How to Deal With Email When You're on Vacation
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Out of Sight, Out of Mind
If an email is older than 10 days, it's probably no longer critical, so archive it. -
Empty Inbox
Commit to having an empty inbox. It should not serve as your to-do manager. -
Alternate Storage
Store emails in other places. You can copy and paste them in Word files, and use the save/as function for attachments. -
Task-Focused
Organize your storage of emails according to task, not subject headers, which could be misleading and/or confusing. -
Streamlined Folders
Limit the use of multiple folders, because each new one gives you something else to manage. -
Once Is Enough
Never read an email more than once. -
No Thanks!
Don't be afraid to politely ask yourself to be removed from an email chain if it doesn't involve you or your work. -
Blackouts
Notify co-workers about times of the day when you'd appreciate a break from incoming emails.
Remember when a vacation was really a vacation—a time when people completely disconnected from work and allowed themselves to recharge? Well, those days are clearly over. In fact, three out of five employees said they do at least some work while on vacation, according to research from Glassdoor. Why? One-third of the respondents said it's because no one else in their company can do their job, findings show. More than one out of five said they are 100 percent dedicated, and another one-fifth said they simply can't disconnect. In many cases, these workers are staying in the loop by checking email, which 44 percent of Americans said they have to do while on vacation, according to the American Psychological Association (APA). With this in mind, email-management expert Ran Flam has come up with the following best practices to improve how efficiently you manage email while on vacation. The goal? To spend less time reading and replying to email messages and more time enjoying yourself. Flam, a veteran in business process automation, created IQTELL, an email/work management productivity app.