Image credits: Maxim Romain
The end of a vacation can be bittersweet. On the one hand, you may be excited to return to work and see your co-workers again. Or you may dread the thought of leaving the relaxed vibe of vacation behind.
The phenomenon is called “Post Vacation Blues.” It is what happens when you realise you must go back to work, despite being unhappy and wishing you were still on vacation.
Regardless of the emotions, it is crucial to get back into the swing of things and catch up on all the missed developments at work. The key to do this is to take some time to plan out the week.
To make your transition smoother, we at Silicon Canals reached out to various startup founders in Amsterdam, seeking an answer to one of the most important questions – “How do you psych yourself up back for work after the holiday period?”
Here’re their responses. Take a look!
#1 Maxim Romain, co-founder and COO, Dott
What does Dott do? Dott is a micro-mobility operator with a mission to free cities with clean rides for everyone. With speeds up to 25kph, Dott’s e-bikes provide an efficient way to move across a city, free from congestion and without causing pollution.
How do you psych yourself up back for work after the holiday period?
Maxim Romain says, “By visiting cities, talking to local citizens, and realising how far we are still from our dream of pollution-free cities. As a shared micro-mobility operator, we are a key actor in the transformation of cities, and this gives me a tonne of energy to act!”
#2 Julia Miterva, Fashion Potluck
What does Fashion Potluck do? Founded in 2016, Fashion Potluck is a digital platform designed for content sharing between women, cataloguing fashion, reviews, travel, recipes, makeup tutorials, life hacks, and everything in between.
How do you psych yourself up back for work after the holiday period?
Julia Miterva says, “I do not remember the time when I fully disconnected from work during my vacation. Because I believe in what we are creating and have a long-term vision, I do not lose motivation during those days off. Knowing that the result directly depends on the work that I put in gives me the needed energy and drive to keep going.”
“Another element I find very important to keep going as a startup is celebrating small wins,” she adds.
#3 René Janssen – Lepaya
What does Lepaya do? Lepaya provides soft skill training that combines online and offline learning through its learning app and short, interactive classroom sessions with the best trainers.
How do you psych yourself up back for work after the holiday period?
René Janssen says, “The simple answer here is – in the end, it’s about people. Having an amazing team with great people is a joy to get back to!!”
#4 Rogier Fischer, Hadrian
What does Hadrian do? Hadrian is a hacker-led cybersecurity startup that offers automated security insights through its AI-driven testing SaaS platform.
How do you psych yourself up back for work after the holiday period?
Rogier Fischer says, “It’s easy to psych yourself up about work when you have a great team passionate about the product. However, one thing that motivates me to go back into the office is seeing what initiatives and projects will have started while I was away.”
#5 Patrick Dekker – Wundermart
What does Wundermart do? Wundermart is a retail-technology company that offers unmanned shop concepts for the hospitality industry. It allows customers to enter a store, grab their desired items, scan each item, and make their payment at the self-checkout kiosk, enhancing the shopping experience.
How do you psych yourself up back for work after the holiday period?
Patrick Dekker says, “Just to look at all the great stuff our teams are doing and the effect it has on the performance of our Wundermart shops and therefore our customers, clients, and firm.”
#6 Luuc Elzinga – Founder & President – Tiqets
What does Tiqets do? Tiqets is an innovative ticketing platform that connects travellers looking for last-minute tickets to museums and attractions worldwide.
How do you psych yourself up back for work after the holiday period?
Luuc Elzinga says, “Honestly, I don’t. It’s a privilege to build and work on Tiqets every day.”
#7 Hans Osnabrugge, Talk 360
What does Talk 360 do? Talk360 is an international calling app that helps people make reliable and affordable calls to any landline or mobile phone worldwide.
How do you psych yourself up back for work after the holiday period?
Hans Osnabrugge says, “Also, on holiday, I work for around 1 to 2 hours max. That gives me a more relaxed feeling vs. not looking at the business at all.”
He adds, “Getting back is something I love as well. Work hard, play hard. But I must admit that I am really tired after the first day back at the office.”
#8 Anieke Lamers, Peekabond
What does Peekabond do? Peekabond, via its “ethical” social mobile platform, helps children build deep bonds with family and loved ones who are at a distance through an asynchronous connection, such as interactive lessons, activities, games, stories, and songs.
How do you psych yourself up back for work after the holiday period?
Anieke Lamers says, “Honestly, I never had to psych myself to go back to work, it’s more effort for me to psych myself for the holiday period. I love what I’m building and doing and wish everyone else the same.”
#9 Rune Theill, CEO and co-founder, Rockstart:
What does Rockstart do? Rockstart is a domain-focused accelerator venture capital firm that offers follow-on growth capital to help startups become successful across four domains: energy, health, agrifood, and emerging technologies.
How do you psych yourself up back for work after the holiday period?
Rune Theill says, “Stay in rhythm and wake up early every day the week before the end of the holiday.”
Catch our interview with Paul Down, Head of Sales at Intigriti.
