10 Tips for Easing Back into Work After Your Vacation

Get ready for a smooth return

Summer is approaching, and with it, the vacation period and, therefore… of the famous return to work after! A hundred unread emails, a full voicemail, 50 missed activities in Teams…

While we usually come back rested and in great shape, this state can quickly dissipate when we see all the work that has accumulated during our absence. This was my case a few years ago. I had at least a week (and sometimes more) of catching up on all my files. Today, it only takes me a little over a day.

I don’t have a magic wand, but rather a few concrete and effective strategies that I apply before I leave and when I return from vacation. I’ll share them with you, if it can help you save time.

Before you go: Set the stage

1 – Mention your absence in advance in your email signature

I’m not talking about your absence manager here, but about adding this mention to your existing signature: I’ll be on vacation from August 3 to 14 inclusively! The objective is to inform my colleagues, customers and suppliers that I will soon be on vacation. People can thus prioritize their tasks and follow ups with me. Anything you can take care of before you leave won’t be waiting for you when you return!

2 – Block your agenda for the day your return

Before leaving, I block my first day back in my calendar to make sure I don’t have any scheduled meetups, meetings, or calls. I will then be able to devote myself fully to processing my emails and telephone messages. I also recommend that you schedule update meetings with your key collaborators in advance during this first week (Wednesday to Friday). If possible, avoid customer/supplier meetings during the same week. This will allow you to regain control of everything that has happened more quickly and have some time to catch up on the latest office gossip as well.

3 – Clear your mind before you leave

To make sure you’re not always thinking about a multitude of little things you don’t want to forget, take a moment before you leave to write down all the tasks that will require your attention when you return. You can make a list on a simple piece of paper or in any other task management system. In fact, if you use a task system, be sure to review your to-do list to make sure that there are no tasks due during your vacation. If so, move it immediately to a later date and, if possible, not on the Monday of your return. You will have many other things to do to keep you busy on that day.

4 – Turn off email notifications on your cell phone (and why not also on Teams)

I admit that this recommendation will be extremely difficult for some to follow, except that it is essential. To achieve this, I suggest that you agree with your close collaborators on a way to reach you in case of extreme emergency (for example, by calling you on your cell phone). The goal is for you to leave with peace of mind without feeling the obligation to read your messages, for fear of missing an urgent situation. Plus, being constantly bothered by a variety of emails or bad news could quickly ruin your vacation. Take advantage of this time to completely offline. Your spouse, children and yourself will certainly appreciate it.

5 – Activate your away message (Outlook and phone)

On my last day of work, I update my phone message and my absence manager by specifying that I will be on vacation and that I will be happy to return call/email the week of August 17th.
I don’t mention the exact date of my return, but rather the week, in order to manage expectations well. I’m going to be busy the first day and it’s going to be impossible to answer everyone as soon as I get back.

When you return: Take back control effectively

6 – Edit your away message (Outlook and phone)

On my first day, I am still modifying my absence message to inform my colleagues, customers and suppliers that I will not be available today and that I will be happy to answer them tomorrow. Same for my phone message. This way, I don’t put pressure on myself and the expectations are set.

7 – Block out all sources of distraction on the first day

For the first day only, I isolate myself completely. We are so solicited from everywhere that it becomes difficult to concentrate. So here’s what I do:

1. • I turn on the “Do Not Disturb” status on Teams.
   • I put the “Do Not Disturb” mode on my phone. The calls therefore go directly to voicemail.
   • I work in “Offline” mode with my Outlook, so as not to be disturbed by new email arrivals every 5 minutes.

8 – Listen to all your phone messages in one go

Before returning my calls, I take the time to listen to all my voicemail messages in one sequence, from start to finish. This allows me to better prioritize those that will require short-term attention. The idea is to avoid starting to call someone back, then moving on to a few emails to come back to another phone message. It is always more effective to group your common actions together and finish them before moving on. Otherwise, you’ll end up with several open boxes and the feeling that nothing is moving forward.

9 – Display your emails by conversation before processing them

First, I organise my email filter by conversations, to make them easier to read. I then start with the most recent of the conversation thread.

10 – Clear your inbox with the M3Z method

THE most important thing of all. Thanks to the M3Z method, I quickly manage to regain control.
In summary, the first time I read an email, I immediately decide on the next action and apply one of the following 4 options:

1. 1. I delete it.
   2. I file it (don’t waste too much time filing all your emails, keep only a few folders).
   3. I reply to the email immediately if the requested action takes me less than 2 minutes.
   4. I transfer it to a task if the requested action will take me more than 2 minutes. I assign a priority (high, normal or low) and indicate the date on which I intend to do this task.

I continue like this without stopping until my inbox is empty. You may have heard of this method of organization before. M3Z is our most popular and highly recommended training. Here are some testimonials from our customers who are already using this method to give you a taste of what awaits you. I also invite you to watch the recording of our M3Z demo. This will allow you to discover how it is possible to improve your emails and tasks management in order to be even more efficient. The goal is to leave with an empty inbox every night and gain an hour of productivity per day.

Conclusion.

In closing, I welcome any tips that you would like to share with me. I’m always looking for best practices to improve.
There you go, I hope that you will apply some strategies and especially that they will help you better manage your return.

Until then, I wish you a nice and happy holiday!