Conquering PostVacation Chaos with AI Your Guide to a Smooth Work Comeback

Ever come back from vacation to a flooded inbox and a mile-long to-do list? According to a survey by MyBioSource, 80 percent of people experience post-PTO burnout, and 42 percent dread returning to work. As Smita Hashim, chief product officer at Zoom, puts it, “Work is very noisy right now, and it moves real fast.” The good news? AI can help you catch up in record time.

Before you even log off, lean on AI tools to create clear handoff summaries for your team. Chief AI scientist Andrew Reece at BetterUp recommends using automated briefs so coworkers know exactly where projects stand.

Then, on your first day back, funnel your unread emails, chat threads, and meeting recordings into an AI summary tool. Ask it to highlight urgent items, flag decisions you missed, and outline next steps. You can even draft replies and update briefs in minutes. With AI as your catch-up assistant, you’ll slip back into work mode with calm confidence.

That’s your one-minute reset. See you next time.
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