Today was back to school and work for many in the New York City area. The December break is completed, we’re in a new year, and things are back to normal, right?
But first, we have to transition back to the way things were.
Transitions are great, and an important part of the work we do.
But, we have to be prepared for them. A transition without the proper prep is a disaster waiting to happen. If we aren’t ready to make a shift or a switch, we can be taken by surprise by changes that we knew were coming but weren’t ready for, or by changes that we could have been ready for if we knew they were on the way.
And, transitioning looks and feels different for different people.
For me, I need some quiet time to get my mind back in the right place, to review my upcoming calendar, and to think back to conversations and discussions that might still be hanging out there.
I also find I need to ease back into a routine. This often involves having conversations with others, beginning with easy tasks, and laying out a plan for getting back into the day-to-day that might accompany a return from a vacation or break.
I’ve also learned that since everyone approaches transitions differently, we need to be willing to accommodate people with what they need to best transition back. Whether this is space, a refresher on where we left off with a variety of initiatives, a good joke or two, or chatting about families, we need to recognize the needs of those we serve even more so in times of transition, particularly so no one is left feeling as if a return to “normalcy” is too heavy a lift.
I’m excited to be back to work for the start of a new year, and grateful that (so far), the transition has been exactly what I hoped for and anticipated. We’ll see what tomorrow brings!