that’s still languishing at the bottom of the washing pile from before you went away.
Tip #4 – Tell People You’re Going
It’s always good to let your neighbours know that you’re going to be away and they will then be able to look after your house for you and keep an eye on it.
You can then be more sure you won’t walk through the door on your arrival to find a burst pipe has caused a flood, or that you have been burgled.
Leaving a message on your email and phone letting people know you won’t be answering for x days will also minimise how many messages you get on your return – and this can only be a bonus! (However please be careful with this as you don’t want to alert people that your home will be empty for x days too).
Tip #5 – Add An Extra Day To Your Holiday
Whether you work or not, an extra day of downtime booked into your holiday will reap benefits for you.
Use it to catch up on sleep, do the washing, sort out your email etc…- anything that will help the most when you get back into your proper day to day life the following day.
This is why a lot of people return from holidays on a Saturday – so they have Sunday as their catchup day!
TIP – Always try to avoid returning to work at the start of a week. Days tend to be busier then so it’s much better to start back on a Thursday or Friday when you can use the time to catch up rather than get stuck in at the deep end.
Tip #6 – Don’t Schedule Things For The First Few Days Back
Whether it be important work meetings, a social event, or a party – anything that you need to be on top form for and possibly need to prepare for – you don’t want to be having to do as soon as you get back.
Use the first few days back for getting back into the swing of things – and not adding extra things to the mix wherever possible.
Tip #7 – Give Yourself The Weekend Off
The weekend following your holiday should be as free as possible – again give yourself a break!
It’s tiring to go from relaxing on holiday to back to your daily routine – so having the following weekend free will enable you to regain some of that holiday feel – and relax a little again – before it is too far in the dim and distant past to recall!
Are you ready to make returning from holidays easier?
The most important thing you can do before you go away to help yourself when you get back is to manage your diary really carefully for the week or so after you return.
Making sure that you ease yourself back to your day to day life will really help with catching up and not deleting all the relaxing and winding down you have done during your break.
Do a bit of preparation before you go and reap the rewards afterwards! – and most of all, remember to enjoy your holiday with no worry of what is waiting for you on your return…
