Easing back into work

Vacations are fabulous. You wake up late and eat a ton of food. You see new places or reacquaint yourself with old friends. You take time to breathe, relax and if you're lucky, you never, ever think about work.

But what happens when the lazy days are over and you return to the stress and turmoil of your job? We've got a few tips on how to ease yourself back into work:

1. Prepare before you leave. Workbloom.com recommends assigning tasks to colleagues before you jet off on your vacay. This way when you come back, you won't be overwhelmed. And greenliving.suite101.com suggests cleaning your house and desk before you leave. Coming back to a mess can only increase your stress level.  The site also says this:

No doubt you will eat good food during your vacation, so plan a fine dining experience for your return. You might leave a good quality pre-prepared meal, or a menu of a favorite takeout or delivery restaurant.

Consider taking an extra day off work to unwind before returning to the office. Prepare treats for the day, order a book or DVD to greet you when you return, or plan a meal with friends. Seeing friends and enjoying your home are great compensations of the return from vacation, so make the most of these by planning ahead.

Think you're too busy to ever plan ahead? See our special on how to have it all.

2. Take it slow. It's an old trick to come back mid-week, or right before a long weekend. Having a few days off right after your return will help ease you back into the work flow. But you can also keep your calm by tackling tasks one at a time. An article from EHow.com says this:

Work at your own pace. No one expects a whirling dervish on the first day back from vacation, or even the first week back. Take advantage of this fact and work at your own pace until you are up to speed with the rest of the office once again.

The site also suggests taking frequent breaks - either for food, water or fresh air. Plus Helium.com recommends thinning your email out before you arrive in the office. Taking time the night before your return will make the morning seem that much less overwhelming.

For many of us the main curse of returning to work is arriving to an in-box crammed with e-mails. For those people who can access their work e-mails from home, it might be worth devoting an hour or so the previous night to reading some of your backlog of e-mails. Okay, this is slightly eating into the last hours of your holiday but it may be worth it to be able to hit the ground running on the first day back.

3. Plan your next vacation. Whoa, you just got back - don't go asking your boss for more days just yet. But planning a weekend getaway or a day trip to the spa will help you hold on to the blissful feeling just a little bit longer.