Handling email threads after absence

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 🐶

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

MASTERING YOUR RETURN TO WORK AFTER TIME AWAY WILL SET YOU APART Returning from a work trip or vacation can feel like coming in for a landing, smooth and controlled or a crash into chaos. I experienced this recently coming home from 2 weeks away for work. While I was away, I was blessed to take an incredible hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia, Turkey. And though the ride was absolutely extraordinary, coming in for a landing over mountainous terrain was quite intense, We actually hit a car and had to ascend quickly to avoid a catastrophe. After re-ascending, we flew around longer then eventually found a better place to land. My return home got me thinking about landing & what we need to do to land softly after time away. After all, how you re-enter work after time away sets the tone your performance and for your team. It reveals your leadership capacity in many ways. The key to mastering this transition lies in being intentional, strategic, & methodical. Here’s how to land softly & powerfully, like a true high-performer: 🔵 CONTROL THE DESCENT: Prioritize & Focus. Don’t dive into the whirlwind. Like a balloon pilot, ease in. Block 1-2 hours for uninterrupted focus to assess priorities, review key emails, & realign your focus. Starting calm helps you control the transition, not react to it. 🔵 LIGHTEN THE LOAD: Triage Your Inbox. Like a balloon, too much weight causes a rough descent. Your inbox is likely overflowing, but only 5% requires immediate action. Use this system: *Urgent & Important: Handle immediately. *Important, Non-Urgent: Save for later. *Less Important: Offload, delete, or archive. Delegate to focus on what drives real impact. 🔵 CHECK THE BAROMETER: Schedule quick check ins with all your key leaders to get strategic updates & recalibrate. Ask them to share only critical recaps of what occurred while you were away. 🔵 AVOID OVERCORRECTION: Leave Space in Your Schedule. Overpacked schedules lead to crash landings. Leave time and space to create a sense of ease and to handle urgent tasks that may require additional attention. This flexibility gives you pace for decisive, high-impact leadership. 🔵 ADJUST YOUR ALTITUDE: End your day with reflection and chart the course for the rest of the week. 🔵 FLOAT, DON’T CRASH: Leverage your renewed energy. You’ve returned recharged. Focus on high-impact activities & avoid spreading yourself too thin. Schedule down time as well to keep momentum without burning out. Your return sets the tone for your leadership. By approaching your re-entry with precision, reflection, & purpose, you create a soft landing that benefits you, your team, & your company. Leaders who land with grace, lead with power. I’m curious. ~How do you ensure a smooth return after time away? #business #leadership #success  📸: Me, last week, in a hot air balloon in Cappadocia, Turkey 🇹🇷 

The post-holiday (email) blues You know the feeling.. you’ve just had a fantastic holiday and you’re back at the desk. Day 1 at work becomes 17 hours long. The backlog of emails is enormous. By day 2, you feel like you haven’t had a holiday at all. Familiar? I learned something a couple of years ago about email management that I’m going to share with you. It’s how you can avoid the ‘post-holiday email blues’. Disclaimer: this one won’t work for everyone, in every role. But it might give some of my readers who spend a lot of time at the laptop, some tips to better manage emails and priorities.... and to make that holiday feeling last a little longer. 1.    Once you return to the office, put any emails sent to you during your vacation days in a separate folder. You will get through them, not today, but in the next week or two. You see, anything sent to you one week, or two weeks ago has probably already been dealt with or is out of date.  Why spend valuable time here? 2.    Start responding to today’s emails first. They’re usually the most critical ones for now. 3.    Gradually, get through the emails sent to you during your vacation days in the coming days/ weeks. Prioritise them using 80/20 principle and focus on the important ones first. My guess is, once you get through a third to half of them, the rest are no longer important. You’ll wonder why in the past, you spent the first day back from your holiday going through all your out-of-date emails. And you’ll free up critical time for what matters most, now. FOMO? I am sure your colleagues will be keen to tell you virtually, at the coffee machine or over a cup of tea/ coffee, the most important and juicy things that happened in your absence. Emails of the past may be important for context but they’re likely not urgent today. And they’re definitely not worth giving you the post-holiday email blues. Have you tried this method before? My bet is, your stress levels and your post holiday self, will thank you for it. #personaldevelopment #coaching #mentoring #leadership #development #personaleffectiveness #continuousimprovement #efficiency #management #prioritymanagement #timemanagement #holidays #postholidayblues