First week back after paternity leave and I'm already drowning

1w ago1 min read

Just got back to work Monday after 3 months off and holy shit I forgot how much email accumulates. My inbox was literally over 2000 unread messages. Spent the whole first day just trying to get caught up while my brain is still in dad mode. The worst part is my boss wants to schedule 5 back to back meetings tomorrow to "get me up to speed" but my son literally has his 4 month checkup that morning. I already told my wife I can't miss it but I know my boss is gonna be pissed. How do you guys handle this transition back?

9 comments165 views

Comments(9)

JJosh M.New Dad1w ago

The email alone would break me lol. Plus you're sleep deprived from being with the baby and now you have to be productive? That's rough timing. Take it easy on yourself.

KKyleRegular1w ago

I'm about to go through this in a month and I'm dreading it so much. How long did it actually take before you felt normal at work again?

KKyle M.Regular1w ago

Three months is a long time to be away from your email queue. I've been there. Pro tip: don't try to answer all of them your first week back. Flag the urgent ones and just let people know you're getting ramped back up. They'll understand.

KKyle M.Regular1w ago

Man, I feel this in my soul. First week back I had like 1200 unread emails. I just deleted everything older than a week and started fresh. My boss never noticed. The key is getting back into your routine with the kids too - that helps ease the mental load.

DDanRegular1w ago

Dude, 2000 emails is brutal but you'll get through the backlog. The first week back is always the worst - just focus on what actually matters and let the rest fall where it will. You got this.

PPaul M.New Dad1w ago

Oh man, I remember that feeling when I came back. Pro tip: set up filters or just mass archive the stuff that doesn't actually need your attention. The real work will surface quick enough.

NNathan R.New Dad1w ago

Three months is a long time away from the grind. Give yourself some grace the first couple weeks. I came back after a month and was completely disoriented. By week three it felt normal again. Hang in there.

JJosh M.New Dad1w ago

The email thing is real but honestly the worst part for me was readjusting to not being home for lunch anymore. That first week I kept checking the time thinking about what the kids were doing.

CChris M.Regular1w ago

That first week back is brutal. You've been running on dad time and now you're back to work time and your brain can't switch fast enough. It gets easier but yeah, those first few days are rough. Hang in there.