Good and Bad Practices
How to return to work after holidays
Workplace productivity decreases sharply in the summer due to several factors, each of which is obvious. Let's look at the most common one, namely the lack of motivation. How to enjoy the nice weather, the endless opportunities for vacations and walks, when you work fixed hours from 9 am to 5 pm, for example, and spend an average of up to 1 hour traveling one way? Difficult, but not impossible!
On social media networks and the Internet every day we are flooded with summer photos from water parks, exotic destinations, and sea beaches in the country and abroad. We often feel as if we are working from Monday to Friday and we can't get an unforgettable summertime. We also experience financial stress that we need extra money to travel more often and for longer. Of course, it would be great to have 60 days of summer vacation and all the time at the mountain or the sea, but there are countless other options to have a great time after work outdoors in urban conditions:
Here are some ideas:
- Lake - Spend a few hours around a lake, it has a calming effect. In Sofia, you can go to Borisova gradina, South Park, Druzhba or Pancharevo
- Museum - Studies show that locals often do not visit the museums in the city where they live. Here's what you can do once a week.
- SPA evening - In each city there are at least a few hotels with a great SPA area, which is open at least until 21:00. These are 4 hours after work, which you can spend around the pool or a massage.
- Painting - Coloring pictures with numbers is extremely fashionable, but why not do it in the park after work?
- Outdoor Games - Who says only children can play in the park? With friends, you can play board games or associations.
- Picnic with friends - The picnic does not have to include a bunch of cooking preparations. Grab a meal from a favorite restaurant and a blanket and enjoy the last rays of sunshine after work.
- Horse riding - After work is the perfect time for a 40-minute horse riding lesson. In every big city, there are such opportunities.
- Sunbathing on the roof or balcony - An absolute classic, which we often forget, because we always think of a real beach. After work, this is a great way to gather vitamin D.
- Tennis or badminton - Arrange with friends to play after work. There are special halls for this, and in many schools, there is table tennis, which can be used free of charge.
- Bicycle - If you have a bicycle, take it out of the garage and walk with it to the nearby park. There is no way not to reduce the level of stress after work.
- Rollerblades - Why should only children ride them? Challenge all your friends for the summer to learn and ride once a week. This is again a budget and fun option for spending time outdoors.
- Water bike - Boats, water, forest, mountains - all this is one step away from Sofia - Pancharevo Lake. After work, you can take a "walk".
- Book - Let's be honest in the summer no one is enthusiastic about book reading at home. But if it’s in the park, at 8 p.m.? The picture now looks completely different.
- Concert - Check when your favorite artist is performing live even during the week. It doesn't have to be Friday night to have some fun, does it?
- Exhibition, museum or theater - Every big city offers many opportunities for cultural entertainment and they are always held in the evening after work. Here's another way to spend more time outside after work.
- Sky lantern - Who hasn't seen great photos and videos from a lantern launch? Here's a quick idea, late at night go with a friend to a location without people, safely drop a lantern and wish yourself an unforgettable summer.
- Garden on the balcony - Even if you are not a fan of "gardening", during the summer in an urban environment is a super useful and pleasant endeavor after work to work on the balcony or in front of the block with flowers, strawberries, parsley. Here's another budget and realistic idea for spending more time outdoors.
After all these suggestions, we will give you 3 bonus tips to find temporary solutions for stealing extra time outdoors:
1. Flexibility in the workplace ... at least for the summer
Almost all professions, except those in which physical presence cannot be replaced in any way, allow flexibility, especially after the onset of the global pandemic. Even if your employer is not a supporter of working from home, he is fully aware that there will be a drop in your ability to work and will prefer a workaround that allows you and your colleagues to continue to do their job with the same enthusiasm during the summer. If your immediate superior is open to conversation, ask for a temporary solution that satisfies both parties. In case the work from home is possible, but not permanently, you can ask for 1-2 days of work from home. If for some reason this is not an option, ask for an opportunity to start work earlier and leave earlier, or vice versa - later. Another alternative for employees whose employer does not approve any of the options listed so far is to take a day off to be used in "halves". Friday after the lunch break to leave and go to the beach for example. This work option will allow you some degree of convenience depending on the locations of the workplace and home. The key to these negotiations is to reassure the employer that the work obligations will be performed on time better than in an office and not to forget that the promises must be kept.
2. Reorganization of priorities for some time
To have more time for social life and travel during the summer while working full time, you have to accept the fact that you need to free up your time from everything that is not necessary, such as going to physical stores - shop online, to be free before and after work. Do you have to pay the bills and are you used to going to the cash register? Start doing this online during the summer months - 10 minutes in a row is equal to a quick walk in the park. To go to the gym, in addition to the road to it, you take time to change clothes and organize luggage. Play sports at home or nearby in a park.
3. Long weekends
The long weekend is the most suggested holiday in the last few years for summer vacations. Combining 2 days with the weekend will allow you to visit more destinations or just relax in nature more times and enjoy the good weather. Of course, if you can choose, always take a longer leave. It is recommended by psychologists, because the first day or two, a person has not yet managed to shake off the tasks and thoughts of work. But if your vacation schedule is strictly defined, you don't have the opportunity to use it for a long time, or for some reason you don't have many days off, this is the best way to experience the full summer with full-time work.
In conclusion
Spend as much time outdoors as you can and do not regret having a stable full-time job. The options for creating summer memories in the city are not so limited and you can have a lot of fun on a budget.
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