Going 'unplugged' doesn't have to lead to an e-mail meltdown

(Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee)

This is the story of email and two vacations. Three, really. Because I'm on vacation now, totally unplugged.

Disconnecting is a lesson I learned from my breaks last year. I found that I could indeed walk away from e-mail and not come back with an out-of-control inbox. Maybe you can, too.

Last summer, I took two separate vacations, each lasting one week. During the first, I tried to stay on top of my e-mail. I didn't want to have a relaxing time off only to find 1,000 or more emails awaiting me upon my return.

I'd grab an hour or two each day, when everyone was back from the beach and snoozing during the hottest part of the day. I figured, "Why not?" The family was on downtime, so I could fire up the laptop and knock back at the e-mail. Of course, I always had my phone throughout the day, making it easy to constantly keep up on my e-mail.

It was a success from the standpoint of keeping my inbox fairly empty. By the time I got back, I had around 30 items within it, about the same as when I left. I felt pretty good about that. But I didn't, upon reflection, feel like my vacation let me relax much.

Going unplugged A month later, I had another week off. This time I went totally unplugged. Once we got to our destination, the computer was off and stayed off. My phone, too. There was no checking of e-mail each day.

I was nervous about what would happen. I'd never tak... [Read more]