How do you get back into “work mode” after holidays or a sabbatical?
Honestly, I sometimes feel a bit of internal pressure or even fear that if I miss something, it will be hard to get back into work, especially because I’m strongly embedded in tech.
And you can see it… when you disconnect for 2 or 3 days and don’t follow the news, you feel mentally better, but at the same time you start losing that sense of overview that feels quite important for your career.
Because progress doesn’t stop, and every pause feels like it costs you time and, metaphorically, reduces your orientation in the industry.
How do you manage to get back into work mode after time off?
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What feels like falling behind is often just losing the daily news cycle. Your skills experience and understanding don't disappear after a weekend off.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@alan_gregory But you can upskill yourself by being present and in the picture (by following those news) :D
It's not easy to do. What helps me is acknowledging and accepting that taking a step away actually is necessary for you to be productive. It helps you move away from the tactical and go into the slow-thinking mode. Those quiet moments on a plane ride, a walk in a different environment where your ideas suddenly appear. Maybe they were always there but it was too noisy to hear them.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@yumi_joh Less noise more focus :)
Propane
@yumi_joh the plane ride / walk thing is so real. some of my best ideas have come from just being bored for a couple of hours with no wifi. we seriously underestimate how much good thinking needs space, not more stimulation.
@atherkildsen 100% often time folks confuse distraction with busyness. glad to meet another person who enjoys deep thinking at high altitudes.
The hardest lesson in tech is realizing that being informed and being productive are not the same thing . Sometimes stepping away improves both judgment and focus.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@adrian_scott2 TBH, the more news I consume, the less time I have for real work. 😅
Propane
@adrian_scott2 this hits. I went through a phase where I was consuming a ton of content and felt really "in it" — but actual output was low. being informed is a bit of a comfort blanket. it feels like work but it isn't.
I used to feel the same @busmark_w_nika - having been an entrepreneur for almost 34 years, I'd feel off whenever I went on vacation. And honestly, I could never really unplug. So, many years ago, I decided I'd let myself connect (whatever that looked like at the time). I have a pre-determined period of time - I hit LinkedIn, check emails, whatever, and then put it all away. I feel better and way less anxious about not knowing what's happening. #winwin
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@anna_ludwinowski The less you know, the better you sleep :D
@busmark_w_nika @anna_ludwinowski I get why it works - having a set time to check things is definitely better than constantly wondering what you're missing. For me, though, it kind of does the opposite. Once I check in, my brain is back in work mode and stays there for the rest of the day.
@busmark_w_nika @jared_salois Yup, that can happen! And that's why having a hard stop is important. I'm an early bird so I'd work while my people sleep. But once they're up, I'm done.
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@jared_salois @anna_ludwinowski I am both, getting up early, going to bed later :D
I just start with one easy task. Trying to “catch up” on everything first usually makes it harder to begin.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@farrukh_butt1 So what is the very first easy task for today? :)
Propane
@farrukh_butt1 same. I always pick something with a fast feedback loop for day one back — something I can finish and actually see the result of. it tricks your brain into feeling like you're moving again. momentum is self-reinforcing.
the FOMO is real. I took 4 days off last month and came back feeling like I missed an entire product cycle. the orientation comes back faster than you think. after one solid day of actually working on something, not catching up on news but doing real work, everything clicks back into place. the anxiety of being behind is always 10x worse than actually being behind
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@tina_chhabra Maybe my thoughts are just too much... reality is not that bad :D
Propane
@tina_chhabra "the anxiety of being behind is always worse than actually being behind" — that's so accurate it's almost annoying. I've wasted more energy stressing about gaps than the gap ever actually cost me. the first real work session is always the cure.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@olivier_jury What is Bismillah? :D
@busmark_w_nika C'est ce qu'on dit avant de commencer n'importe quoi d'important.
Manger, dormir, écrire du code, poster sur Instagram. Ya Fattah = On ouvre avec Son nom.
Jury Olivier 40 ans de code :
"Bismillah avant d'allumer l'ordinateur".
Sagesse pure. Ça centre
le cœur + ça met la baraka dans le travail.
Bismillah = on
commence avec Allah.
Comme 'let's go' mais avec bénédiction ✍🏻🌬️🤲🏾
The funny thing is, rest actually improves your ability to see the bigger picture.
When you’re constantly plugged into the timeline, every update feels urgent. Every new tool feels like something you’re already behind on. After a while, your brain stops processing what actually matters and just starts collecting noise.
Burnout doesn’t create clarity. It creates information hoarding with anxiety attached to it.
And honestly, most “breaking changes” in tech are just old ideas wearing a fresh hoodie and getting VC funding 😂
Every time I take a proper break, I come back thinking I missed everything… then within a few hours I realize the industry is still the same beautiful chaos it was before I left.
People are still arguing on X.
Someone is still launching an AI wrapper.
Someone is still declaring the death of something that will somehow survive another decade.
Tech will still be chaotic on Monday. It always is.
Might as well show up with functioning brain cells, decent sleep, and enough energy left to enjoy your actual life outside the screen too.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@md_khayruzzaman Sometimes I feel like throwing my laptop out of the window... it is just too much :D
@busmark_w_nika Haha !!! I know the feeling, right !!! But, what happened after that little moment of desperation? Preperation!
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@md_khayruzzaman I like the wordplay you created :D
I think of it a bit like the gym.
When you stop training for a few days, you may feel slightly out of rhythm, but you haven’t lost all your strength. The key is not to panic and try to lift everything on day one. You ease back in, rebuild the routine, and let momentum return.
Work is similar. After a holiday or sabbatical, I think the best approach is to re-enter with intention: catch up on the most important signals, ignore the noise, and choose one or two clear priorities to restart with.
The pause is not always a setback. Sometimes it is what protects you from burnout and gives you the clarity to come back sharper.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@supamrvl Where would you start after the sabathical?
The best thing you can do is planning. Make a list of what you want to achieve next... and hope you remember all your passwords and logins! :D
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@norteapp someone doesn't use a password manager, right? :D