Five panda pointers: How to contain your summer holiday excitement

We’ve all been there; booked a holiday, chosen our summer wardrobe and…wait a minute, why is the time dragging?

Sometimes the excitement leading up to your holiday can be unbearable, but there’s no harm in that…you deserve a break from all the hard work you’ve been doing! However you definitely want to make sure all loose ends are tied up before you go because, let’s face it, the holiday blues will hit you hard if you return to a mountainous to do list.

Here are 5 ways to keep above the excitement at work, while still enjoying the wonderful build up to your summer break…

1) Keep distraction free

That’s got to be tough right? ‘Just one more look at the villa photos before I crack on with this report’ you think as that report lies untouched and unloved. Excitement is a great thing, especially when your hard work pays off with a lovely trip. However you’re not there yet, so stop looking at tourist guides and scenic photos…get back to work!

Take yourself out of the holiday bubble for a moment by being mindful of others around you. They very likely need you to focus on what you’re doing so use this as inspiration to really get on with what needs to be done.

2) A final to do list

If the few days before you’re due to jet off look a bit crazy, a structured list of what needs to be covered will really help. No, we don’t mean a list of what toiletries you still need to buy…

Manage your time well and prioritise what you absolutely have to wrap up before you depart. Other tasks will follow but in a wonderfully structured manner. This will actually help with pointer number one, as having a clear plan of action means you won’t slide into the distraction danger zone quite as easily.

3) Handover

Be sure to have a quick briefing with your manager and colleagues so they’re fully aware of what you have covered. If there is anything they might have to step in on, make sure you leave some handy instructions so that they are not left with double the load of work while you’re chilling by the pool.

4) Having things in place for the dreaded return

This might sound like I’m wishing your holiday away but hear me out!

If you do have some time after tying up some loose ends, try to get things in place for when you get back. You don’t have to prioritise this of course, but it will keep your mind on the ball as you try to avoid the distracting excitement. If there is anything you can do to make your life a bit easier when you return, why not do it? The holiday blues might be slightly appeased if you do…

5) ENJOY!

So this final panda pointer isn’t exactly about keeping distraction free but if you’ve listened to the previous four then we’ll give you this one. Enjoy every second of your holiday! Time may have dragged in the lead up to the holiday, but it will fly by once you reach your destination. We hope all our favourite ecommerce superstars enjoy whatever you have planned (or that the holiday blues are at bay if you’ve already returned!)

If you need to speak to the pandas at any point over the summer period, you know where to find us! Now…where’s that sun?