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Post-Vacation Motivation

Jules Rogers

 

I open the door to my apartment after a long drive and drive home from New York, throwing my bags down and immediately want to go to sleep.  I’m exhausted, sore from driving, so I flop onto my bed and have a difficult night sleeping. In the week following, I’ll struggle to get back on track with my work.  Sleep problems, stress from exams, and a general lack of motivation color my days following any vacation-or time at home in New York.

How do I get motivated after a vacation, or any kind of long break? It doesn’t come naturally. Here’s what I’ve been learning:

 

Get Some Rest

 

I think the biggest reason I have trouble getting motivated is that I’m tired-really tired. One might think that I’d be well rested after some time at home, but I spend a lot of time hiking, running with my dog, and generally being more active than one might think for a “vacation”.  Therefore, I’m tired — and being exhausted makes it hard to get motivated.

My prescription: Rest as much as possible for a few days. Take naps, sleep in, take it easy for a little while.  If your traveling has caused any amount of jetlag, you will need time to catch up and transition back into your normal sleep cycle.  This does not mean to do nothing, but rest should be a top priority in the days following a long break or vacation.

 

Find a Purpose

 

If I’m not motivated, it’s usually because I don’t have a driving purpose that makes me want to do some work-I don’t have a reason to get cranking.

My prescription: Find something that helps other people, and will change their lives in a meaningful way. Really think about that change and about those people.  If I feel the pain they’re going through, or see how they’re stuck in some way, I feel motivated to help.

We are all like that.  We want to help people, even if we have more selfish tendencies some of the time. Tap into this, and find a reason to get moving.

 

Get the Ball Rolling

 

It is overwhelming to think about a mountain of work you need to get started on, and when we’re overwhelmed, we often do not even want to start.

My prescription: Do something small, ideally related to the purpose you’ve found. You just need to do something. Set yourself a task — one single task — of doing something very easy. For example, I told myself to write one paragraph of a paper due in two weeks.

When it’s something that simple, you can hardly say no. It’s no longer overwhelming. Once you get started, you will feel more motivated. Set another easy task, and then another, until you’re at full steam.

 

Add Accountability

 

For me, it’s easy to put off schoolwork because no one will yell at me or fire me if I don’t get to it right away.  I can spend several days goofing off and the world will not fall apart. When you do not really have anyone to answer to, it can be hard to find motivation.

My prescription: Ask someone to give you accountability. Tell them you’re going to send them a draft of whatever you’re working on by tomorrow, or regularly give them your work every Friday. Ask them to make sure you get this in to them.

This always works for me. I hate to let people down, so accountability gets me moving.

 

In Conclusion

 

There are lots of times in our lives when we’re not motivated, not just after vacation or a long break.  These tips will help us get back on track for any of those times.

If you’re facing one of those unmotivated times in your life, try these strategies, or a combination of a couple of them, and see if it works for you:

  • Get lots of rest.

  • Find a purpose where you’re helping people.

  • Get the ball rolling with a very small task.

  • Ask someone to hold you accountable.

Once you’re back on track, you’ll feel great. Movement begets movement, and happiness as well.

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