Back 2 Arena!

This is in contrast to what I wrote in my previous post about taking a break from one's routine life. Yes, It does feel extremely pleasant when one is out on vacation. But at the end of the day, one has to come back to reality i.e resume his same old routine life after the vacation. Similarly, I came back to arena today after a week-long vacation at home. Returning to work can be difficult but I found out some useful strategies on the Internet (during my "research"), employing which one can ease back into work after vacation.

1. Get organized before you go:

Before leaving on vacation, make a list of tasks to complete and tick everything off as you get it finished. Having that reminder helps you leave feeling like everything has been taken care of. Knowing that you’ve left everything in order will reduce anxiety when it’s time to return, taking your mind off of unfinished work, letting you focus on relaxation.

2. Ease back into it:

Keep your schedule light the first few days back. Don’t try to do everything you missed while you were gone all at once. If possible don’t plan any big meetings or set any major deadlines for those first days. Sort through and organize the tasks at hand. Talk to your co-workers to find out what you missed, then set your priorities.

3. Focus on the positive:

Think about your friends/family at work and other reasons you enjoy your job. This will help you feel positive about going back to work. Your state of mind can have a significant effect on your work life. Those who have a positive or optimistic attitude deal with fewer work-related problems, are more energetic and generally feel more peaceful and calm.

Just unwind!

I felt like scribbling something on my blog today, primarily because I'm having a relaxed time at office; for a change! BTW, the frequency of my blog posts have come down to once in a quarter. I wrote my last blog post during last DESIS quarterly party time and we have one today!
Now coming to the blog title, "Just unwind" refers to taking a break from one's hectic work schedule and daily routine life. We generally don't find enough time for relaxation. Our busy lives are an exercise in itself. Two weeks back I had been to a beautiful place - Coorg, along with my close set of friends (Read : DaBombs). It seriously helped me to recharge myself :)
Also, I have switched to 'Facebook' as my online photo storage. "Coorg Pics!"

Party Time!

Y'day, we received yet another 'Party Time!' invitation mail for the next quarterly party scheduled on 16th of April. This will be the 4th time D.E.Shaw India is throwing an extravagant party in less than a year. That makes me think and 'research' why do companies throw parties ? From a company perspective, it shall serve well to show appreciation for its employees' efforts in some merry-making manner (Work Hard >> Party Harder :D ) ; and to celebrate together in a social rather than business atmosphere. This goes a long way towards making employees feel valued and helps them bond with one another, a good step towards team-building and improving morale. Also, Party time with co-workers can be fun, and a great opportunity to network and rub shoulders with those higher up on the career ladder. Company parties are a break from the day-to-day routines of work and can be a welcome relief - or a real stress inducer. Here at D.E.Shaw n Co, we generally have company parties at the beginning of every quarter where they declare results for the previous quarter. Plus the grand annual party, on THE day when they declare promotions and salary hikes and bonus pay outs :) . During my 'research', I stumbled across an article on the net saying "Dancing with D.E.Shaw".

Time does fly!!!

My last post was in the month of November'2007 and it has been around 4 months that I have remained dormant in my blog. This is really bad considering how much I would have loved to write. I surely would have loved to write about our amazing trip to Thailand during the christmas-new year time. But time just flew by. There is the saying that time flies by when you're having fun. Well, it also flies by when you're busy with work and leading your boring routine life.

In the meantime, I discovered that this blog has completed 1 year of existence in the World Wide Web (www). That sounds kewl!!!