Do you leave a day between coming home and going back to work?

Using every available day for the trip sounds sensible until the return journey runs late and the next morning starts early. There is laundry, food shopping, unpacking, and sometimes a very different sleep schedule waiting at home. A buffer day has a cost, but so does arriving exhausted.

How do you decide whether to come back a little earlier? Does the answer change for a short city break, a long flight, or traveling with children? Interested in routines that make the first day home easier, including anything you arrange before leaving so there is less to deal with on return.