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Pack up your inbox for the vacation to avoid post holiday email overload

Do you plan either to log in whilst on leave or pack up your inbox for a well deserved break?  Whilst we all like to think we are indispensable, the benefits of disconnecting from the inbox (and indeed most aspects of the wired world) have been well documented in previous blogs.

For those who do intend to close up their inbox whilst they take a vacation here are our top five tips to help you reduce coming back to a severe case of email overload.

Email stress free vacation

1. In the weeks leading up to your vacation, start to reduce all the unnecessary noise which finds its way into your inbox (eg newsletter, all user announcements, social media alerts etc). Click here for more tips.
2. Set up rules to filter out all the non-essential emails eg newsletters.
3. If you normally pick up your work emails on your own mobile device eg iphone, remember you can turn off the traffic to that email account.
4. Set an Out of Office message which is safe and reduces the risk of a cyber crime – click here for more tips. To reach inbox zero very quickly on your return you might even consider saying to internal senders that whilst on leave all your emails are being deleted and to resend it on your return!
5. Block out a day either side of your holiday to clean out your inbox before and after your holiday.

If you feel you really must stay in contact whilst on vacation minimise how many times you check your emails to once and at most twice a day. Otherwise be prepared for some heated family arguments and possible having to deal with a wet iphone/Blackberry.

Past experience suggests that not logging in is like excess cargo which needed to be dumped (to paraphrase Diana Athill).

Reaching inbox zero on your return can be quick and easy by following this seven point plan.

Still need help downsizing your inbox and saving time dealing with email?  Call us now to discuss how our Brilliant Email masterclasses can help you and your business.

Tags: email free vacation, email overload, inbox zero, out of office message, Pack up your inbox

One response to “Pack up your inbox for the vacation to avoid post holiday email overload”

1. Unified Inbox | Pack up your Inbox for the Vacation says:

   July 17, 2014 at 6:13 am

   […] https://www.mesmo.co.uk/blog/2014/06/pack-up-your-inbox-for-the-vacation/ […]