If emails are piling up and the holiday glow is fading fast – there are some ways to take fewer days off and get more time away.
Massey University management professor Jared Haar told Breakfast what to do if the back to work blues are settling in.
It's a good idea, he said, to start planning now to make the most of annual leave by timing it with public holidays.
How to hack public holidays and maximise your annual leave - Watch on TVNZ+
Haar pointed out with Waitangi Day on Friday next week, taking annual leave on either Thursday or Monday will give you four days off.
But in April, Haar said there are two opportunities to get longer breaks by booking only a few days of annual leave.
One is to take four days off between March 30 and April 2, which would give a total of eight days off thanks to the weekend with Good Friday and Easter Monday either side.
However, if you booked four days of annual leave from April 7 to April 10, they would get a total of 10 days off with two weekends, Good Friday and Easter Monday.
A bit later on in the year, taking just one day of annual leave on either Friday, May 29 or Tuesday, June 2, would give someone a total of four days off from the public holiday on King’s Birthday on June 1.
Although taking time off is a good way to come back refreshed, Haar said it is important workers truly disconnect when they take time off.
"I know it will be a pain for the four-day break, but if you want to maximise your well-being advantage, and the research tells us we do benefit from holidays, turn off the notifications if you are going on that 10-day break.
"Say you've got plans, you think 'I'm going to really switch off', maybe just delete the app off your phone... the Outlook or whatever you're using."
At the end of 2025, Haar said one in five people had "severe levels of burnout", which he said was a "rubbish" state to be in.
"I do think we have a kind of psychological strain on us. So maybe we've got to realise the technology is a double-edged sword, disconnect or switch off as much as you can."
And in the meantime, get planning that leave.
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