So, this is Christmas, and what have we done. Another year over, and a new one just begun. Sadly for John Lennon, he never had to go back to work after Christmas when he sang that song, but now we are back at work and we’re all struggling to get back in the groove.

Christmas is a great time of year. You get to catch up with family, eat a lot and just take the time to relax and recover. The only issue most of us find is that when we get back to work we are almost immediately pinned down by the huge backlog of work. The backlog of work becomes even harder to work on because we haven’t built the momentum at work yet.

Here are my 5 tips on overcoming the Christmas break without being “snowed under” by this workload.

This is probably the biggest tip I have so far. Most people try to get back into work and hit the ground running. This can lead to frustration from a misguided set of expectations. It’s highly unlikely that after some time off we will be able to hit the ground running right away, so it’s important to start slowly, and work up the pace. This will make the backlog seem much easier over time.

It’s easy to get back to work and be super serious. It’s fine if that’s the kind of person you are, but it’s much better for your colleagues and even your own productivity if you keep at least some of that festive cheer when back at work. It will make work seem fun, and make sure you’re able to keep up the work rate for just that little bit longer.

A lot of people don’t come back during the Christmas break until mid-January. This leaves the remainder of us with a little bit extra workload, but a lot of extra FOMO. This bitter and salty taste in our mouths can linger, leaving us with the insatiable desire to go on our own little “break” while at work. Find a way to cure your FOMO. Your colleagues might be having fun, but you should be happy for them. They would do the same for you in the same position.

Work can be slow when coming back from the break. For many of us, our managers are away, leaving us with the innate desire to take that little bit extra break. If you find yourself doing this, try and pull yourself back in line. While tempting, it doesn’t help the pile of work that built up over the break to get any smaller.

This might sound obvious, but think about how important it is to have habits. If you went to the gym in the morning last year, come back to doing the same thing. If you went to a certain café, come back to doing the same thing. Habits are important, especially if they are healthy. Remember to reform them when you come back from the break.

Here’s to an amazing 2018!