May is Mental Health Awareness Month and a great time to explore ways to use technology to create healthier work habits and reduce stress. Whether you’re trying to set boundaries with your work hours or improve your focus and build more structure into the day, Microsoft 365 offers several tools to help protect your time so you can keep your cool all summer long.
Microsoft Viva Insights: your personal wellbeing assistant
Hidden in Teams is the Viva Insights app that delivers data-driven, privacy-protected reports and offers recommendations to improve productivity and wellbeing. Click on the “Wellbeing” tab in Viva to find ways to protect your time and maximize your productivity:
- Personalized recommendations: Viva learns your patterns and suggests when you might need breaks, focus time, or even time to catch up on messages.
- Focus time protection: Viva can automatically book focus time on your calendar and silence notifications so you can get into deep work.
- Wellbeing reminders: Gentle nudges throughout the day remind you to stretch, take breaks, or try a quick meditation exercise.
- Work pattern insights: Weekly personal insights show you how you’re spending your time, helping you spot unhealthy patterns like back-to-back meetings or working late.
- Virtual commute: End your day with a guided wrap-up that helps you transition from work to personal time.
Best of all, these features integrate seamlessly with the Microsoft tools you already use.
Can’t find Viva Insights? Check your Teams app, on the left-hand sidebar, click the triple dots or kebab menu (•••), and select Viva Insights. Be sure not to confuse it with Viva Learnings, Viva Engage, or just Insights.
Create boundaries for your personal time
Are work emails, chats, and calls following you home? Update your setting with these tips to keep work from creeping into your personal time:
- In the Teams mobile app, go to Settings > Notifications and set quiet hours for outside of your work hours.
- Use Viva Insights to set “Quiet Time” to silence Outlook email notifications during your personal hours.
- Try the “My Analytics” dashboard to see if you’re regularly working outside your intended hours.
Remember: Setting healthy boundaries isn’t just good for you – it models a healthy work culture for your whole team!
Show consideration with scheduled messages
Working flexible hours? Have colleagues in different time zones? Schedule your emails and messages to send during normal working hours so everyone’s time is protected.
- In Outlook, write your email, then look for the little arrow next to the Send button and choose “Send Later”.
- In Teams, draft your message, right-click the send button, and choose “Schedule message”.
This simple practice shows respect for your colleagues’ boundaries while allowing you to work when it’s best for you.
Make your calendar work for you
Your Outlook calendar can be your most powerful ally in protecting your time and wellbeing:
- Block off lunch breaks as “busy” so meetings don’t get scheduled during that time.
- Schedule short buffer times between calls to give your brain a rest.
- Use the “Working Hours” feature (in Calendar settings) to indicate when you’re working.
- Color-code personal wellbeing and focus time differently so your break times stand out visually.
Set “Do Not Disturb” time when you need to focus
Need uninterrupted time to finish a project? Teams’ Focus mode is your friend:
- In Teams, click on your profile picture and select “Set status”.
- Choose “Do Not Disturb” – this mutes notifications so you can concentrate. When you’re in focus mode, Teams will hold your notifications until you’re ready for them.
- Let colleagues know you’re in focus mode by updating your status message with when you’ll be available again.
- Schedule regular focus time in your week so teammates learn when you’re typically in “heads down” mode.
Pro tip: Many people find that blocking 90-minute chunks of focus time works best for deep work – just enough time to get into a flow state without getting burned out.
On vacation? Delete the apps
Taking time fully away from work is important for your mental and physical health. Don’t be afraid to delete your work apps from your personal phone. This way, you won’t be tempted to check emails or Teams messages even if the notifications are muted. You earned your vacation – unplug!
Final thoughts
Technology should work for you, not the other way around. These simple Microsoft tools can help you create healthier work habits and protect your mental wellbeing.
Remember, technology should help you work smarter, not harder. Start with just one or two of these tricks this summer to see if they help keep your stress levels low and your energy, and productivity, high.