By Mitchell Rigie and Keith Harmeyer
Summer is over. Labor Day, which typically heralds the (unofficial) end of summer, was early this year. That means even sooner than usual, we were making the annual transition from laid-back, low-pressure July and August to nose-to-the-grindstone, time-to-get-serious September. You may have taken a vacation this summer, but business challenges and member and donor demands didn't. Time to shift your brain from standby mode to all systems go, and it's not always fun or easy.
Fortunately, it is possible to cushion that jolting reentry to our professional reality. All it takes is rethinking some long-held assumptions and exploring new ways of tackling old, familiar challenges. You can't change the calendar, but you can change the way you think about the calendar. And when you do, you'll be shocked by the difference it makes in your work life.
Many people have a deep belief that summertime is great and going back to work is not so great. But that's just an assumption we probably picked up in childhood when it was time to go back to school. What's great is that you can clear out that negativity simply by choosing to view the situation differently, and thereby allowing yourself to see new possibilities.”
Here are a few examples of how you can think differently in order to get a jump on things, plan ahead, engage in a little pre-autumn creative problem solving, and make your chill mode to work mode changeover as positive and productive as possible.
1. Ease into it. Your mind may still be on baseball, snorkeling, and suntan lotion. But it's time to start thinking, just a bit, about what will be waiting for you this month. No need for heavy lifting here; just imagine what will be going on when you return. In your mind, envision your coworkers, your boss, your team, and even your members and donors. What kinds of tasks will you all be working on? What types of meetings will take place? The idea is to get motivated, even excited, about being productive. Just taking this mental journey through future-gazing can help ease your transition back to the office.
2. Set some tentative goals. Why not take it one step further and actually identify some things you'd like to get done? Take a few minutes, clear your mind, and create an aspiration list of things you want to accomplish during the last four months of the year. What changes would you like to make in your work routine? How can you inspire and coach your coworkers or team to be more productive and successful? What personal and organizational goals would you like to put in place?
3. Ask yourself, what's so terrible about work, anyway? If you're not looking forward to the intensity of autumn, that's probably based on your belief that whatever you're doing now is more enjoyable than what you'll be doing then. Vacation and summertime activities are certainly fun. But so are creative challenges, stimulating projects, positive collaboration with colleagues, and meaningful achievements. So why not choose to embrace what lies ahead?
4. Cross your t's and dot your i's. Every good scout knows to always have close at hand whatever tools he or she needs to tackle any foreseeable challenge. But how about you? Are you prepared? Is your contact list clean and up to date? Do you have the necessary apps installed on your smartphone, tablet, and/or computer, and have they all been updated to the most recent versions? Is your schedule handy and accurate? Make sure you have everything you need to start the month efficiently and effectively.
5. Get in touch with your colleagues. Often, we aren't in regular contact with our team or coworkers, or NYSAE colleagues during the summer months. Vacations, days off, and lightened workloads often result in less frequent communication. So why not reach out and reestablish contact?
Managing the inevitable transition after summer is really all about being aware of what's going to happen, acknowledging what needs to be done, and taking some small action steps. Be creative! Use your imagination and problem-solving skills. Just doing something, anything, to prepare for your return will make a dramatic difference.
Heading back to work after time off is as much a state of mind as it is a practical reality. Take a few minutes to readjust your thinking, make a few plans, tidy up your systems and your mind. You'll soon discover you're more motivated, more energized, and more productive for your efforts.
Mitchell Rigie and Keith Harmeyerare co-authors of SmartStorming: The Game-Changing Process for Generating Bigger, Better Ideas;
www.smartstorming.com.