So I’m trying an email experiment

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personal

How to reduce the burden of email build-up when you’re away

Published

April 14, 2011

Walking off into the sunset, leaving a treash can behind

For the next 2 weeks, here’s my vacation message:

Subject: I’m on vacation, and I’ve deleted your message—really

I know this sounds brutal, but here’s the deal.

I can’t remember the last time I took a vacation where I didn’t actually end up working a few hours each day handling e-mail. I felt I had to, because if I didn’t, the Inbox would just grow and grow, waiting for me when I got back—the idea that I’d be flying home to 5,000 messages would always be nagging at me, detracting from my holiday. So I worked (which also detracted from the holiday).

This time, I’m taking a different approach. I’m asking for your help to make my break more enjoyable.

I’m going to be discarding email I receive. That’s right—your email will be recycled into warm, fluffy bit-jackets for underprivileged children. I won’t see it.

If it’s something you think I really, really need to know, you can bypass this brutality by putting “urgent” in the subject line. But before you do: if it is something that can be handled by the wonderful Pragprog support folk, could you send your message to [email protected]. If it can wait until I get back on April 25, please resend your message then.

It’s an experiment. Bon voyage à moi!

Dave

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