The worst part about taking a vacation is returning to work. You have to catch up on everything you missed, and of course something significant happened while you were out. While you're trying to read missed messages, emails, and memos, coworkers are forming a line for your attention.
It's no wonder knowledge workers choose to check messages while they're on vacation. However, that's no way to live. Zapier can help you ease the transition from vacation to the workweek.
Zapier helps you automate the tedious tasks in your day through our automatic workflows, which we call Zaps. These workflows send information from one app to another, so you can stop worrying about reading every email you missed and focus on more meaningful work. You'll need a Zapier account to use the workflows in this piece. If you don't have an account yet, it's free to get started.
There are things that can make it easier to return from a vacation, so we rounded up a few Zap templates—what we call our pre-made workflows—to help ease the transition back to work.
To get started with a Zap template, click on it, and we'll guide you through customizing it. It only takes a few minutes. You can read more about setting up Zaps here.
Filter emails and messages by importance
Out of all the emails you receive at work, my unscientific estimate is that less than half of them are useful. You probably have a good idea of which emails are high-priority.
Instead of combing through each message in your inbox, set up an automatic workflow to add specific emails to a spreadsheet.
Save new Gmail emails matching certain traits to a Google Spreadsheet
Gmail + Google Sheets
More details
Often it's helpful to store, backup and organize emails matching certain characteristics to a Google Spreadsheet. This Gmail Google Sheets integration makes it a breeze to setup a simple rule (i.e. emails from:
You can filter emails by a particular search, such as specific emails or keywords, so that only high-priority emails make the cut. When you return, you can comb through the spreadsheet and see the important stuff at a glance.
Get a summary of project progress
As any project manager knows, even the best-planned projects face roadblocks. There are some weeks where everyone is just knocking out tasks, and there are other weeks where everything comes to a grinding halt.
You can't predict what any given week will be like, especially when you're out on vacation.
Instead of trying to piece together how a project progressed in your absence, use a Zap to gather project activity from Trello, Asana, or other project management apps into a digest. Then, automatically receive the summary in an email or chat message.
Send new digests of completed Asana tasks to Slack
Asana + Digest by Zapier + Slack
More details
Once this Zap is active, completed tasks in Asana are added to a digest automatically, then sent as a custom direct message in Slack. Keep your team effortlessly up to date!
Get a digest of completed Asana tasks sent to your email on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis
Asana + Email by Zapier
More details
Ever close out the day wondering what you accomplished? With this workflow, you can see what you or your team checked off the list at a glance. Every new task is completed in Asana is logged to a digest. After a certain amount of time, Zapier will deliver your digest to your email so you can review every day, week, or month.
Get a digest of new Asana tasks sent to your Gmail every day, week, or month
Asana + Gmail
More details
Seeing your to-do list in one place can help you plan out your schedule. With this workflow, you can have new tasks sent to you via Gmail on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Whenever a new task in is added to a project in Asana, Zapier appends it to a digest. Then, on a schedule you set, Zapier will deliver the digest to you via Gmail.
Get a digest of new Asana tasks sent to your email daily, weekly, or monthly
Asana + Email by Zapier
More details
Knowing which tasks lie ahead is half the battle. With this workflow, you can have new tasks sent to your email on a schedule you set. Every new task in Asana is added to a digest. Zapier will then deliver your digest via email every day, week, or month.
Post a digest of new GitHub commits to any Slack channel on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis
GitHub + Slack
More details
Keep tabs on the code that your team commits. This workflow gathers up every GitHub commit that your team makes over a period of time, a releases that summary to a Slack channel of your choice. It's an easy way to get an overview of your engineering work.
Get a scheduled summary of new GitHub pull request in a Slack channel
GitHub + Slack
More details
Build a better review process for your team's engineering efforts. This workflow logs every new GitHub pull request to a digest, which is bundled up and posted to a Slack channel on your schedule. Just choose if you want your digest on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, and Zapier will handle the rest.
Get a list of company announcements
You never know when your company will drop big news. Even if it's just an announcement about annual open enrollment, you don't want to be out of the loop.
Each workplace communicates company-wide announcements differently, whether it's a newsletter, an email, or a specific channel in a team chat app. You can use an automatic workflow to send company announcements—however they're sent—to a spreadsheet.
Save new Gmail emails matching certain traits to a Google Spreadsheet
Gmail + Google Sheets
More details
Often it's helpful to store, backup and organize emails matching certain characteristics to a Google Spreadsheet. This Gmail Google Sheets integration makes it a breeze to setup a simple rule (i.e. emails from:
Add Slack messages to a Google Sheets spreadsheet
Slack + Google Sheets
More details
Want a quick way to add data to a Google Sheets spreadsheet? Make a dedicated Slack channel for your spreadsheet, then setup this integration, and whenever a new message is posted to the Slack channel, Zapier will copy it into a new row in your spreadsheet. It's the quickest way to gather data from your team—or to create an archive of everything posted to your Slack channel.
Add rows to Google Sheets with new Microsoft Outlook emails
Microsoft Outlook + Google Sheets
More details
Want to spend less of your workday toggling between apps? That's where this integration comes in. Automatically create a new row in a specified Google Sheets spreadsheet whenever a new email is received in your Microsoft Outlook inbox. Keep your Google Sheets spreadsheets organized and up-to-date without ever needing to leave Outlook.
If you're already using a spreadsheet to prioritize your emails, just create a new tab in your spreadsheet for company-specific announcements before you start creating your Zap.
Automatically notify your team about priorities
Don't you love it when you're trying to catch up on work, and everyone's bothering you? They mean well. Like you, they're trying to get their job done as well.
Use a Zap to alert your team about what you're working on, so you don't have to field tons of questions. For example, automatically update your Slack status when you have time blocked off on your calendar.
Update your Slack status when new Google Calendar events begin
Google Calendar + Slack
More details
Use this integration to communicate your status with your Slack team. After you set it up, whenever an event starts in Google Calendar, Zapier will automatically update your status in Slack. That way, your team will know you're AFK with no extra effort on your part.
Create new status updates in Slack with Microsoft Outlook calendar events
Microsoft Outlook + Slack
More details
Your Slack team should know your schedule, but sharing calendars and sending email updates takes time that's better spent elsewhere. This integration lets you stay focused, automatically setting your Slack status at a specified time before an event in your Microsoft Outlook calendar starts. Keep your team in the loop with instant, effortless updates!
If your company uses time tracking software like Harvest or Toggl, you can utilize a Zap that will send an email or team chat message for new time entries.
Send Microsoft Teams channel messages for newly-started Clockify timers
Clockify + Microsoft Teams
More details
When you are tracking project time, you may need to be notified anytime a timer starts. This integration makes it easy by automatically sending a channel message in Microsoft Teams with details of a new timer start in Clockify. You'll always be up to date with your project hours.
Share new timers started in Clockify in a Google Chat message
Clockify + Google Chat
More details
When you're on the clock, you don't want to be interrupted. Make sure your team knows not to bug you with this Zap, which will send a message in Google Chat whenever you start new time entries.
Send Slack messages for new Harvest time entries
Harvest + Slack
More details
Stay updated with your time tracking activities on Harvest right from your Slack channel. With this workflow, every new time entry logged in Harvest will prompt a message to go out on your designated Slack channel. Greater visibility and immediate updates mean better project management and efficient communication. Make time tracking an integral part of your team's communication strategy.
Bonus: Create an out-of-office repository
Automation can handle all sorts of events that occur in apps. But automation can't always give you the context behind a decision or event like a human.
My manager Janine uses an out-of-office repository to keep track of what happens while she's gone. It's just a document with a few tables. Before she leaves, she shares it with the team to fill in with relevant information she needs to be aware of once she returns.
My manager divides her repository by what she should know and questions she needs to answer All you need to do is create a shared document or spreadsheet in whatever apps your company uses. Decide what information you want to capture, such as the date an event occurred, the situation, the name of the person updating, and any links.
Share the document with your teammates before you leave, making sure they have editing access. When you return, you'll have the lowdown on the crucial stuff you missed. The best part: Everything's filled in for you. All you have to do is follow up.
