Intro:
During a recent commute, a friend shared the Work Trend Index article titled “Breaking Down the Infinite Workday” - Research. As I read through the research, it resonated deeply. The idea of the “triple-peak day”—where work stretches into mornings, afternoons, and late evenings—felt familiar. It made me pause and reflect: How does my own work rhythm look?
Key Takeaways from the Research:
Research
- The modern workday is fragmented and stretches beyond traditional hours.
- Focus time is often disrupted by meetings, messages, and notifications.
- Context switching and poor scheduling contribute to digital exhaustion.
- Evening and weekend work are becoming more common.
- AI can help—but only if paired with intentional work design.
Prompt for Reflection:
Inspired by this, I decided to build a Copilot prompt that could help me visualize my own workday and identify blockers. Here’s the prompt I crafted:
You are my Executive Assistant. Please generate a monthly work summary for Aug 2025.
📋 Section 1: Work Rhythm Overview (Text Only)
Provide a markdown table summarizing:
Total number of emails received, responded to, and flagged
Volume of Teams messages and top 5 active threads
Number and duration of meetings attended
Documents created or edited across Word, Excel, PowerPoint
Tasks completed, overdue, and newly assigned in Planner or To Do
Average daily focus time vs. meeting time
After-hours or weekend work patterns
Then include two bullet-point sections:
🚧 Productivity Blockers
Identify recurring interruptions (e.g., overlapping meetings, excessive notifications)
Highlight days with fragmented schedules or low focus time
Spot bottlenecks in task completion or collaboration
🎯 Focus Optimization Suggestions
Recommend 3 ways to improve my schedule for deep work
Suggest tools or habits to reduce digital noise
Highlight opportunities to batch tasks or streamline meetings
📊 Section 2: Visual Insights (HTML Only)
Generate a downloadable HTML chart using Plotly that combines:
Bar chart: Average active day duration (based on first and last replies)
Line chart: Context switching frequency
Bar chart: Average hours spent in Teams meetings
Annotations: Highlight extended workdays and their productivity impact
What I Learned ??
Running this prompt through Copilot gave me a clearer picture of my digital habits. I saw how meetings often consumed my core hours, how context switching spiked mid-week, and how my workday often started before 8 AM and ended well past 7 PM. It was a wake-up call—and a starting point to redesign my schedule.
Next Steps:
This was again another opportunity to automate. Schedulling of M365 prompt session is now possible.
Closing Remarks:
This blog is part of my M365 Copilot series, where I explore how prompts can drive personal productivity and organizational change. If you’ve ever felt caught in the loop of endless work, I invite you to try this prompt and reflect on your own rhythm.
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