How to protect your Christmas from the Work Grinch

The holiday season is a time for joy, relaxation, and cherished moments with loved ones. However, amidst the holiday cheers and mistletoe, there’s a new Grinch lurking. For many of us, the constant buzz of work emails, notifications, and responsibilities can turn into the Grinch that steals away the magic of Christmas.

Don’t surrender to unread messages and looming deadlines. Here are a few simple tips to keep your holiday blues at bay.

Jingle bells over notification bells 

Imagine you’re decorating the tree with your family, laughter and ornaments flying. Then, TING! A notification bell dampens the Christmas cheer. The sudden urge to check the notifications from work is overpowering, drawing frowns and sighs from your family.

Silence those bells! Most devices allow you to mute notifications for chosen timeframes. Remember, work can wait; savor the precious moments with your loved ones.

Hang up your stockings using out-of-office replies  

You’re nestled by the fire with a mug of hot cocoa, listening to carols. Suddenly, your phone buzzes with a work email. It’s a client who doesn’t know that you’re on your well-deserved holiday.

Enter out-of-office replies. This feature conveys to colleagues and clients that you're taking time off and embracing the holiday season. Craft a welcoming message, stating the duration of your absence with a clear return date. This helps manage expectations, eliminating the need for constant email checking.

Bake cookies and schedule your emails in advance 

Right in the middle of a delicious swig of eggnog, you suddenly remember an email that you have to send out. Immediately dashing out to send that email drains all the spirit out of the holiday festivities. Delaying the email isn’t an option. What can you do?

There's a solution—scheduling emails in advance. The beauty of this lies in the ability to have your pudding and eat it too. It empowers you to relish your holiday while upholding professional commitments.

Deck the halls to show your availability 

On Christmas Eve, you're up to your elbows in cookie dough when you hear a ping. It's another work request. Your holiday spirit starts to melt faster than a snowman in the sun. But wait, you have a secret weapon: setting your availability.

No more guilt-tripped peeks at work notifications. No more explaining yourself when you are cherishing your family time. Let people know your availability by setting your Free/Busy status. Your colleagues now know to ho-ho-hold that ping by seeing your status. 

Make artificial intelligence your little elves 

How would it be if you had your own helpers to help you do mundane work? Rather than spend your Christmas holidays whipping up presentations and visual data yourself, call upon your little elves: built-in Artificial Intelligence.

Sifting through rows and columns of data is cumbersome. Use AI to create visual representation of data, such as charts, instantly. It helps you visualize the increase in your profit, bring your year-on-year sales figures to life and do it all before you can say the word “Christmas.”

Stock up your team's storage reserves 

Do you find yourself becoming an irreplaceable puzzle piece in the team's workflow, even when you're meant to be enjoying the Yuletide? The constant pings, queries about document locations, and urgent requests can cast a shadow over your festive moments.

However, the scenario takes a different turn when you've diligently organized everything on your team's common cloud storage before your holiday escape. Instead of being the go-to person for queries, your proactive efforts ensure work keeps going in your absence. Your team can seamlessly access information, update files, and collaborate effortlessly, all without needing your immediate intervention.

Wrapping up 

Remember, your well-being and presence during the holidays are invaluable. By using these features and adopting a mindful approach, you can keep work at bay and ensure that the Work Grinch doesn't steal a single moment of your Christmas joy. You deserve a Christmas where the only thing ringing are bells, not your phone. Merry Grinch-free Christmas, everyone!