Returning from Vacation? Organize Your Inside Sales Work Life
I can almost guarantee that the hardest days of work for inside sales reps are the first days back from vacation. At least they are for me. Everyone is longing to sleep in and be back with their family or friends. However, the transition back into work mode can be smooth if you stay organized. After having some time off last week, it was hard to put my mind back into the commuting, working and organizing mode.
If you’re like me, then sometimes it is easier to prepare for things beforehand. For example, I always try to make my lunch the night before work so I can focus on other things in the morning. Since I have this mindset, I knew that I wanted to set up some things for this week before I went on vacation for the 4th of July. I had sent out some calendar invites for this week, pulled in new contacts to start a new pipeline, and wrote notes for mass emails and call shadowing. This was definitely helpful for a slow Monday morning after a long weekend.
If you are not a planner, there are still things you can do on your first day back at the beginning of the work day. Write down a goal of activities you want to complete by lunch. Review recent calls and follow up with emails you missed from your vacation. Once you are caught up with all of the information, you can hit your number before lunch time and set yourself a new goal for the end of the work day, or even before your afternoon coffee break. This might sound silly, but little things like personal daily goals can really help you get back into the swing of things.
Organizing your desk can also help with coming back to work. Throw away old post-its and notes from the prior week while writing new ones for upcoming meetings and discussions. Make a to-do list for the day or the week, as this can help even if you can’t get everything done the first day back. It will be easier to prioritize your day and help get the most urgent things done right away.
My advice: Try to plan ahead so it isn’t so much of a shock coming back to work; and if you really can’t do that, make a list the morning you return to help you get back into work mode.
What do you do to help yourself ease back into reality after some vacation time?
Also, AG Salesworks just released a new guide, “Organization for Inside Sales Teams” that includes tips and tools for organizing your inside sales work life for long-term success. Download it here or click on the button below.
