Returning to work after a summer vacation can be challenging, whether you run your own business or work at a company, whether you love your job or not. If you’ve implemented some of the automation solutions I mentioned in my previous article, your situation might be a bit easier. However, if you haven’t, don’t worry—I’m here to offer useful tips to help you ease back into your work routine.
In this article, I’ll show you how to use artificial intelligence to make your return to work smoother and provide some prompt ideas to assist in this process.
Time Management
Just as preparing for a vacation is important, so is giving yourself time to transition back. Don’t try to solve everything immediately. Use the first day to get back up to speed, aim to process emails by the end of the second day, and schedule meetings towards the end of the week.
Tip: Ask AI to suggest a schedule for your listed tasks, so you don’t burn out on the first day.
Managing Emails
Emails are often the most dreaded and time-consuming task when returning from vacation. Here’s how you can use even the free version of ChatGPT to help:
Quick Response Drafting
Copy the text of the received email, write a quick response in your own words, and ask the AI to draft a professional reply based on that. You’ll be amazed at how quick and professional it can be.
Prompt: “Here is an email I received: ‘[insert email text]’. Please draft a professional response that includes the following points: ‘[your response points]’.”
Pro Tip: If you’re feeling frustrated and want to vent, write your response as you feel and then ask ChatGPT to rephrase it politely and assertively. I use it for this all the time 😁.
Summarizing Attachments
If you received documents or presentations and don’t have time to read through them on the first day but want a general idea of their content, ask for a summary. You can do the same for long email threads that colleagues carried on while you were away.
Prompt: “Here is an excerpt from a document: ‘[insert document text]’. Please provide a brief summary of the main points.”
General Response for Urgent Emails
Create a template for urgent email responses using the following prompt:
Prompt: “Draft a general response for ‘urgent reply needed’ emails. Make it professional, helpful, but firm, indicating that I value the email but need some time to respond after my vacation.”
Built-In Solutions
While built-in solutions (Copilot, Gemini) are available, we’re not yet at the point where AI can sit back and handle the entire email backlog autonomously. Let’s see where we currently stand.
Microsoft Copilot
Typically used by larger companies with Microsoft 365, I’ve had the chance to test various functions. It smartly suggests meeting times, provides ready-to-send email replies, and even live transcribes speech during meetings, which is particularly helpful when someone speaks quickly with a heavy accent. Soon, it will even allow for real-time language translation while maintaining the speaker’s voice.
At the end of meetings, Copilot summarizes the discussion, lists action items, and the next step will be automatically creating tasks and scheduling follow-ups.
Google Gemini Advanced
You can link your Gmail account to the free version of Gemini, but full functionality requires a subscription. The package includes 2TB of storage, costing around 8970 HUF per month. It offers email writing assistance, image and presentation enhancements, and data analysis. More features are expected soon. If you’ve tried it, share your thoughts—I’m curious to hear your experience.
How AI Can Help Make Your Return to Work Smoother
AI can significantly reduce the stress and improve the efficiency of your return to work. Use these tips and prompts to ease back into your work routine and enjoy your time away more.
Helpful Prompts to Use
- Task Prioritization:
- Prompt: “I have the following tasks to complete after returning from vacation: [list of tasks]. Can you suggest an order and pace for completing them without burning out?”
- Quick Email Responses:
- Prompt: “Here is an email I received: ‘[insert email text]’. Please draft a professional response that includes the following points: ‘[your response points]’.”
- Summarizing Documents:
- Prompt: “Here is an excerpt from a document: ‘[insert document text]’. Please provide a brief summary of the main points.”
- General Response for Urgent Emails:
- Prompt: “Draft a general response for ‘urgent reply needed’ emails. Make it professional, helpful, but firm, indicating that I value the email but need some time to respond after my vacation.”
By leveraging AI tools and solutions, you can make your transition back to work smoother and more efficient. Enjoy your vacation knowing you have AI to help you get back on track.
I hope you find these tips helpful. If you have any questions or need further information, feel free to reach out!
