Going on vacation doesn’t count as much of a getaway if people keep emailing, texting and sending smoke signals your way. (Who can understand smoke signals, anyway?!) An out-of-office autoreply on your email, and a voicemail message indicating the dates you’ll be out can be crucial for getting people off your back — and avoiding headaches when you return — but only if it includes exactly the information people need.

Make sure you cover:

• When you’ll return
• That you’ll have limited (or no) access to email — you set the boundaries here, based on what you feel comfortable with
• Who to contact, should something urgent arise

You really don’t need more than that. It could be as simple as:

Hello,

I’m currently out of the office with limited access to email. I’ll be back in the office on Monday, August 3rd, but should anything urgent pop up in the meantime, please contact associate manager Tim Fakename at email@email.com.

Thank you, and have a great week!

Sincerely,

Jane I’m-So-Outta-Here Doe

Yup, it can be that short and direct. However, there are a few critical things to do before you post that message:

• Ask your colleague if it’s okay to list him/her as your emergency contact
• Have that person CC you on any addressed issues, so you know they’re handled when you’re back in the office reviewing all of those messages
• Budget the first hour of your morning (or sometime that first day) to be meeting-free, so you can focus on excavating yourself from all of those emails

In the August issue of Glamour, a productivity expert recommends shooting for unplugging “95 percent,” instead of going completely off the grid. Allowing yourself 10 minutes per day to view email, deleting anything unnecessary and flagging the top priorities for your return, may give you the peace of mind you need to fully enjoy your trip. However, if you’re the type where just delving into work mode can make you obsess over tackling an issue, then it might be best to cut it out completely. Like that Greek maxim says, know thyself…and plan your time off accordingly.

Happy travels!

 

Photo: Galymzhan Abdugalimov/Unsplash