How to Manage Post-Vacation Inbox Overload

The post-vacation overwhelm is real, and it's getting worse 📱 As many of us return from extended summer breaks, we're having an interesting conversation internally about "notification bankruptcy" - that moment when you come back to hundreds (or thousands) of messages and feel completely overwhelmed, and you consider nuking the inbox 🙅🏻♂️ This challenge is particularly serious for companies like Doist that collaborate primarily through chat tools and async communication. The very systems that give us flexibility at work also create this crushing wall of information when we return from time off. Here's what makes it so painful for me: - Everything feels "urgent" when you're catching up - You lack context on conversations that evolved while you were away - The fear of missing something important keeps you scrolling endlessly - Wasted time reading comms that have already been solved or are no longer relevant - It can take days just to get back to a baseline, much less move forward We're exploring several approaches to minimize this pain internally, sharing in case it's useful for others out there: - Notification bankruptcy - Encouraging marking all or at least large chunks of comms as read and trusting that truly important items will resurface. Only read @mentions and direct messages. - Structured triage - Dedicate specific time blocks to different message types. Start with DMs, then recent squad/team updates, then general channels. Set time limits to avoid rabbit holes and add long threads as tasks for later dates. - Email deletion strategy - Set an auto-reply saying you'll delete all emails when you return, so people should follow up after your return date if still relevant. Side note - I've been doing this for many years and have found most issues resolve themselves during your absence. - Temporary delegation with handoff projects - Create a centralized Todoist project where covering team members add (only) critical updates and decisions that need your attention (with links and context, very important!). Much more focused than scrolling through hundreds of messages. - Selective catch-up calls - Cancel all non-essential calls during your return week and schedule brief syncs with key team members to get updates on complex situations. The reality is that most of the "urgent" stuff from while you were away either got resolved without you or isn't actually urgent anymore, and very likely, your absence created an opportunity for another teammate to step into that space and grow from it. We tend to think we have to read and reply to everything, but declaring bankruptcy might actually be doing your team (and yourself) a service. I'd love to know how others are dealing with the post-vacation message flood, and any strategies that have worked (or failed) for your team? Always looking for better approaches to this modern workplace challenge 🤝 **Photo of Koda monitoring my approach to post-vacay inbox management 🐶

How do you transition back to work from vacation? Every time I return from vacation my email is flooded and my calendar is packed. It can feel overwhelming. Good news is that I’ve been figuring out my strategy over the years and I no longer stress about the ‘re-entry’. Here’s my process: First I triage my inbox. Use tech to your advantage, focus on what matters and clear out the noise. 🎯 Prioritize. Use filters to group messages by sender, subject, or project and identify emails from leadership, key stakeholders, and team members first. 🎯 Delete unnecessary emails. Skip the backlog of newsletters and other ‘nice to read’ messages. Also skip any threads where decisions were made without you. Those updates will come through team and project meetings as you reconnect. 🎯 Two minute rule. My favorite. Any email with a quick response or action, I knock out. For more complex emails, I flag them for later and group them into calendar time blocks for follow-up. Now I do a calendar review. Get a quick and clear picture of the day and week ahead. I do this review before I leave on vacation to ensure the first days back are focused. I do it again the first day back (within the first hour), and make any required changes. 🎯 Critical meetings. Look for meetings that need preparation and prioritize them. At the same time look for meetings where agendas have not been shared, reprioritize. 🎯 Block time for catch ups. Treat this time as a meeting with yourself and protect it. Schedule blocks for email, catch up with your team, to review project updates, and handle urgent items. I schedule these blocks on my last day before vacation so I’m set up for success when I come back. 🎯 Say NO. Cancel or decline non-essential commitments. It’s okay to say no to meetings that aren’t a high priority, especially in the first few days back. Now I reassess my week and perhaps reprioritize. What needs immediate attention? Have deadlines changed? Any new goals? A crisis? Understand current state and time block for critical path items and high impact work. How do you manage work when you come back from vacation? Please share your tips in the comments so we can all drop the stress in returning to work post vacation.

Ever returned from a much-needed break only to be greeted by an inbox that resembles a game of Tetris—just when you think you’ve cleared one, five more drop in? That’s exactly what happened when I returned from a two-week mission trip in Guatemala. While the trip was incredible, the email avalanche that awaited me was anything but. As leaders and executives, taking time off is essential, but the transition back to work can feel overwhelming. Here are my top 5 strategies to keep your sanity and stay on top of things after time away: 1-Prioritize Ruthlessly Not every email or meeting is a fire. Spend the first hour back triaging what needs immediate attention, what can be delegated, and what can wait. Trust me, the world won't end if you don’t reply to that group thread about last month's team lunch. 2-Set Expectations Before You Leave Before you pack your bags, make sure your team knows what to handle and when to escalate issues. This creates a buffer and keeps your inbox from becoming a disaster zone. 3-Use the 'Vacation Debrief' Meeting Schedule a meeting with key stakeholders to get a quick download on what happened while you were away. This avoids the back-and-forth email chains and gets you up to speed faster. 4-Embrace the 'Two-Minute Rule' If an email will take less than two minutes to address, do it immediately. This clears the quick tasks out of the way and gives you mental space to tackle bigger issues. 5-Pace Yourself It’s tempting to try to tackle everything on your first day back, but pace yourself. Block off your calendar for deep work time and allow yourself a few days to fully catch up. Returning from Guatemala was a stark reminder of how easily work can pile up, but these strategies helped me regain control without losing my post-vacation zen. How do you handle the post-vacation chaos? If you have any tips or want to learn more about how I maintained some of my daily routines during the mission trip, click like, share your thoughts, or ask a question in the comments below. Let’s keep the conversation going! #healthcareonlinkedin #litrendingtopics #productivity