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?
74 views
Replies
I think it's the overwhelming feeling of "what did I miss oh a stupid ton of seemingly important stuff" that gets in our way. What worked for me was building a simple routine whenever I'm stuck or overwhelmed: open the notes app of my choice and see what I've jotted down before. Context bridge pulls you back immediately can you can think about what matters and what's noise.
I remind myself that the industry moves continuously but most breakthroughs take months or years to matter in practice. Missing a few days rarely changes much.
I've noticed that the things I worry about missing during a break are rarely the things that matter six months later.
Most industry knowledge is surprisingly persistent. What's fragile is momentum and routine, so when I come back, I focus on rebuilding those first instead of trying to catch up on every update.
The irony is that a few days away often improves my judgment about what deserves attention in the first place.
I hear you, it's usually a bit scattered once you return but it's starts with the morning of getting back into work mode for me. Its like compartmentalizing, work mode on...Im back, checking up on everything before I left and starting off from there.
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
For me the trick is not trying to catch up with everything in one day. I check what really changed, ignore the noise and start with one small task I can fiinish
I try to make the first day back a re entry day instead of a normal workday. I check what truly changed, make a short priority list and pick one easy task to finish. Trying to catch up with everything at once usually makes me feel more behind