BOB's BLOG - Friday 15 August 2025

Getting Back Into It: Recapturing Your Motivation After the Holiday

There's something beautifully paradoxical about holidays. We spend months looking forward to them, dreaming of lazy mornings, spontaneous adventures, and the simple pleasure of not checking our phones every five minutes. We indulge in lie-ins, second helpings, and conversations that meander well into the night. We reconnect with loved ones, rediscover forgotten hobbies, and remember what it feels like to live without the constant hum of productivity culture in our ears.

And then, almost inevitably, we face the gentle shock of returning to reality.

If you're reading this while nursing a cup of coffee that's gone cold because you've been staring at your to-do list for twenty minutes, you're not alone. That post-holiday slump is as real as the suntan lines you're trying to preserve, and it's completely normal.

The Beautiful Necessity of Breaks

Here's what we often forget in our rush to get "back on track": those breaks weren't just nice-to-haves. They were essential. Your brain needed that time to wander, to process, to make connections it couldn't make while focused on deadlines and deliverables. Your relationships needed those unhurried conversations. Your body needed to remember what it feels like to move for joy rather than obligation.

The guilt you might be feeling about enjoying yourself? That's misplaced energy. The real question isn't whether you deserved that break – you absolutely did. The question is: how do you honor both the rest you needed and the goals you care about?

The Time Mirror

I came across a quote recently that really resonated: "If someone watched you for a week, would they believe you're serious about your goals? Would they see discipline, effort and consistency? Or would they see distractions, procrastination and wasted time? You don't have to tell people what you want. How you spend your time already does."

It's a gentle but powerful reality check. Not in a harsh, self-flagellating way, but as an invitation to align your days with your deeper intentions. Your time is your autobiography, written in the choices you make between sunrise and sunset.

Finding Your Why Again

Sometimes after a break, our goals can feel abstract, like someone else's dreams we've inherited. This is your invitation to reconnect with your why. Not the surface-level why ("I should exercise more") but the deeper current underneath ("I want to feel strong and energetic so I can be present for the people I love").

Take a moment to remember what excited you about your goals before the holiday haze set in. What were you working toward? What kind of person were you becoming? What kind of life were you building?

The Gentle Return: Practical Steps Forward

Start Small, Think Big: Don't try to leap back into your pre-holiday intensity. Begin with one meaningful action each day. One workout, one focused work session, one creative moment. Momentum builds on itself.

Batch Your Summer Fun: You don't have to choose between enjoying the remaining summer and pursuing your goals. Schedule your pleasures intentionally. Plan that beach day, book that weekend away, but frame it within the structure of your returning routine.

Create Transition Rituals: Develop a simple routine that signals to your brain it's time to refocus. This might be a five-minute meditation, a walk around the block, or simply clearing your workspace. These small acts can bridge the gap between holiday mind and focused mind.

Protect Your Peak Hours: Identify when you're naturally most alert and motivated, then guard that time fiercely. Use it for your most important work, not for scrolling or administrative tasks.

Connect Goals to Values: For each goal, ask yourself: "How does achieving this serve what I value most?" When goals feel connected to your deeper values, motivation becomes less about willpower and more about alignment.

The Summer Balance

The beauty of this moment – caught between holiday indulgence and year-end intensity – is that you get to define what balance looks like. You can still enjoy long summer evenings while also making meaningful progress. You can still be spontaneous while also being intentional.

The key is recognizing that discipline and joy aren't opposites – they're dance partners. The most sustainable approach to your goals is one that leaves room for both the structure that moves you forward and the spontaneity that keeps you human.

Reducing Anxiety Through Action

There's something deeply anxiety-reducing about taking action aligned with your values. Every day you spend working toward what matters to you is a day you're not just drifting. It's a day you're authoring your own story rather than letting circumstances write it for you.

This doesn't mean every day needs to be perfectly productive or that you should eliminate all downtime. It means being intentional about the rhythm of your days, creating space for both effort and ease.

Your Fresh Start Starts Now

The calendar might not show January 1st, but this moment – right here, reading these words – can be your fresh start. You don't need to wait for the perfect Monday or the ideal conditions. You just need to take the next right step.

Remember: the goal isn't to punish yourself for enjoying your break. The goal is to honor both your need for rest and your desire for growth. You're not behind – you're exactly where you need to be, with the insights and energy your break provided.

So here's to finding your rhythm again. Here's to summer afternoons that energize rather than drain. Here's to the final months of the year feeling like a confident stride toward the life you want to live.

Your goals are waiting for you, and they're more achievable than ever – because now you're returning to them refreshed, renewed, and ready.

We look forward to seeing your energised self soon!

Rob & the T&T Team

T&T WEEKEND HOURS - 8.30am - 4pm

ORDER FOR DELIVERY ON JUST EAT OR DELIVEROO

Copyright © Tried and True Cafe Putney, All rights reserved.