The final weeks of work before the holidays often feel like a sprint to an impossible finish line. Inboxes overflow with last-minute requests, meetings multiply as everyone tries to “tie up loose ends,” and the ping of work notifications follows you home, into the evening, and sometimes even into bed. For employees everywhere, December becomes the most stressful month of the year precisely when they need rest most.
That’s why Aaron Conway, Director of Ronin Management, a Singapore-based business consultancy with over 15 years of UK experience, is urging workers to take control now. “The difference between a restorative holiday break and two weeks of anxious checking emails comes down to the boundaries you set in advance,” he explains.
Below, Conway shares the boundaries every employee should establish before logging off for the festive season.
6 Boundaries To Set Before Your Holiday Break
-
Set Clear Offline Hours And Communicate Them To Your Team
Before you leave, tell your colleagues exactly when you’ll be unavailable. Don’t leave it vague with phrases like “I’ll be away” or “limited availability”. Be specific: “I’m offline from December 23rd to January 2nd and won’t be checking emails.”
“Most workplace anxiety during holidays comes from unclear expectations,” says Conway. “When you clearly state your offline hours in advance, you’re being professional. It gives colleagues time to plan around your absence rather than assuming you’ll be reachable.”
Send this information to your immediate team, manager, and any key stakeholders at least a week before you leave. Put it in your calendar, mention it in meetings, and include it in your email signature as the date approaches.
-
Turn Off Work Notifications On All Devices
It’s not enough to simply decide not to check work emails. You need to prevent them from reaching you. Turn off notifications for work email, Slack, Teams, and any other communication platforms on your phone, tablet, and laptop.
“The brain can’t properly rest when it knows a work notification could arrive at any moment,” Conway explains. “Even if you don’t respond, seeing that notification creates a mental load that prevents genuine relaxation.”
Consider logging out of work accounts entirely rather than just muting them. The extra friction of having to log back in creates a helpful barrier against the temptation to “just quickly check”.
-
Decline Or Postpone Non-Urgent Meetings Scheduled For December
Look at your December calendar right now. How many of those meetings are genuinely urgent? Most end-of-year meetings are habitual rather than necessary, scheduled simply because “it’s always been in the calendar”.
Review each meeting and ask: Does this need to happen before January? If not, suggest moving it to the new year. You’d be surprised how many colleagues will be relieved that someone finally said it.
“December meetings often have poor attendance and low engagement because everyone’s mentally checked out,” says Conway. “You’re doing everyone a favour by postponing them.”
-
Create A Pre-Holiday Task List To Avoid Last-Minute Emergencies
Nothing ruins a holiday faster than remembering something you forgot to do. Create a comprehensive handover document that lists ongoing projects, upcoming deadlines, and anything that might need attention while you’re away.
Break it down into three categories: completed before leaving, handed over to colleagues, and can wait until return.
Conway advises: “Be realistic about what you can finish. Trying to clear your entire to-do list in the final days often leads to mistakes and burnout.”
-
Set Up Email Autoresponders With Clear Expectations
Your out-of-office message should be more than “I’m away”. Include your return date, who to contact for urgent matters, and explicitly state that you won’t be checking messages.
Avoid phrases like “limited email access” or “checking periodically”. These create ambiguity and pressure. Instead, write: “I’m completely offline until January 3rd and won’t see your message until then.”
-
Agree On Handover Notes So Colleagues Know What To Handle
If colleagues are covering for you, don’t leave them guessing. Create clear handover notes that explain where things stand, what might come up, and how to handle common scenarios.
“The guilt of leaving colleagues without guidance often drives people to stay connected during holidays,” Conway notes. “Proper handover notes eliminate that guilt by ensuring everything runs smoothly in your absence.”
Schedule a brief handover meeting rather than sending a long document. A 15-minute conversation is worth more than a five-page email they might not read.
Aaron Conway, Director of Ronin Management, commented:
“The biggest mistake people make is viewing holiday boundaries as selfish when they’re actually necessary for sustainable performance. Burnout doesn’t happen during the busy periods, but when we never allow ourselves proper recovery.
“I recommend what I call the ‘complete disconnect’ approach. Don’t check emails once or twice. Don’t keep your work phone on ‘just in case’. Genuinely disconnect. If your workplace can’t function without you for two weeks, that’s an organisational problem, not your responsibility to fix during holiday time.
“Start setting these boundaries in November if you can. The earlier you communicate your offline plans, the less pushback you’ll receive. And remember: colleagues who respect boundaries are the ones worth working with. Those who don’t were never going to respect your time anyway.”
About Ronin Management
Ronin Management is a Singapore-based consultancy with over 15 years of UK SEO and eCommerce experience combined with Asia’s tech innovation edge. They specialise in helping brands become the default answers on AI search platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Claude through Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) and Large Language Model Optimisation (LLMO). Their service model is structured in three phases: ‘Ronin’ (setup/build), ‘Daimyo’ (authority building), and ‘Shogun’ (growth/maintenance), designed to make brands visible, trusted and referenced by AI platforms. They offer custom programmes that include entity/schema setup, knowledge graph integration, high authority content and user generated content seeding.
