I am going away for a few days and I’m putting my first email autoresponder in place. I’ve thought and talked about it, but I’ve never actually done it. I always thought autoresponders were cold.

Instead, I squeeze in a little time for email even when I take a vacation. I don’t know for sure, but it’s possible that I haven’t been away from email for longer than 72 hours since email was a thing.

That’s a bit of a confession for a simplicity advocate, and while this isn’t a problem for all of you, I know many of you feel my pain. Our inboxes have become the primary source of communication in our work and sometimes, in our lives. I’m grateful for this thriving community of people who care enough to reach out via email or other channels. I don’t want protecting boundaries to compromise that, but not protecting them leads to other compromises.

Even though I think auto responders can be cold, not knowing what to expect feels colder. When I wait weeks or have to chase up an email response, or I take too long to reply to someone … brrrrrrrrr.

There has to be a better way between cold auto responder and huge delay or no response.

I am going to try this …

Hello and thank you for your email. I used to think autoresponders were cold and yucky, but …

• checking email all day every day is colder and yuckier
• even though the internet is open 24/7, I am not
• the only way we can give our best is by lovingly protecting boundaries

I’ll be responding to email on Wednesday, September 23rd, but this might help in the meantime …

• If you purchased a course and can’t find the link, please check your spam and promotions folders. If you still can’t find it, I’ll send you a new link on Wednesday (or sooner).

• This page has answers to frequently answered questions.

xo,
Courtney

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If I feel good about this when I return on Tuesday, I am going to put it in place on weekends, when I’m working on bigger writing projects, and when I get away with my family.

Why didn’t I do this sooner?

Fear. I’m afraid that I will make people mad, miss opportunities, or fall behind. I know it sounds silly to have fear around something like email, but it’s my reality. Aside from snakes and spiders, most of the fear we have probably sounds silly.

What are you not doing right now to protect your boundaries because you are afraid? Make a list and then experiment.

I’ll consider this an experiment, and when I return, I’ll let you know what happens. I’ll be experimenting more with protecting boundaries around social media, my blogging schedule, dinnertime, my morning routine and daily routines, and digital sabbaticals.

Why am I doing it now?

Instead of checking email at the airport, I want to sip coffee and laugh with my husband. Instead of trying to figure out wi-fi on the plane, I want to gaze into the clouds. Instead of scheduling time for email, I want to linger over lunches, enjoy my friends, and dip my toes in the ocean at least 10 times a day.

Let’s put fear aside and make more room for love.