Holidays are a time for reflecting on your life and resolving to improve it. But it's easy to be resolute about getting a better job, or asking for a raise, or not being the one that everyone at work turns to for help, by the pool. The important thing is to recognise your own limitations - such as a fear of uncertainty or of upsetting people - so you can set about changing them. Otherwise you'll hate yourself when you can't fulfil your resolutions.
Dorothy Rowe, clinical psychologist and author of What Should I Believe? (out on October 10, published by Routledge)

The important thing with work is to feel like you're achieving things. I have a book that I keep by my bedside, which I write in every night. At the front I write down all the things that I've achieved and feel good about that day, and at the back I write the things I've yet to do. That way I keep the “good” and the “bad” stuff clear in my head.
Michelle Dewberry, businesswoman and 2006 winner of The Apprentice

The first thing you need to do when you are starting to flag is be aware of it. Then you can learn to offset those negative feelings by accessing a good memory. Choose a time when you felt really good on holiday, let yourself go back to it and remember what you saw, smelt and heard. This will trigger chemical reactions in your body that will make you feel the way you felt then. This can takes just ten seconds sitting at your desk and can make all the difference.
Carrie Graham, laughter and wellbeing coach, www.laughingmatters.co.uk

The best way to keep happy at work is to try to contribute to and improve projects you're good at. Think about the big picture - what does your organisation lack and how can you use your particular skills to help? Research your organisation as if you were trying to sell to it. Asking your boss what the company's main agenda is isn't a great idea, as it could make you look ignorant, but you can ask someone who is slightly senior to yourself. Ingratiate yourself competently but subtly. When you get a sense that you've become particularly useful, take a more direct approach with your boss if you're looking to move up. To build on your recent reputation, say something like “I think this has worked really well, I'd like to be involved in a bigger project”.
John Lees, career coach and author of How to Get a Job You'll Love

Top 10 tips to beat back the work blues

The first weeks back at work after a break can be stressful. Here's how to keep the holiday feeling

• How to prolong your holiday

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• How to prolong your holiday

• 50 ways to beat the grind

• Back to work blues: fashion and beauty tips

We'd recommend a 15 to 20 minute nap to keep feeling well, which is enough to improve performance and energy levels. On average it takes seven minutes to fall asleep and anything more than five minutes is beneficial. It's proven to improve creativity, reduce stress and improve mood for up to eight hours, so not only will you be able to contribute better at work, you'll also have more energy at home. We all suffer from a two-hour dip in the middle of the afternoon, which most people think is because of lunch but is actually a natural part of our circadian rhythms. If you don't have a Metronap pod in which to take a nap, try to find a quiet room such as an empty meeting room - we've even heard of people using store cupboards or washrooms.

Marcus de Guingand, managing director, Metronaps UK

All my constituency work just piles up while I'm away. I get dozens, if not hundreds, of letters every day, so although I like to answer as many as possible myself, it's important when I get back from holiday to let other people help me where needed. I try to walk everywhere - I find it keeps me mentally refreshed - and I also book lots of mini-holidays at my wife's farm in the New Forest. Then I have something extra to look forward to.
Vince Cable, deputy leader, the Liberal Democrats

Unless you really hate your job (in which case you should be trying to change it), when you get back to the office you should be thinking not: “What do I dislike about my job and how can I cover it up?” but: “What was it that I liked about my holiday?” Was it the fact that you did more exercise? If so, try to incorporate more exercise into your work day. Was it that you loved spending more time with your husband or family? Try making your work-family life balance fairer, for example by asking for more flexible working hours.
Heather McGregor, managing director, Taylor Bennett headhunters

If you really dislike your job when you get back from holiday it may be that you need some time to work out what you want. A gap year is often a good way to do this, and can be presented to your employer as a chance to benefit your organisation as well as yourself. You could do voluntary work, a course, an expedition or some long dreamt-of challenge. Give your employer at least six months' notice and keep your friends and family involved in your choices so you can ask for advice.
Phil Murray, director, gapadvice.org

One of the reasons people feel so good on holiday is because all they have is a suitcase - not a lot of stuff. It's a liberating feeling, which you can carry on into work. People keep so much clutter on their desks and that's the total opposite of that clear holiday feeling. Your desk should be an action space, so take some time out to have a blitz. Don't forget the areas underneath and around. Get into the habit of clearing your desk at the end of each day.

Sue Kay, The Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers UK (www.apdo-uk.co.uk )

Paint the wall next to your desk a colour that you associate with your last holiday. It might be the blue of the sea, or the hue of a particular local food or cloth. Change the colour when you return from your next holiday and feel a bit flat. This can help to keep your spirits high and prolong the holiday feeling. It's fairly easy and inexpensive to do.

Stefan Camenzind, partner, Camenzind Evolution architecture (which designed Google's offices in Zurich)

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