Loud Thinking

Prepping for Vacation Means Setting Email Expectations

The work of disconnecting begins before you leave for time off. You need to set expectations – and set up technology – to minimize work and get the most from your vacation.
Set up a vacation email address. Create an account to use during vacations, and share the address only with the people you really want to stay in touch with (e.g., your spouse, house-sitter, or traveling companions). Move any travel info to this email.
Set up a smart out-of-office reply. To avoid the dreaded backlog that awaits your return, let people know that they should email you again after X date for a reply. Or have them contact your assistant or a colleague.
Set up a check-in schedule. Maybe you’ll check email every morning, or twice a week after the kids have gone to bed. Let your colleagues and travel companions know ahead of time when you’ll be in work mode.

Adapted from “The Right Way to Unplug When You’re on Vacation” by Alexandra Samuel.