Putting The Theory Into Practice: 3 AI Actions To Make Returning To Work Easier

After two refreshing weeks away from the hustle and bustle of consulting, it was time to put some of the AI learning I'd been delivering into practice. Many will be familiar with that heightened wave of anxiety that starts to build in the days or hours leading up to the return to work. Well for some unusual reason, that feeling wasn't quite there today. I believe this in part stems from my daily habit of using Generative AI and an eagerness to try out some use cases particularly relevant to the return from extended periods of leave. Armed with the knowledge that Microsoft 365 Copilot can really help from a summarisation standpoint, I knew I easily had three actions ready to deploy to make that transition back to work just a little bit smoother.

But what awaited me after a fortnight away?

Over three hundred emails, over fifty event invitations and over ten new meetings to join in the first days.

It could've been worse. So what did I do next and how did it benefit me? Let's just say that what I did next has saved at least two hours already along with a whole heap of early wins....

1. Catch me up - Saved >30 minutes and prioritised tasks for the day and week ahead

   
   

   I was determined not to lose that blissful holiday feeling within moments, but seeing over 300 unread emails could have easily done the trick. Rather than spending at least 30 minutes trawling through countless emails and Teams chats, I called upon Microsoft 365 Copilot to bring me back up to speed in a flash. Using Copilot in Teams, I quickly asked:

Catch me up on what should be on my radar from emails, chats, and messages from the last two weeks. Use bullet points to highlight any actions, and prioritise any actions in order of importance and deadlines.

With this short prompt, it raced through the myriad of messages and made the mountain of communications easily digestible, catching me up on what I had missed. The important updates - prioritised. The noise - minimised. Not only did I avoid replying to something already resolved by my colleagues, I could quickly focus on the most pressing actions and prevent the feeling of overwhelm stopping me right in my tracks. Swapping holiday piña coladas for a GenAI-enabled work assistant turned out to be a surprisingly palatable trade...

2. Summarise the actions - Saved >25 minutes and quickly understood the requirements

   
   

   Sometimes, I long for those office days where you could poke your head up like a meerkat and ask a colleague to catch you up on what you’d missed while on holiday. Meerkats aside, I didn't want to fumble my way through thread after thread trying to work out what was required of me on my return. So on a few email chains I clicked:

'Summary by Copilot' button

And just like that, in about five seconds, Copilot had produced a series of concise bullet points. And with those bullet points I had saved at least five minutes per thread and had good insight into what the important details were and what I needed to do next. Getting on top of these things promptly really helped avoid the panicked rush of reading everything and potentially replying prematurely. Copilot read and contextualised the information I needed, freeing me up to channel my reading skills and energy into finishing that novel I’d started on the beach - later in the day, of course.

3. Prepare for my meetings - Saved >20 minutes and led a positive meeting

   
   

   9:30 am meeting, really?! It could've been worse - at least I had 30 minutes to prepare even if I did only require five, and most of that was just reviewing the summaries I'd gleaned just seconds ago. I typed in the following prompt:

   
   

Prepare me for my upcoming meetings this week, providing any necessary context and references to allow me to contribute fully. Provide this information in sections for each meeting, keeping information concise and easily understandable.

Being briefed and informed about the meetings’ background allowed me to waltz into each session with confidence and clarity on what needed to be achieved. There are few things better than a meeting that meets its intended objectives and has full contribution from those in attendance. Not only did Copilot’s preparation enable me to contribute fully, but it also gave me enough time to grab a cappuccino and briefly reminisce about doing the same last week - only in temperatures 20 degrees warmer.

Overall, I easily saved an immediate hour or two this morning and over the course of the week, I suspect a whole lot more. But it's not just about the time saving, it's about keeping that refreshed feeling for as long as possible. If AI can make your transition back from holiday or time away a little smoother, why wouldn’t you give it a try? Give the three AI actions above a go to make returning to work from holiday or even the weekend just that little bit easier.

How long could Copilot help you keep that post-holiday glow?

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