The first thing to get you back in the work game is to get yourself organized.
After a wonderful rest at the end of December, getting back to work in January can feel like a struggle. But the beginning of the year is the time when your job probably starts to pick up, and so your productivity needs to pick up too.

Holiday Jet Lag

It is a simple task that will make you feel motivated.
<ul>
<li>List all your to-dos for this month and sort them by urgency. </li>
<li>Then decide how you'll spend 'today'. </li>
<li>Focus on one to three big tasks and keep the rest for later in the week.</li>
</ul>

Get Your To-Dos in Order

After a holiday, you probably have a lot of emails. 
<ul>
<li>Instead of trying to get to inbox zero on the first day, create three email labels: Need an answer today, Need an answer this week, Probably deletable.</li>
<li>Using the subject line alone, filter all the emails into these three folders, then only focus on the first folder today.</li>
</ul>

Getting Back To Work: Triage Your Inbox

<ul>
<li>Try to re-schedule meetings on your calendar for later in the week. </li>
<li>If the meeting is urgent, try starting the conversation over email.</li>
<li>Make sure you are taking lots of breaks throughout the day. The easier the first day is, the easier it will be to get through the rest of the week.</li>
</ul>

Work After Holidays: Meetings and Breaks

<figure><img alt="person at desk" src="https://pilbox.themuse.com/image.jpg?filter=antialias&amp;h=502&amp;opt=1&amp;pos=top-left&amp;prog=1&amp;q=keep&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms-assets.themuse.com%2Fmedia%2Flead%2F27089.jpg%3Fv%3D631196fe4f4c28435065d1f3e2c07cdf05bcec8f&amp;w=1024" srcset="https://pilbox.themuse.com/image.jpg?filter=antialias&amp;h=184&amp;opt=1&amp;pos=top-left&amp;prog=1&amp;q=keep&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms-assets.themuse.com%2Fmedia%2Flead%2F27089.jpg%3Fv%3D631196fe4f4c28435065d1f3e2c07cdf05bcec8f&amp;w=375 375w, https://pilbox.themuse.com/image.jpg?filter=antialias&amp;h=502&amp;opt=1&amp;pos=top-left&amp;prog=1&amp;q=keep&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms-assets.themuse.com%2Fmedia%2Flead%2F27089.jpg%3Fv%3D631196fe4f4c28435065d1f3e2c07cdf05bcec8f&amp;w=1024 1024w" width="1024" height="502"><figcaption dir="auto">Hero Images/Getty Images</figcaption></figure>It’s fair to say that people hate the beginning of January almost as much they love the end of December. No more holidays to look forward to, vacation days to relish, company parties to attend, or social gatherings to pencil into our calendars.I feel your pain—after all the wonderful merriment of last year, we have to go back to the office and do work. Bleh.I wish I could tell you to coast for a bit, but the reality is that this is the time when your job probably starts to pick up—and so your productivity needs to, too.To help you get through the struggles of holiday jet lag, here are some tips for getting yourself back in the work game, starting today:<h2>Get Your To-Dos in Order</h2>First things first, get organized. Not just because this will make the rest of your week easier, but because it’s a simple task that will make you feel motivated to get more done.So, grab a piece of paper and pencil or start a new note on your computer and list all of your to-dos for this month (this isn’t the time for a fancy organization system). Then, sort them by urgency or deadline using numbers (so that it’s literally a laundry list).Then, decide how you’ll spend today—you’re probably barely making it through the first two hours of your day back, so it’s best to start small. Give yourself one to three big tasks to complete—ones your boss or client is breathing down your neck to do—and save the rest of the stuff for later in the week.<h2>Triage Your Inbox</h2>You probably have a lot of emails. Today’s not the day to get to inbox zero. Instead, you’re going to want to create three email labels (here’s how to do that in <a href="https://support.google.com/mail/answer/118708?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&amp;hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">Gmail</a> and <a href="http://emailstopwatch.com/how-to-create-labels-and-folders-in-microsoft-outlook/" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">Outlook</a>) that are named: Needs an answer today, Needs an answer this week, probably deletable. Then, going by the subject line alone, filter all these emails into these three folders. After you do that, only focus on that first folder today (and save that last folder for Friday when you’re done with work for the week). Remember: If something’s truly urgent, the sender will probably ping you again. <h2>Push Off Non-Urgent Meetings</h2>Eventually, you’re going to have to face the thing you dread the most: meetings. But since you’re already feeling overwhelmed with tasks, it’s wise to use your time checking things off your to-do list, not sitting in hour-long brainstorming sessions.So, if you can, reschedule those meetings on your calendar for later in the week. If something’s really urgent, try starting the conversation over email (lucky you, we have the <a href="https://www.themuse.com/advice/turn-meeting-into-an-email-template" dir="ltr">perfect template</a> to do just that).<h2>Give Yourself Breathing Room</h2>Today’s when you believe in the power of breaks—seriously. If you think you’re going to be able to focus for nine hours straight after spending several days lounging around, you don’t know yourself well enough.So, make sure you’re taking lots of breaks throughout the day (even if it’s for five minutes to grab a coffee in the kitchen), and actually use your lunch time to eat away from your desk. The easier today goes, the easier it will be to get through the week. You don’t want to burn all your energy out the first day back, right? There’s unfortunately no secret formula for hitting the ground running after a holiday. My hope is that you’re refreshed enough from your time away that you just might be excited to return to work—or at least energized to get back to it.The best thing you can do is be kind to yourself and give yourself some slack, even if others don’t (like your demanding boss). Do the best you can, pat yourself on the back for all the things you do do, and before you know it you’ll be back to your most efficient self in no time.

Feeling that holiday jet lag? Here's how to move past it and actually get stuff done today—because we know you need to be productive.

productivity

Productivity

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

health

Health

timemanagement

Time Management

It’s fair to say that people hate the beginning of January almost as much they love the end of December. No more holidays to look forward to, vacation days to relish, company parties to attend, or social gatherings to pencil into our calendars.

I feel your pain—after all the wonderful merriment of last year, we have to go back to the office and do work . Bleh.

I wish I could tell you to coast for a bit, but the reality is that this is the time when your job probably starts to pick up—and so your productivity needs to, too.

To help you get through the struggles of holiday jet lag, here are some tips for getting yourself back in the work game, starting today:

First things first, get organized. Not just because this will make the rest of your week easier, but because it’s a simple task that will make you feel motivated to get more done.

So, grab a piece of paper and pencil or start a new note on your computer and list all of your to-dos for this month (this isn’t the time for a fancy organization system). Then, sort them by urgency or deadline using numbers (so that it’s literally a laundry list).

Then, decide how you’ll spend today —you’re probably barely making it through the first two hours of your day back, so it’s best to start small. Give yourself one to three big tasks to complete—ones your boss or client is breathing down your neck to do—and save the rest of the stuff for later in the week.

You probably have a lot of emails. Today’s not the day to get to inbox zero. Instead, you’re going to want to create three email labels (here’s how to do that in <a dir="ltr" href="https://support.google.com/mail/answer/118708?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&amp;hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gmail </a>and <a dir="ltr" href="http://emailstopwatch.com/how-to-create-labels-and-folders-in-microsoft-outlook/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Outlook </a>) that are named: Needs an answer today, Needs an answer this week, probably deletable.

Then, going by the subject line alone, filter all these emails into these three folders. After you do that, only focus on that first folder today (and save that last folder for Friday when you’re done with work for the week).

Remember: If something’s truly urgent, the sender will probably ping you again.

Eventually, you’re going to have to face the thing you dread the most: meetings. But since you’re already feeling overwhelmed with tasks, it’s wise to use your time checking things off your to-do list, not sitting in hour-long brainstorming sessions.

So, if you can, reschedule those meetings on your calendar for later in the week. If something’s really urgent, try starting the conversation over email (lucky you, we have the <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.themuse.com/advice/turn-meeting-into-an-email-template">perfect template </a>to do just that).

Today’s when you believe in the power of breaks—seriously. If you think you’re going to be able to focus for nine hours straight after spending several days lounging around, you don’t know yourself well enough.

So, make sure you’re taking lots of breaks throughout the day (even if it’s for five minutes to grab a coffee in the kitchen), and actually use your lunch time to eat away from your desk. The easier today goes, the easier it will be to get through the week. You don’t want to burn all your energy out the first day back, right?

There’s unfortunately no secret formula for hitting the ground running after a holiday. My hope is that you’re refreshed enough from your time away that you just might be excited to return to work—or at least energized to get back to it.

The best thing you can do is be kind to yourself and give yourself some slack, even if others don’t (like your demanding boss). Do the best you can, pat yourself on the back for all the things you do do, and before you know it you’ll be back to your most efficient self in no time.

How to Get Back on Track After A Holiday

Holiday Jet Lag

Get Your To-Dos in Order

Getting Back To Work: Triage Your Inbox

Work After Holidays: Meetings and Breaks

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