Everyone loves a good vacation. A relaxing trip to the beach, time away from work with family, maybe a trip overseas… whatever your vacation preference is, it’s nice to be away from work and have some time to wind down. It’s what happens when you get back from vacation that sends me in a tizzy. E-mails, e-mails, and more e-mails… 248 this morning to be exact.
Lets break it down. So about 20 of those e-mails were event reminders or OSU services announcements. Nine were reminders or listserv announcements from ACPA, and 4 were coupons forwarded to me from another advisor. That means that of the 248 e-mails, only 33 were not from faculty, staff, or students. That is 215 e-mails that I had to respond to, or at least read. I pride myself at keeping my inbox at zero, or #inboxzero (for my twitter friends out there), so it has been a compulsion of mine to read, respond, and file away all e-mails that I receive. This morning this became a daunting task.
I put up an out of office reminder while I was gone, directing anyone who e-mailed me to either wait a week for a response, or if it was urgent to contact the front desk. I am now positive that only 5% of people actually read what an out of office response says. I cannot even tell you how many e-mails I received that simply said “Are you ignoring me?” or “Can I come in tomorrow and see you since you didn’t respond to the e-mail I sent you 6 minutes ago?” (okay, that may have been a slight exaggeration on the time). I wonder how much of a panic they were in, when they didn’t get a response from me for 4 days?
I love my students, I love working in Student Affairs, and most of the time I love e-mail, but after a full morning of answering e-mails (I am only half way done), I felt like I need a vacation… again.
And then came my vacation, my pick-me-up in the middle of a sea of questions and scheduling concerns… It was an e-mail that came from one of my advisees, who also happens to be a member of the sorority I advise. It was one of the daily moments that you stop and take in, because you know that you matter and your job matters. TheGirl as I will refer to her, e-mailed me this…
Kristen,
I thought I would email you: 1. because I miss you 2. my grades were a lot better this quarter and 3. because I wanted to say Thanks for making me try harder this quarter! I like having good grades.
I hope your staying out of trouble… and hopefully this email brought you a smile!
Love,
Your favorite DZ/student 
It was a short e-mail from TheGirl, but it made my day. It was the little vacation I need in the middle of my sea of e-mails. I stopped, reevaluated, and felt rejuvenated. I realized students e-mail me because they know me and trust me to help them solve their problems. I felt better.
I now know that a “daily vacation” can come in any form, an e-mail, a card, a walk across campus. It is now my goal to find a daily vacation every day. I don’t have to leave campus or the country to find a way to relax and rejuvenate. Something that for 5 minutes takes me to my “Happy Place” is all I really need.
Today I decided that an e-mail can be a vacation…
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Okay, I like this idea of an email as a vacation. Sometimes a Tweet is a vacation and sometimes just stepping back from the computer and closing your eyes can be a vacation too.
I’m glad you are back! I will not email you for at least a week or until you reach #inboxzero and I have to mess it up for you.
J
Something that should be recognized (and applauded) is your perspective! Because you take the time to read your email and take in everything you found this little mini-reward and appreciated it. It seems to me when the job gets the most daunting is when the students who make the job worth it all come out of the woodwork and make you smile!