How your out-of-office reply can show your heart

Photo by Guillaume de Germain on Unsplash

When I emailed a nonprofit leader the other day, this is the automated reply I received:

“I’m currently unable to put in the usual hours of work due to childcare duties, and will take longer than usual to respond. I will however be screening my emails daily for urgent matters.”

It’s brave to say, automatically and to every single person who emails, what so many of us are too afraid to admit: I am stretched too thin right now to handle everything. I am going to let some things drop.

Whether we’re men or women, whether we have children or not, let us set an intention today:

I will set boundaries. I will not try to do it all. I will allow myself to be imperfectly human.

Inspired by this nonprofit leader, I updated my own out-of-office reply:

Human connection gives me such comfort these days. Occasionally I feel that through email. But mostly it’s a way for me to arrange what gives me energy: conversation.

If you’re emailing about a quick matter, I’ll reply when I can. Otherwise, I’ll send you a link to my scheduling service so we can talk.

Stay safe and healthy.

Your turn. What intention can you share with the world through your automated email reply? Tell me in the comments.