Back on Track: 6 Steps to Rebooting Your Focus After the Holidays

Rebooting your focus after the holidays can feel like an absolute drag. If you took plenty of time off, it can be hard to get your energy for work flowing again. If you didn’t get much of a break, well, the issue there is obvious!

Either way, there are things you can do to freshen up your perspective and get that momentum going again. Here are some of our favorite tactics:

Clear the Decks for a Fresh Start

Physical clutter creates mental static. Take this transition period as an opportunity to purge your spaces of accumulated stuff. That tower of papers that’s been reproduction-multiplying since October? File or shred. The drawer full of dried-up pens and mysterious cables? Time for triage.

Your home office that’s doubling as a temporary storage unit for holiday decorations? Find a rubbish removal service near you, clear out the clutter, and reclaim your space.

Freeing your environment of old baggage allows your mind to breathe and makes room for new possibilities. When your environment feels fresh and intentional, your brain naturally shifts into a more focused, productive state. Plus, spending a day organizing beats staring at your inbox while your brain slowly reboots.

Align Your Stars with the Decision Makers

Schedule conversations with your boss or clients about their vision for the year ahead. Understanding their priorities helps you position your efforts where they’ll have the most impact.

Ask specific questions:

What projects excited them most last year?
Where do they see potential for improvement?
What would make their lives easier?

These discussions accomplish two things: they demonstrate your commitment to their success, and they help you focus your energy on initiatives that matter most. Sometimes, the best way to get ahead is simply paying attention to what the people who sign your checks actually want.

Start Small, Win Early

Resist the urge to compensate for holiday downtime with unrealistic goals. Instead, choose three achievable tasks for each day of your first week back. Complete these before touching any new projects (or checking social media).

Early wins build momentum and remind your brain how good it feels to accomplish things. That report you’ve been dreading? Break it into 30-minute chunks. That client presentation? Start with just the outline. Small victories add up to significant progress.

Reestablish Routines (But Make Them Better)

Rebooting your focus starts with upgrading your pre-holiday routines, which may have had some weak spots. Now’s the perfect time for improvements. If morning meetings always ran late, schedule buffer time. If post-lunch energy crashes derailed your afternoons, plan active breaks. Build your ideal workday structure while your calendar is still relatively clean. Just remember that routines should serve you, not imprison you.

Batch the Small Stuff

Those little tasks that accumulated over the holidays can really get you down if you don’t figure out a good plan of attack. Instead of procrastinating until that magical day when you have the motivation to do them (hint: that day will never come), set aside dedicated time to clear them all at once.

Respond to non-urgent emails, update your project management software, organize your digital files. Handling similar tasks together is more efficient than constant context-switching. Plus, crossing off twenty small items in one sitting provides a surprising psychological boost.

Set Boundaries Around Your Fresh Start

Rebooting your focus means protecting your renewed energy by establishing clear boundaries. Block out time specifically for deep work, turn off notifications during key productivity periods, and learn to say ‘not yet’ to non-urgent requests. Your refreshed energy is valuable—don’t let it dissipate through a thousand tiny interruptions.

Getting back into work mode doesn’t require superhuman willpower or endless cups of coffee. It’s about creating an environment that supports focus, understanding what matters most to key stakeholders, and building momentum through conscious choices about how you spend your time and energy.

The post-holiday period offers a natural reset point. Use it wisely. With clear spaces, aligned goals, and intentional habits, you can transform the dreaded return to work into an opportunity for renewed purpose and productivity. Your future self—the one who’s crushing goals in March—will thank you.