I hope you had a good summer and you have been able to disconnect and gather strength. It is time to return to work. It’s time to begin September with renewed strength. I am convinced that SEPTEMBER IS THE NEW JANUARY. In other words, it is the month in which more projects are started, the month in which it marks a clear starting point. For me, even more than the month of January itself, the quintessential month for the beginning of the cycle. Between the academic year, sports leagues… More and more projects start in September.
And when you return to your activity, YOU SHOULD TRY TO AVOID POST-HOLIDAY SYNDROME. It is about the (more than usual) problems of adaptation after a period of vacations and return to the usual activity. This syndrome usually involves some physical discomfort (fatigue, lack of sleep, muscle pain…) and psychic discomfort (irritability, nervousness, sadness, lack of motivation…). It is likely that it has happened to you on occasion.
To avoid post-holiday syndrome as much as possible, experts recommend not extending your vacation until the last day and opting for a gradual reincorporation. It is also interesting to develop leisure activities compatible with work and take time to get back to the rhythm you had before the holidays .
And for me, one of the most important aspects to avoid post-holiday syndrome is to have a project that motivates you. I wrote about it years ago in the post The Sunday Night Syndrome. In it, I wrote about the importance of having a motivating challenge, a project that you are passionate about so that Sunday nights are not depressing, but on the contrary, motivating to start the week with strength and enthusiasm. I use the same analogy for the beginning of September. If it has been difficult for you to start, if you lack strength and energy… probably you are in the wrong project. Probably your challenge does not motivate you enough, it does not excite you or give you energy.
Steve Jobs said “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today? And whenever the answer has been “no” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”
And I couldn’t agree more with Jobs. If it is too difficult for you to return from vacation and return to work, perhaps it is a clear symptom that you need a change.
Economic analysts predict next months will be difficult at the economic level. Surely we are going to have high inflations much higher than wage increases, with which most professionals will lose purchasing power. Probably the labor market will not be immune to this crisis and will not facilitate professional growth excessively, there will not be many opportunities to change projects, the salary trend will be downward… But well, you cannot control all this complex environment. You can only control your attitude, you can only control how you will respond to this difficult situation.
Work in the project you can, but don’t stop trying to achieve a challenge that motivates you, that excites you, that makes you come back from vacation with as much desire as you started. I know that it is not an easy challenge and even less so in the current context. But the more you want it and the more you work to achieve it, the easier it will be for you. In this sense I recommend my post Land the job (or project) you deserve, Part I and Part II.
And I end with a reflection that I love. I don’t know the author but it perfectly sums up my point of view: “Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress. Working hard for something we love is called passion.”
