Here's a blog entry by Jenna from the Hanson team...
It was reassuring knowing that no matter where you were in the term, how well or badly things were going, vacation was just around the corner. If you could just keep going until the next one, you’d be rewarded with days (weeks even) of lie-ins, no homework, watching TV, driving your siblings crazy . . . doing whatever you wanted to do.
And then you’re finished. You take your final exam, buy a new suit, and get hired for a job. You’re chuffed, you throw yourself into work with the same vigour and dedication, knowing that eventually you’ll get to take a break.
Somehow, though, it’s not the same. Maybe it’s because the office keeps running without you, so you spend the week before stressing over how to cover your absence while trying to get ready at night, even more exhausted than usual. Maybe it’s because you’re the only one in your office going away, so there isn’t the usual sense of collective joy building as the promised last day of work nears. Or maybe it’s just because being in charge of your own holiday isn’t finally as fun and fancy-free as it was when your parents or the school board planned things for you.
But there are some things that are the same for me. Vacation time is a chance to catch up on sleep and attempt to reset my body clock so mornings are easier. I kept hoping I’d be a morning person once I grew up, but so far no luck on either front. Like my university vacations, it’s a time to go home and see my family and visit with friends I never get to see. It’s an opportunity to get away from the hustle and bustle of London, and (fingers crossed) enjoy some real warmth and sunshine.
It’s also a chance to get organized at work. I’ve gotten through most of my list of things do before the item prompting me to write this entry, and I have a bit of time to keep going before the hand strikes twelve and freedom is mine. I’m getting to the sorting that’s been building up since my last good organization drive, items that aren’t usually a priority but still need to get done. I’m considering a new in-box system so that those things can’t hide away in the bottom of folders anymore and have already started writing my list of things to do when I get back.
I really like being good at my job, and get irritated with myself when I’m not being as efficient as possible. Probably the most annoying part of not having big school holidays is that I get worn down like I did at school but don’t have the same reward looming before me. It’s easier to get lazy in the office because there are no exams marking the end of a learning unit or term, no enthusiasm to get everything finished so it’s all done and dusted and then you can go hang out with your friends. The tasks, responsibilities and deadlines all keep going, even when you’re not there, so it can be harder to set your own ‘end of term’ and feel like you can make a fresh start.
So this is that I’m going to do. I’m going to make myself another cup of tea, dig into the rest of my to-do list and when I leave the office today, I’m going to do my school’s-out-for-the-summer dance. I’m going to have a great holiday and forget that London exists for the next two weeks.
When I get back, it’ll be the first day of a new term and I can be excited about my job all over again.
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