A Little Love For Out of Office Email

Do you know that Workaholics Anonymous exist? Perhaps we don’t hear much about it because overworking is often admired rather than recognized as a problem. And besides, who would have time to attend? I know I didn’t.

A client recently took a two-week vacation. She is the Executive Director of a school that doesn’t have students during the summer. I was delighted for her—until I learned that she had forwarded her work calls to her cellphone and hadn’t turned on an out-of-office email.

She was away, but she was still answering calls and emails. She isn’t a first responder. There was no emergency requiring her to remain available. She was entitled to a break.

We might call her committed, dedicated, and indispensable. But at what point does dedication become an inability to disconnect? I am not calling my client a workaholic or saying she is burned out. But her story made me think about how easily passion can become constant availability—especially in the nonprofit sector.

The nonprofit sector is under enormous pressure right now. Funding is uncertain, costs are rising, staffing is limited, and the demand for services continues to grow. Staff feel the burden of keeping programs running, supporting the people they serve, responding to funders, managing volunteers, and somehow finding the resources to do even more.

That pressure is real.

But it doesn’t mean you must keep working until you burn out.

In our sector, overworking often begins with passion. You care deeply about the mission, the needs never end, and there is always more to do. Gradually, working late, answering every call, and remaining available during vacations can begin to feel normal—even necessary.

Dedication can become an inability to disconnect. When that pattern continues under chronic stress, burnout may follow.

In one study, 95% of nonprofit leaders expressed concern about burnout, while 33% were “very much” concerned about their own.

Those numbers don’t surprise me.

Mission-driven leaders aren’t simply walking away from a list of tasks. You may believe that if you step away, someone—or something—will suffer. The family will still need food. The animal will still need a home. The teenager will still need guidance. The donor will still need a response, and the next bill will still need to be paid.

How can you take time off when the need doesn’t take time off?

I understand.

I understand not having a staff, relying on volunteers, working with a disengaged board, and worrying about where the money for the next round of bills will come from. I also understand the belief that everything is a priority and that certain things can only be done by you.

I hate to admit how well I understand—because I’m a recovering workaholic.

Once upon a time, I worried that if I stepped away, I might forget something, disappoint a client, or even lose my job. So, I gave up vacation time and kept working. And then I was fired anyway. All those extra hours hadn’t made me indispensable, and they hadn’t protected my job. Within six months, everything was up and running without me.

That was my wake-up call.

As high achievers, we often try to do everything at the highest level, please everyone, and never let anyone down including ourselves. Underneath that pressure may be a core belief: To be successful, I must give my all. We fear that slowing down means becoming mediocre, losing momentum, moving backward, or disappointing the people who depend on us.

But here’s a crazy thought:

You can give your best without giving your all. Overachieving does not have to mean overextending.

Giving your best means directing your energy toward what matters most. Giving your all means draining yourself while trying to do everything.

Read that again and know the difference. 

Ask yourself: If I continue at this pace, when I reach my goal, will I have enough energy left to celebrate it?

Everyone deserves the chance to reach for success without drowning in stress.

Think about your cellphone.

When its battery is nearly dead and too many apps are running in the background, everything slows down. Tapping the screen harder won’t recharge it. You have to close some apps. You have to plug it in. And sometimes, you have to leave it alone.

We understand this about our phones. Why is it so difficult to understand it about ourselves?

Taking a real vacation may require turning on your out-of-office email, removing call forwarding, naming one person to handle a genuine emergency, and accepting that some things can wait.

There will always be another email, deadline, bill, and crisis. If you wait until everything is settled before allowing yourself to rest, you may never rest.

The mission may need more from your organization right now—but that doesn’t mean it can take everything from you.

Taking a break doesn’t mean you care less. It allows you to return with more energy, clearer thinking, and a fully charged battery.

I recently sent out a newsletter and received a bunch of out-of-office replies. Instead of feeling frustrated, I smiled.

Each automatic reply meant that someone in our hard-working nonprofit sector had stepped away and made time for themselves. Maybe they were taking a vacation, enjoying a staycation, or simply curling up on the couch and doing absolutely nothing.

Whatever they were doing, I was happy to know they had given themselves permission to pause.

Because you can give your best without giving away all of yourself.

And that is why I have a little love for the out-of-office email.