A post-holiday checklist for EU-bubble professionals
Welcome back to Brussels. You've been missed. Let's take you up to speed, shall we?
It’s time we collectively acknowledge our new reality.
Summer’s over, and with it, holidays.
And even if you couldn’t be among the lucky ones who got to enjoy a few weeks off, I am confident that you at least could appreciate the downtime that your colleague on vacation left you with.
But now that all good things are ending, it’s time to focus back on the job and get ourselves up to speed.
That is why, this week, I thought I would share with you my post-holiday checklist, the few steps that help me re-center on my tasks. I hope it will be useful to you.
Also, I’d love to hear what your post-vacation ritual is. So leave a comment below and let’s chat.
But before we get into today’s topic, an announcement:
I am looking for contributors for an upcoming project centred on the 2024 European elections. If you would like to participate—be it for writing, producing videos, social media posts, interviews, etc.—be sure to let me know.
Answer to this email or reach out on LinkedIn.
I am looking forward to talking to you. And now, back to this week’s newsletter…
Commit to your mission
Too cheesy? Think again.
To focus on the task at hand or any kind of job, I always start by reminding myself why I do what I do. Sure, my job provides money to sustain my living style, but there are countless other ways to earn a living salary.
So why this job in particular?
You have to find your answer. And once you have it, it will help you keep on going.
And if you don’t have an answer—maybe it’s time to change jobs—or careers.
Declutter your mailbox
I’m pretty sure you saw this one coming.
Yes, we all come back to the office with a full mailbox. Hey, this post you are reading might be one of the 10.000 emails in your inbox at the moment.
That’s alright. I usually sort them into what is more pressing and important, then deal with the others over the course of the week.
But you know what’s the pro move? Warn your colleagues beforehand that no email received in your absence will be read. That’s right—full blackout.
This method has several advantages: people won’t disturb you during your time off, and you won’t risk missing anything important when you get back: people will deliver it to you in person after the problem has been resolved.
Maybe try it out next year.
Review your newsletter subscriptions
More on inbox management.
I bet a massive chunk of your digital clutter is newsletter subscriptions. Probably things you don’t actually read anymore.
Therefore, I recommend you go through each of your subscriptions, one by one, and ask yourself the relevance of each one.
And remember, not all pieces of information are equal. Some publications are more valuable than others, while some probably are just not worth landing in your mailbox. So don’t fret, and unsubscribe.
And hey, if The Beubble not one of those you’d like to keep—no harm done. Just unsubscribe. I’d rather prefer not to waste your time if my posts don’t bring value to you. That’s OK.
But if you think The Beubble is useful, why not share it with a friend or colleague?
Finally, if you need a list of the best EU public affairs subscriptions, have a look at this:
The Essential EU Media List for Public Affairs Professionals: Stay in the Loop of European Politics
Prioritise your work
Okay, so your mailbox has been dealt with. Let’s get real.
Because it’s not enough to know what to do, you need to do it strategically.
Do you have a yearly strategy? What about a monthly one? What are your top 3 goals for the week? for the day?
It’s easy to jump from one task to the other, like a headless chicken. It’s harder—but better to work with an objective in sight.
Now is a good moment to set professional goals for the year to come. What are your top three objectives by Summer 2024? What about January?
Once you have a direction, your job is to advance towards them one step at a time.
Hence, I divide my yearly goals into quarterly, monthly, and weekly ones. These goals help me find the next immediate action I need to take today to progress in the grand yearly scheme.
Tie back loose connections
This might be my favourite part of going back to holidays: meeting back with colleagues and friends.
But instead of meeting with your co-workers, why don’t we use these post-holiday weeks to meet with loose acquaintances, people you met once or twice but never had the chance to bond with?
Find three people to network with, and ask for a coffee.
You never know—you might meet with a future client, business partner, or even a friend, perhaps.
Welcome back to Brussels. We missed you.