I was going to title this post “confessions of an email addict”
My good friend Tim wrote a fb update yesterday and asked how to disconnect during vacation.
That is a good thing to figure out.
It used to be simple. Create an “out of office message” on your mail server. Then just leave your laptop at home or in your bag. Presto.
But now many of us create and consume more on our always connected phones than our laptops.
The truth is I’m not ready to completely disconnect. I want my phone with me in case my wife needs me or other family members need me. Checking Twitter and FourSquare is fun. I love taking photos of interesting things. And I want to be able to deal with any critical matters that may arise from my partners or our portfolio.
So here’s my plan but I absolutely welcome others to contribute. We are all in this boat together :)
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I did create an out of office messagae on my mail server. It says I’m away until jan 4th because I am.
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I’m only checking email once a day. And in the morning before 7:30am.
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I’m asking that folks send me a txt or Twitter dm for urgent matters. That will be a small number and I’ll deal with those during the day.
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I’m going to be extremely mindful of the number of emails I create during my morning shift. The more emails you create, the more you get.
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A lot of my friends catch up on all of their email on vacation. The theory is that your re-entry back to work will be less crushing. I used to be a member of this camp. I’m trying something new because that feels unhealthy to me. Vacation is time to relax, reflect and recharge and have fun!
I’m looking forward to this time off to be with my family and friends. Cheers!