OK, admit it: coming back to work the week after New Years is hard. It just might be the hardest week of the year.
After all, New Years Eve just came and went, as did the Holidays and of course the great American holiday of Thanksgiving has been over for 6 weeks. To be candid, there is no shortage of related items to distract you while you pretend that you are working.
But here’s the good news: You’re not alone. Your coworkers and colleagues
around the country would similarly prefer to skip the meeting or put off
making that phone call or writing that report for at least a few more days.
We all need to shake off the cobwebs.
But it’s precisely because nobody else wants to be working all that hard that you have the chance to make this one of your most productive weeks of the year.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Dive into what needs to be done right now.
- Be as cheerful as you can, even if you’re faking it-your boss and co-workers are watching you.
- Reactivate projects or ideas that you had last year.
- Return phone calls.
- Create small successes for yourself and feel good about your progress.
- Initiate your next several projects now.
- Stand out from the crowd. If you spend this week cranking through all of your assignments while your coworkers resort to goofing off, who do you think will be sitting pretty in the eyes of your boss this Friday afternoon?
So don’t be a New Years first week victim, and stay focused. A reminder: the next New Years is right around the corner!
I am Bernie Reifkind, CEO and founder of Premier Search, Inc. I can be reached at 1(800) 801-1400 or email at ceo@psihealth.com