Sometimes, you need to give yourself a little space to “Get your head back in the game.” Did you take some time off during the holidays – and now you are trying to get up and running again but it’s not working so well? It’s okay to take that step back sometimes to make a plan, so you can gain your foothold and move forward.

It’s kind of like that overwhelming feeling that you have when you return to work or a project after taking some time off.  Especially when it’s Monday morning. You are swamped with email, voicemail, social media messages to go through and you do not even know where to start.  How do you begin so you feel you are making progress and addressing priorities?

My favorite way to tackle this is with good, old-fashioned lists.  I actually start before I take time off….really. I create a “to do list” of the most important things I should check for upon my return. I also try to avoid any appointments on the morning of day 1 to get organized and allow time for any crisis that may have arisen. Next, I create a 3-column list as I do an initial scan of messages: top priorities go in the “A” column, medium priorities in the “B” column, and not urgent in the “C” of course. Then, I go back to column A and start addressing those high priority items.

Do it one step at a time and try not to skip around so that you can complete tasks.  Schedule break time to take a deep breath. Now – slowly go grab some coffee (or your favorite drink!) and you will be back in the game in no time!