The best advice for a strong, enthusiastic return from vacation. Welcome back to the routine!

Going back to classes or the office after a long vacation can be one of the worst parts of summer ending. But this isn't an end: it's a new opportunity to start what you've been putting off. A new school year, a new job, a new city, or even a new dream.

Here at Ale-Hop, we want to help you get the beginning of this new stage off to a smooth start. We're sharing 5 tips that we've tried to make getting back to the routine much more bearable.

Get organized: write down all the pending tasks.

The best advice we can give you is to get organized. Even though it's always hard to go back, it will be much easier if you prepare everything in advance. Remember, if it's not written down, it doesn't exist.

The act of getting organized after vacations can help you tackle getting started with more energy and enthusiasm; you may have to get new supplies, a new wardrobe, or because you have new challenges.

So put everything that you need to do and prepare on the table. A ‘to-do list’ will help you check off your list of chores bit by bit, while not running out of steam.

Plan your day and visualize it.

Organization shouldn't stop there. If you've already started being organized, keep going. Remember, it takes time to get into a habit.

You will need a special agenda that will keep motivated and help you remember everything you have to do during the year or when going back to the office. It should have enough space to write down important dates, exam dates, project dates, special dates, and even your holidays.

There are many types of agendas with special, unique designs. You will have several to choose from based on your preference of a day or week view, one that has rings or doesn't, and A6 or A5 size. Check them out!

How to highlight what's important in your agenda.

Use a color-coding system to differentiate each activity; this will help you organize yourself in a more visual way. Imagine opening your diary for a specific week and having a thousand tasks written down in no order or color. That will definitely get on your nerves.

Highlight meetings in one color, project deadlines in another, and a different one for personal appointments. You can also use adhesive markers in different colors to identify pages you need to flip to the most often.

That way, you will be able to perfectly organize your week with quick visual cues.

Focus on what's important and forget about endless to-do lists.

Once you have all your activities color-coded, you'll need to set priorities. That's the key to not getting bogged down in an endless to-do list.

Here are a few ideas to help you organize your tasks:

• Prioritize tasks that require minimal time and little effort. When you finish them, you will feel good about yourself, and you'll be motivated to continue working on the other tasks. You can use a weekly planner or a daily one to help yourself see the highlights of the day or week at a glance.

• It breaks down the big objectives into phases: A medium or long-term goal has smaller steps that you must complete. To do this, set clear deadlines, even if they are not required.

• Try not to work on two tasks simultaneously: when tasks are relatively easy, it's understandable that you may want to do them together. Wrong! This will decrease your performance and, as a result, cause other tasks to be delayed or not done properly. Avoid the stress that this can create.

Set aside time for fun.

Saying goodbye to summer does not mean saying goodbye to fun. Keep making plans with your friends or colleagues for when you finish work, and plan your weekend.

Every change requires an adaptation period where you have to get used to the idea. During this time, it will be very important for you to not stop doing what you enjoy. Spend your free time on hobbies, friends, family…

A good way to stay alert and motivated will be exercising however you like. Exercise offers a lot of benefits for your health, but we'll tell you about that here.

What we want to emphasize is that exercise will help you release tension and stress after the first few days of going back to work. You'll be able to get your mind off everything while exercising, and you'll sleep better at night; this will make you much happier in this new beginning.

Time is the most valuable thing we have. Enjoy it, and don't let anything stop you. An end is always also a beginning, so look on the bright side and go for it!