Raya office prep — how to leave your desk without creating chaos for yourself when you return
by Nabilah Zain·May 24, 2026
Every year I come back from Hari Raya break to an inbox disaster of my own making. This year I finally got it right.
The week before:
- Send a "I'll be away" email to anyone expecting something from you, with a status update on each thing
- Set a handover document for anything time-sensitive, even one page
- Auto-reply with your return date and an alternative contact for urgent matters
- Clear your email inbox to a manageable state
Day before leaving:
- Block your calendar for the first morning back, don't let people schedule meetings into it
- Send yourself a priority email: "Read this first on Monday"
The first day back:
Don't try to catch up on everything. Triage first: what's urgent and real, what can wait, what resolved itself. Anything in the third category gets deleted.