Life hacks to get over the back to work blues

Summer is the time for getting away, taking a blissful break from the daily grind to relax and rejuvenate. But when vacation is over, re-entry into your regular routine can be difficult. To help you beat off the back-to-work blues, we asked a few of our favorite designers, architects and creative types to share their preferred life hacks for holding on to that vacation high.

 

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Isabelle Blase, a Bachelor of Arts architecture, Sales Agent, lighting designer, based in Frankfurt (Germany), advocates short breaks throughout the day to stay on track. ā€œJust a few minutes to breathe and calm down from busy emailing and phone conversations,ā€ she says. ā€œIt provides structure to your day and your work. And, of course, everyone needs a good coffee;)ā€

Susana Cots, a Barcelona-based interior designer, embraces the idea of a fresh start after vacation. ā€œItā€™s like beginning a new year,ā€ she says. ā€œSeptember is a creative month, a time when weā€™re more receptive to changes and can take advantage of our recharged batteries after the holidays to improve our lives.ā€ To that end, one of her strategies is to make slight adjustments to her studio space and homeā€”rearranging furniture and photos, books and plants. ā€œThis way,ā€ she explains, ā€œI start autumnā€”my favourite seasonā€”with a different perspective on things.

Niki Brantmark, who writes the interior design blog My Scandinavian Home from her adopted home in the Sweden, believes a well-organized space helps ease the transition. ā€œOn my first day back to work, I always start by de-cluttering my desk and office area to make it fresh and clean,ā€ she explains. ā€œI remove any ‘noise’ items that are unnecessary or donā€™t give me pleasure and add something that makes the space feel ready for the season.ā€ For her, this typically includes a bit of greenery. ā€œPlants are known for cleaning the air and making you happierā€”but nothing that requires a lot of watering! It feels great to wipe the slate clean and give yourself a fresh start.ā€

Misty Floro and Pai Edles ( @morfosis_ph),Ā interior designers from Quezon City in the Philippines, have a secret weapon: Pizza, their 1-year-old English bulldog. ā€œAfter a good vacation, we get over the back-to-work blues by bringing Pizza to work with us. He slobbers a lot, but he brings a big slice of joy to the office. Here he is taking over our work desk and our lives:)ā€

ā€œHow do I get back to a normal routine after falling asleep listening to the waves on the shore and waking to the soft summer breeze?ā€ ponders Greta Arcila, founder and editor-in-chief of Glocal Design magazine, in Mexico DF. ā€œIt might seem like Mission Impossible XXI, but it can be done.ā€

When faced with reality, she believes the best approach is to embrace it ā€œlittle by little, so the routine doesnā€™t destroy me.ā€ Music is a key part of her coping strategy. Last year, when she was visiting the Habitat design fair in Valencia, Spain, she discovered the radio station M80. ā€œI fell in love with it,ā€ she says. ā€œThe best part is that the time difference between Spain and Mexico means I can listen to current affairs accompanied by music of the 1980s and ā€™90sā€”Iā€™m a Gen Xā€™er, I canā€™t help it.ā€

When Greta arrives at the office, she immediately turns on her computer and opens her ITunes looking for classical music so she can concentrate. ā€œAnd suddenly I realise that Iā€™m back into my routine, ready to go to the gym to lose some of the weight I gained during my dreamy days off when calories didnā€™t mean a thing.

 

We want to hear from you: What are your tried-and-true tips for getting back into the swing of things when summer vacation is over?