Making the After Vacation Transition Easier

Don't get me wrong when I say this, because I love vacations, but it can be very stressful afterwards.  Whether it's way out of town or just a weekend getaway nearby, everything's enjoyable for me until it starts to wind down and I begin to get that anxiety about going back to work.   I start dwelling on what I've missed and what chaos I may come back to.  Then I start thinking of all the normal everyday routine stuff I need to do when I get home and if I'll have enough time to do it.   So how do you overcome and avoid that feeling and those thoughts? Well, over the years I have mastered it or at least found what works for me.   So check out these tips and hopefully you can make your transition from vacation to regular life a breeze.


Clean Before You Leave
Nothing is more frustrating than coming home from a nice relaxing vacation and being faced with housework especially when you still need to unpack and deal with laundry from your trip.  That's why I always make it a point to clean the house BEFORE I go away.  That way when I get home, it's already clean and tidy and the only thing I need to worry about is unpacking and decompressing.  Have all laundry done before you go away, make sure the counters are wiped down and the dishwasher has run, and make sure the house is swept and vacuumed.  If you have yardwork to do make sure you fit that in (lawn mowing included) in the days before you leave.


It's SO nice to come home to a neat and tidy home and it almost feels as if a maid was there and cleaned for you.


Schedule An Extra Day Off
Some people come right back from vacation with mere hours before bedtime and then they wake up early the next day and are right back in the office.  I can't do that.  I always need my routine of decompressing the day before I go back to work so I always schedule an extra day off.  I use that day to run errands, re-stock the pantries, do any cooking for the upcoming week, and relax.  I unpack anything that needs unpacked as well.   It's nice to have an entire day back in my routine at home before I have to jump right back into work.  When I don't take this extra day off I always feel like I skipped a weekend or something.


Even if you don't have any chores or errands to do on your day off you can still just relax. It's a bonus vacation day without the travel and packing/unpacking. 


Keep Up With Small Digital Tasks While Away
This of course isn't going to work for everyone but for me, it always helps to keep up at least once a day even for a few minutes, with my work emails, blog/personal emails, and social media notifications.  You don't have to complete any work but it always helps to weed out any spam emails or minor things that can be read and then deleted.   I respond to any of the simple emails / social media inquiries that are blog related or my work emails while I have some free time so that it's one less silly task to do when I'm back in the office or back working on my blog.  I actually get more stressed when I try to completely avoid that kind of stuff while on vacation.  So whatever works for you... do that! 


Schedule Things Before Your Trip
If you have arrangements to make for medical appointments, dinners with friends, carpools, etc. make sure you take care of those before your trip so you aren't scrambling to get it all done as soon as you get back from vacation.  If you are someone that meal plans like I do, make sure your meal planning for the week you're home is done before you leave.  Have your grocery and shopping lists made up too. 


Heck, I even make to do lists for when I get back, prior to my trip.  That way when I still have vacation brain I am not struggling to remember the things I wanted to get done the following week.  Do all the brain and leg work ahead of time and you'll have an easier transition afterwards, trust me!


What do you do to help ease back into the regular routine of daily life?

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