Tips for Defeating the Post Holiday Blues at Work

New Year's Eve marks the end of the holiday season for children as they head back to school. Yet, it's not just children that get the post holiday season blues. Many employees return to work with that same feeling as they return to work after taking time off for the holidays. There are several ways employees can fight that feeling of dissapointment and lethargy that accompany the post holiday blues as you return to work.

For many employees, they have spent the past four to six weeks preparing for the holiday season, including shopping, attending parties, and spending time with their family. Now they return to work with one thought on their mind, it's almost another 360 days before they get to experience the same fun again next year. The key though is they need to break their time into shorter time periods. For most employees, there are several holidays resulting in time off.

One of those holidays is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. That holiday is just about 2 1/2 weeks after employees return to work. Instead of viewing their upcoming work year as a marathon, divide it into sprints. Know that you only have to work 2 1/2 weeks before getting a free day out of the office. Set short term goals in the office that can be accomplished during that time period, instead of concentrating on long term goals. By seeing how you are progressing towards accomplishing short term goals, you will feel a sense of accomplishment you might not have when viewing yearly goals 2 1/2 weeks into the new year.

The next holiday after Martin Luther King Jr. Day is President's Day. That is approximately one month after Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Set four week goals to accomplish between these two holidays. Once again both the holiday and your goals will seem much closer when you realize it is only a month away. For those with a signficant other there will also be another memorable holiday (though it does not include a free day off), before that holiday in Valentine's Day.