Reclaiming Work Rhythm

finding consistency after vacation 🥱

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

About a decade ago, I was interviewed by Fast Company and asked to share tips on something many professionals struggle with: post-vacation strategies for hitting the ground running.

Years later, I'd tell the reporter what I’d since realized: I'm not a fan of ‘hitting the ground running.’ The phrase implies a frantic urgency, a sprint that suggests we've fallen behind or must immediately make up for time away. Professional re-entry isn't a race. It's a deliberate stride, a consistent return that honors the restorative power of time away.

As many of us prepare to return to our professional routines tomorrow #CueSadTrombone, I want to share three strategies I use for re-establishing consistency after days or weeks away.

🏖️ Rebuild routine like muscle memory

Muscle memory isn't only a physical phenomenon it's a mental strategy. Just as when we take time away from exercise we g r a d u a l l y rebuild strength/technique, we should reconstruct our work routine incrementally, too.

Start small.

On the first day back, don't aim to conquer the entire mountain of outlook emails and Teams messages and and and. Instead, focus on re-establishing basic ‘movements’:

✔️check email

✔️ review calendar

✔️ make a prioritized to-do list

✔️ decide what MUST get done by end of day and/or end of week

These initial actions are like stretches. They prepare our work-muscles for more intense activity as Q1 gains momentum.

The key here is consistent reintroduction. Our work routine is a skill and like any skill it requires recalibration after a break.

🧘🏾‍♀️Create a soft launch environment

Take a few minutes on the first day back to design your week with intentional grace. Strategically minimize high-stress interactions and overwhelming commitments when possible.

I like to block out chunks of time for focused work and limit back-to-back meetings as I regain my work-mindset.

I frame this as a back-to-work soft launch where I’m essentially rebooting my work ecosystem. I also communicate proactively with my Team about this approach setting realistic expectations for the first day back and encouraging them to do the same for themselves.

(and yes. second day back is usually a whole ‘nother story but you’ll have that.)

🧠 Integrate vacation insights into work narratives

Here's a fact about creativity many of us misunderstand: the seemingly mundane moments of vacation, times that appear to be nothing more than relaxation or even boredom are the times we have some of our most innovative thinking.

Research in cognitive psychology shows boredom is not an enemy of productivity, but its creator. Neuroscientists know when our brains are not focused on task-oriented thinking, they shift into what’s referred to as 'default mode network' where the cognitive magic happens! D.M.N. is when neural connections form, memories consolidate, and the best creative insights emerge.

As you git back to it post-vacation make time to mind-map thoughts or creative sparks you had during the time away. As silly as it sounds these may be the key to the professional breakthroughs you’d been struggling with prior to the break.

my mini-Mombasa vacay

Here’s the thing, as much as we put pressure on ourselves or imagine our bosses expecting it from us: returning to work isn't about hitting the ground running or achieving immediate perfection.

It's about returning to creating consistent momentum.

Vacations, long or short, aren’t only breaks from the grind of work—they are essential respites that feed creativity, restore energy, and provide raw material needed for professional growth.

When we approach the return with consistency and strategy we shift the post-vacation transition from a source of sadness and stress into an opportunity for intentional alignment.

The magic is never in perfection, right? It’s in showing up, imperfectly and persistently, one consistent step at a time.

We’ve got this.