1. Ease into It—Your mind may still be on baseball, snorkeling, and suntan lotion. But during these final days of summer, it’s time to start thinking, just a bit, about what will be waiting for you on Tuesday, September 3rd. No need for heavy lifting here; just imagine what will be going on when you return. In your mind, envision your coworkers, your boss, your team, and even your clients or customers. What kinds of tasks will you all be working on? What types of meetings will take place?
2. Set Some Tentative Goals—Why not take it one step further and actually identify some things you’d like to get done? Take a few minutes, clear your mind, and create an “aspiration list” of things you want to accomplish during the last four months of the year. What changes would you like to make in your work routine? How can you inspire and coach your coworkers or team to be more productive and successful? What personal and organizational goals would you like to put in place?
3. Ask Yourself, What’s So Terrible About Work, Anyway?—If you’re not looking forward to the intensity of autumn, that’s probably based on your belief that whatever you’re doing now is more enjoyable than what you’ll be doing then. Vacation and summertime activities are certainly fun. But so are creative challenges, stimulating projects, positive collaboration with colleagues, and meaningful achievements. So why not choose to embrace what lies ahead?
“Start looking at fall as the season for rekindling possibilities after recharging your batteries over the summer,” recommends Harmeyer. “Plus, you’ll soon have the holidays (and maybe a year-end bonus) to look forward to, as well!”
