Women is...: Back to Work After the Holidays

Back to Work After the Holidays

Leila Langlois knows she's done a real number on herself. The 28-year-old software sales manager from San Francisco went into holiday overdrive. For her holiday party, every decoration and every morsel had been absolutely perfect. For those Christmas gifts, she shopped till she dropped -- mostly at the very last minute.

"I had to entertain my sister-in-law, who's just like Martha Stewart and her house [shows] it," Leila says, laughing. "She's the kind of person who serves soup in carved-out pumpkin bowls. She has beautiful silverware and fine china.

"Then I stressed out over buying presents," she moans. "I just hate it so much. That's why I do it in about two days. And during the holidays you're constantly eating appetizer-type food. So I've packed on the pounds!"

And boom! Come January, it's all over and Leila is completely exhausted, both mentally and physically. No more parties. No more slacking at the office. No more time off. Sound familiar? So how do you hit the ground running in 2001 with energy and motivation?