Are you ready for the crash, which this year seems doubly cruel because Mother Nature and her chum, El Nino, have decided to lay on a heatwave for us just as we’re all trudging back to school?

According to many websites and magazines with space to fill, the September blues are a thing. It's common to get feelings of anxiety and melancholy as the nights shorten, August turns to September, and the very thought of the number of snotty noses within your personal space over the next few months is enough to have you take out shares in hand sanitiser.

 I took a tip from the parental playbook and tried to take the edge off my end-of-summer malaise by treating myself to a new pencil case from Smiggle (it’s got a built-in compass and a secret compartment where I can hide the notes Ian from IT leaves me), but to paraphrase The Verve, the stationery don’t work. 

Summer’s over (bar the heatwave), and it's time to get back in the game and stop drinking during the day. No more siestas or sangria at lunch. Standing on chairs while putting up new displays and hoping the caretaker doesn’t catch you is no longer possible. 

To be honest, I’m lucky. I love my work, and although it does get particularly busy in September after an August hiatus, I enjoy being on the road, spreading happiness and meeting people. It also gets me out of the house and away from Barry, the Happy-Centred Schools cat, who has become over-reliant and overbearing during the summer lull.

Five tips to get motivated back into work after a summer break

But for those of you who find it takes a while to get your mojo back after summer break, here are some handy tips that will brighten up those end-of-summer blues.  

Set Exciting Goals

Kickstart your motivation by setting clear and exciting goals for yourself. It could be joining a challenging project (work-based or voluntary), learning a new skill, or setting a physical challenge. Having something to aim for can reignite your passion and motivation. It doesn’t have to take up a lot of your time - because frankly, we both know you don’t have much of that - but just something you can look forward to each day or a few times a week can be really motivating.

Refresh your workspace

This is where the Smiggle pencil case comes in. Treating yourself to new work stuff or decluttering and rearranging your workspace can work wonders for your focus. If you’ve always got folders of data spread over your desk or the recent Ofsted framework cluttering up your in-tray, now’s the time to get organised. Research shows that a calm, clean environment also does wonders for your mental wellbeing.

Plan breaks and make them fun

Incorporate moments of fun into your workday. Schedule short breaks to do something enjoyable, like coffee in the staffroom with your work BFF or a ten-minute walk at lunch. You could even watch five minutes of your favourite comedian on YouTube with a work chum. 

These breaks are good for your brain and can be built around achieving small goals, like finishing a section of the SIP or making it through your first morning with some Reception children. Setting yourself small targets and rewards motivates, engages, and boosts energy and creativity. Treating yourself and sharing these mini goals and wins means you have things to look forward to.

Build a happiness network

Surround yourself with positive people who inspire you. Create a small group of people you can meet with at school to chat through ideas and projects and celebrate each other's achievements. Team success is a powerful motivator. Why not try asking people you don’t know too well? This helps challenge your thinking and can help with cross-key stage collaboration and information sharing.

Get away for lunch 

Avoid sitting at your desk and eating lunch. At least three times a week, go outside for a change of scenery. Even 15 minutes of not staring at your screen boosts cognitive ability and focus.   

Six ways to inspire your team and get focus

So now you’ve got yourself in the right headspace, how can you support your school team as well? 

Be interested
When your team returns from their summer escapades, put on your best 'Tell me everything!' face. Encourage them to share their holiday tales with the team; you can even give a fun prize for the best holiday snap, funny story or activity. Invite two team members each week to share their funny stories during staff meetings, which will see you through September and keep everyone laughing throughout the month. And don’t limit it to holiday banter; if Tamsin in Y1 had that rhyming word for ‘duck’, the team need to hear about it.

Reset goals and priorities together
Schedule one-on-one meetings. Discuss priorities, set goals, and outline expectations. We’re not talking about official performance reviews, either. We’re talking about asking teachers and TAs what they want to get out of the year ahead and reiterating the support you/other leaders can offer. 

Appreciation
Tell your team members how they were missed. Throw in a heartfelt 'Welcome back, superstar!' to make them feel appreciated. Leaving a note of appreciation or a similar sentiment can work wonders, too.

Workload
Be gentle with their workload. They might need a couple of days to get their planning sorted or to get into the swing of things with their new class. After things have settled, motivate them to tackle new projects and encourage them to share ideas. 

Incentives
Motivation can come in the form of  – not just bonuses! Treat them to lunch or hand out vouchers for their favourite activities/restaurants if they do something particularly well, or you can see the effort they’re putting in to help children make progress and reach their targets. 

Get future-focused
Remind them of exciting upcoming events, like the staff Christmas party. Let them know the fun isn't over after their summer holiday. If you haven’t planned anything yet, get in touch with the Happy-Centred Schools team, and we can support you in creating a fun away day for Christmas or before, helping to get the team back together and feel connected.

And if none of this works, you might just want to encourage them to book another holiday to look forward to in the October half-term. After all, it's only seven weeks until the kids will be bouncing off the walls for Halloween, so you may as well schedule some downtime before that to try and prepare yourselves.

Get in touch with Doug - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - to chat through ideas that will give your school team some oomph.