Don’t let the holiday blues take over: 3 ways to prioritise yourself at work

Most people are back to work by now, you can see the streets busier with more work-attire, and many rushing to a lunchtime gym class with their new year resolutions holding on by a thread. 

If you’re like me, you may start out with the best intentions to get more ‘me time’ and prioritise yourself more this year. You may have set little routines or rules for yourself to abide by to ensure that work doesn’t consume you but week by week you start to see these things slip away and before you know it, you’re back to old habits, feeling exhausted from work and living for the weekends. 

So with the benefit of having done this myself year after year and seeing so many of my clients fall into the same trap. Here are my top 3 simple ways to prioritise yourself at work.  

1. Remember why you are there 

Meaning remember your ‘why’, the real, tangible reason that you do this job. When work gets busy it’s easier to get caught up in the day to day and lose track of why we started in the first place but being aware of it can really help to motivate us. And that drive carries through to our time outside of work too where we feel more energised to look after ourselves.  

If you’re not certain what that ‘why’ is for you, then take some time out to reflect on what it is. Consider what this job is giving you, what is it allowing you to work towards, to ultimately achieve or to have. You may relate to that thing as an identity and / or it may be a tangible outcome such as a pay rise with the next promotion, or that you get the opportunity to learn a skill you’re super passionate about. Whatever it is for you, tune into it, imagine yourself at the end goal and use that excitement as encouragement to get back into work. 

2. Have something to look forward to outside of work 

It's likely that during the holidays you’ve had more time to do the things that you love doing. Taking a book to the beach, playing with the kids at the pool, working on the house projects or some other pursuits you thrive on.  

Getting the chance to do these things during the holidays leaves most of us feeling happier and with a full cup. But then, we have to go back to work and naturally we have less time to enjoy these things, it’s very easy to drop them all together and get caught up in the work routine.  

But it’s crucial that you prioritise them if you want to have a sustainable year.  

Try and have a weekly routine which includes scheduled time for whatever it is that lights you up. Many of my clients use a ‘hard-finish’ time on a set day or two of the week where they have date night, gym class etc.  

I know for many, they absolutely always have their next holiday scheduled so they know that they get more time off in 2-3 months time. That excitement drives them – maybe it’s partly about needing to earn the money to pay for it too, haha! 

For others, its actively finding a new hobby or pursuit that gives them enjoyment outside of the work-grind to feel more aligned with their personal values. Once our values are being met, in work or out, that overall feeling of contentment is far more prevalent and more easily sustained. 

3. Set your boundaries

Boundaries help to create a clear guideline of how you would like to be treated. They let others know what is and what is not acceptable. They honour our needs so that we feel respected and safe. 

A lack of boundaries is one of the biggest contributors to burnout. We take on too much and eventually wear ourselves down and begin to resent a lot of the things we were once supposedly happy to do. 

Know when to say no to a new project or task that your boss may give you, or work with him/her to re-prioritise your workload if the new task is an essential. Don’t just say yes and leave yourself to drown in the pressure. 

And, if you find it hard to say ‘no’ then ask yourself why that is and consider getting some coaching to work through it as it is often due to an engrained limiting belief that is holding us back or making us a people pleaser. 

Consider doing a mini self-audit on your work hours and find ways you can build more self-care into your routine. Perhaps your boundary is that you don’t work beyond 6pm so as to never miss the 7pm yoga class, or to never miss bedtime.  

It can sound easier said than done, I know. 

But consider asking yourself ‘what is ultimately more important to me – option A or B?’ and see how the boundaries may be a little easier to stick to. 

So that’s just my top 3 ways in which you can prioritise yourself at work, enjoy life as a whole, and hopefully have a better chance at avoiding burnout. Give at least one of them a try today and see how it impacts your day to day and your overall motivation for work AND home life. 

And, if you struggle with your motivation at work and want to understand how my Career Coaching solutions can help you, then reach out to me below and we’ll unpack what you can do to build a career you love, without sacrificing the life you want to live.