How to Relax Before Starting a New Job - The Muse

How to Relax Before Starting a New Job - The MuseHow to Relax Before Starting a New Job Last year at this time I welches freelancing while trying (somewhat unsuccessfully) to find a steady stream of work. While I didnt have to go into an office every day, it was in no way a relaxing break from the grind. So, when I received a full-time job offer, I purposely platzset aside some time to celebrate by catching up on some TV and playing a few video games I had neglected. And those are perfectly acceptable things to do, especially if you are intentional about how you use that time. The only dicke bretter bohren mssen for me was that I definitely did not have a plan other than that. And before I knew it, I was mourning the fact that I didnt use my free time more wisely. So, while you should feel free to relax a bit before you start a new job, you should also make sure to avoid these common traps 1. Youll Want to Sleep as Long as You WantHey, Im a huge fan of getting a little extra sleep wh en you have the time to do so. But I also know how hard it is to go from 12-hour nights to seven-hours. I did this at least once before I started a new job, and I would never wish the restlessness I felt the night before I was scheduled to start on my worst enemy. If you want to catch up on a couple hours of sleep while you have a more relaxed schedule, be my guest. But just keep in mind how difficult it might be to transition suddenly into work mode when the time comes to do so. So yes, set your alarm a little bit later, but dont forget to set it completely.But Maybe You Should Do Some of The Fun Things You Never Thought Youd Do During the WeekOK, I bet some of you out there are thinking, But what if fun for me is sleeping for 15 hours, then eating dinner, then napping, then sleeping some more? And aside from not understanding that at all, Id argue that isnt the best way to maximize the time you have off before you start your new gig. Id also argue there are a few things youve alwa ys meant to do, but have been blaming your job for the fact that you havent had the time to check them off your list. Maybe thats a trip to the beach, or a few hours at a typically crowded museum, or nabbing reservations at a trendy restaurant, or maybe its simply opening a book youve wanted to read for the last five years. Whatever that thing is for you, go ahead and choose a few to enjoy. 2. Youll Want to Catch Up With Everyone Youve Fallen Out of Touch WithThis is an admirable thought, but if youre anything like me, the list of people you dont talk to regularly is fairly long. And while its not a terrible thought to get up to speed on the lives of some of your friends, making it a goal to catch up with everyone sounds terribly exhausting. Youll find yourself running from a coffee date, to a lunch meeting, to another coffee date, to a dinner, only to quickly realize that you dont actually have that much time off. And once that happens, its inevitable that youll only feel disappoin ted in the fact that you didnt get around to everyone. So, while this is a nice sentiment, dont put any added pressure on yourself to get around to every single person in your network. But Maybe You Should Thank the People Who Helped You OutAgain, you wont be able to get around to every single person who lent you a helping hand. But, I bet you can think of a handful of people who played an instrumental role in landing the job youre about to start. Maybe its an old boss, or a colleague, or someone in your family. Whoever those people are, youre probably feeling some amount of gratitude toward those folks (or, you should be at least). And if thats the case, its always a good idea to think of ways to show them how grateful you are. It might only require a short email, but whatever you decide, the best part about this is that it wont take you a whole lot of time- leaving you plenty of room on your calendar to relax (or do whatever it is you want to do) while you have the time before you r first day of work.3. Youll Want to Learn Everything About Your New CompanyWhile I celebrated getting my last job by playing video games for a week, there have been times when I resolved to be as well-versed about my new company as possible on my first day. Id sit in front of my laptop and digest as many articles as I could find about the organizations history, the executive team, and anything else I could get my hands on. And while Im not saying thats necessarily a bad thing, a funny thing happened the last time I did this I was able to rattle off more about the companys background than a lot of its most tenured employees could ever imagine. One of my colleagues actually replied in jest by saying, Yeah, but you still know how to do this job, right? The moral of this story? Do your research, but dont put a ton of pressure on yourself to know every single detail about how your company got to where it is today. There will be plenty of time to learn.But You Might Want to Make Sure You re Ready to Tackle the Actual JobWhen my teammate made fun of me for knowing the companys entire history, he accidentally brought up a good point. I was fairly new to the industry I was entering, and although I had enough of the practical skills to do the job well, there were plenty of other elements I wasnt as familiar with. Rather than finding out what the CEO likes for lunch on Fridays, it wouldve been a much better use of my time to learn some of the basic concepts of the field. Again, its not up to you to master everything before you step in the door on your first day, but if you are into doing a lot of research before you start a new gig, try brushing up on some of the things thatll help you knock it out of the park. When you have time to yourself before you start a new job, youll have a lot of options. And thats a good thing. The best news is that nothing you choose to do is technically wrong. But, there are definitely a few ideas that will be less relaxing, less productive, or some combination of both than others. And if you do nothing else, take some time to pat yourself on the back. After all, theres an awesome job waiting for you- and you worked really, really hard to get it.Photo of relaxed person courtesy of Ales-A/Getty Images.