Over the last about 6 years I have adopted the practice of not checking email AT ALL on vacation.

When I mention this, many scoff and say that would never work for them.

I said the same thing when I started.

Join me for a about my journey to vacation email freedom.

1/

I have a relatively busy job as a clinician, fellowship director, and assistant dean for faculty development/affairs.

I average 70-100 emails per day.

So committing to not checking it for a week (or 2!) away is admittedly no small task.

I adopted this practice in stages.

2/

My initial state was bad- there was one vacation in which I was answering emails on my computer on the beach as my kids were frolicking in the ocean.

This was when I knew I had to make a major change. This was my low point.

3/

Stage 1 was not bringing a computer on vacation.

At the time I had my work email on my phone (more on that in a sec) and I found I had exchanged my computer for my phone- I was constantly on that thing sligning off emails like I was sitting in my office.

Major fail.

4/

Side story: Then I struggled for a year to get my work email off my phone. This has been a major success and it has been almost 5 years since it has been on there.

I can't express enough how liberating this is.

People also scoff at this as impossible but it is not.

5/

So without email on my phone, stage 2 was bringing my computer and allowing myself one 45 min email session in the morning over coffee.

This was a major improvement and allowed me to vacation without anxiety that my inbox was becoming a disaster.

6/

But I noticed that checking email meant I thought about work a lot during the day because I tend to perseverate over stuff more than I should.

I didn't like that.

And I had role models who told me I could abandon email during vacation.

7/

So stage 3 was just doing it.

For the last 4 years I have not checked email when I am on my 2 big family vacations per year.

I described the first 2 stages because I think they were instrumental in convincing me it is possible.

8/

My helpful rules for not checking email on vacation:
1. Let people know you are doing this beforehand
2. Make sure those who need to get ahold of you can (i.e. the fellows have my cell)
3. Full clinical backup for patients
4. STRONGLY worded out of office reply

9/

Here is an example of my out of office reply. This is super important so people know you aren't "shadow emailing" (i.e. following email and responding to "important ones").

10/

I set up a rule for when I am gone that:
1. Sends the above out of office reply, and
2. Puts the email in the "deleted" folder

WAIT WUT- WHY DO YOU PUT THEM ALL INTO THE DELETED FOLDER???

11/

I route vacation email directly to my "deleted" folder because out of the ~650 emails, around 6-15 will require a response.

The rest require no response or have worked themselves out.

It is easier for me to move 15 emails to inbox from trash than to move 635 the other way.

12/

I set aside time to clean up my email when I get back- usually I just know I'll need the time at the end of my vacation or schedule a fake meeting for 2 hours the morning I am back in the office if that is an option- it often isn't.

13/

Some may argue with my tactics. But the point here is that it is entirely possible to ignore email on vacation, regardless of your role.

We just aren't as indispensable as we think we are.

And it makes for a much better vacation.

14/