Finding the right balance between productivity and well-being is very important. One often-overlooked aspect of this balance is how we manage our lunch breaks and status messages in tools like Outlook. This is one of our many tools on how to work smarter, not harder and optimising your workday for success.
Our small habits can have a big impact on how efficiently we work and how well we maintain boundaries between personal time and work. In this article we provide you insights to optimise your lunch breaks and status settings in Outlook and Microsoft Teams. Let’s make every moment of your workday count.
☰ Table of Contents
1. Block Time for Lunch in Your Outlook Calendar
It is very easy to get caught up in work and lose track of time. This might seem like a small sacrifice for the sake of productivity, but over time, neglecting breaks can lead to fatigue, lower performance, and even burnout. That’s why it is important to schedule time for lunch in your Outlook calendar.
Here is why this works:
- Self-Care and Mental Clarity: Taking regular breaks, especially for meals, helps replenish your energy and refocus your mind. It is proven that stepping away from your desk increases productivity when you return.
- Boundary Setting: Scheduling your lunch break signals to your colleagues that you are unavailable for meetings during that window. Outlook will mark your presence as “busy,” which automatically reflects on your Microsoft Teams status, helping to maintain your personal boundaries.
How to Do It
- Open your Outlook calendar and block time for lunch on your daily schedule.
- Mark yourself as “busy” to ensure that no one can schedule meetings during your break.
- Make this a recurring event to encourage consistency and a healthy routine.
2. Set a Microsoft Teams Status Message
While blocking time for lunch is essential, it is equally important to communicate your availability clearly. With the rise of remote work and flexible schedules, tools like Microsoft Teams are critical for staying connected with your colleagues. But without proper status management, it’s easy for messages to pile up, causing unnecessary interruptions.
Setting a status message in Microsoft Teams allows you to notify your team when you are away from your desk, in a meeting, or focused on deep work. This simple action improves team communication and prevents interruptions during your off-hours or lunch breaks.
Here’s how status messages help:
- Managing Expectations: By setting your status, you let your colleagues know when you’re unavailable, reducing the likelihood of interruptions during breaks or focus time.
- Fostering Team Respect: As more organisations embrace flexible working, respecting personal time becomes even more critical. A clear status message encourages mutual respect among team members.
How to Set a Status Message
- Click on your photo in the top right corner of Teams.
- Click on Set Status Message.
- Type in a short message that indicates when you will return.
- You can choose for the message to clear after a period of time, so you don’t have to remember to clear your message.
- When in the office, you could also use this to indicate if you are in a different location.
- Click on Done to activate your message.
- This message will be at the top of Teams while you have a status message active.
Edit or delete your status message?
Click on your photo in the top right corner of Teams and hover your mouse cursor over your status. Two symbols will appear: a pencil to edit and a trash can to delete.
Managing your lunch breaks and status messages might seem like small tasks, but they have a powerful impact on your workday. By proactively scheduling breaks and setting clear status messages, you not only protect your personal time but also enhance your productivity and foster better communication with your team.
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