You know that feeling when you’ve just had two glorious weeks of family fun, beach days, late sleep-ins, and absolutely zero thoughts about emails, deadlines, or whether your tradie clients have finally learned how to use Hubdoc/Dext?
And then suddenly…
BAM.
You’re back in an office chair, blinking at your screen like a confused meerkat who’s been asked to solve world peace before 9am.
If you’ve recently returned from leave and found yourself wondering whether you really need a job or whether you could, in fact, run away and join the circus as a moderately enthusiastic juggler… you’re not alone.
Coming back to work after a break is hard. Like, “why does my body hurt from sitting upright again?” hard. But before you dramatically quit, sell everything, and start training for your new life as a trapeze artist, here are five far more sensible things you can do instead.
1. Book another holiday — future you will thank you
There is no greater motivation to get through your inbox than knowing you’ve got another escape on the horizon. It doesn’t have to be fancy. A weekend away. A night in a tent. A day trip where you pretend your phone doesn’t exist.
Give yourself something to look forward to — it’s basically emotional sunscreen.
2. Start a new hobby (bonus points if it’s chaotic)
New year, new you, new… pottery obsession? Start something that sparks joy, creativity, or at least distracts you from Googling “how to join Cirque du Soleil with no skills.”
Knitting, paddleboarding, salsa dancing, candle-making, interpretive dance - whatever gets your brain firing again.
3. Dye your hair pink (or do something else mildly rebellious)
Look, sometimes you just need a little shake-up. Pink hair. A fringe. A nose ring. A new pair of glasses that say, “I’m fun but also responsible.” It’s cheaper than quitting your job and significantly less likely to result in you living in a caravan with a collection of clowns.
4. Ease back in like a sensible adult (or at least pretend to)
You don’t have to go from holiday mode to turbo-productivity in one day.
Start with the easy wins:
Momentum counts.
5. Reconnect with your purpose (yes, I said it — stay with me)
Before you roll your eyes, hear me out. You chose this job for a reason. Maybe it’s the clients you love, the flexibility, the impact you
make, or the fact that you’re really good at what you do.
Take a moment to remember the why. It’s amazing how grounding it can be — and it’s far more sustainable than learning to ride a
unicycle.
Returning to work after a break is a universal struggle. But you don’t need to burn your life down or run away with the circus to cope. A few small shifts, a little self-kindness, and maybe a splash of pink hair dye can make all the difference.
And if all else fails… book the holiday. Always book the holiday.
Stay cool, and hit the beach!
