From Thanksgiving Day until January 7th, many of us seem to be transported to a fantasyland ruled by shopping, decorating, parties, family reunions and more, where we pay little or no attention whatsoever to our daily work. Many of us go away for a while, others get absent virtually. The truth is that starting the New Year it takes us at least one week to reactivate our brains and get back into normal daily operations. It is time to realize that the clock is ticking and we must return to real life.
A little bit lost, many returned today to work, children went back to school and all of us are trying to work on those New Year’s resolutions. Unfortunately, going to the gym, or that magical diet will only last a few weeks, and soon our resolutions will be forgotten. My advice: get rid of that paper in which you wrote those resolutions and make them public instead. This is going to make you a little more committed, because for some reason and whatever they say, we all care what other people think up to a certain point. And if others know our plans, many of them (at least our closest friends) are going to help us and remind us about these resolutions from time to time.
Here are other tips to face reality and not die trying:
– Smile. Although it might be hard, or you miss your family, or you want to be back on the beach and not in the cold office, smile. This will make things easier.
– Change your strategy. Usually we expect too much at the beginning of the year. Start by living one week at a time, even day by day. Start with short objectives and then you can add up.
– Organize your home. This is a hard one for me. But if I have learned something is that after such periods of absence, the mess at home implies an instant lack of energy. Make an effort this week to unpack, organize and fill your home with positive energy. It will be easier when you get back from work.
– No more late nights. Our schedules change upon returning from vacations. But it is time to realize that things go better for the early bird. Then take advantage of the night to rest and in the morning you will see everything better.
– Do not beat yourself for not getting back into your routine overnight. Take it slow and you will see how in less than you think you will be doing everything as if nothing had happened.
– Do not lose the momentum of the New Year. We prepared a lot for the New Year and we are filled with the energy that surrounds this date, but we do not know how to keep it. That depends on each person. Do your best to make that energy counts.
What other tips do you have to get your routine back after the holidays? What resolutions do you have for this 2013?
