I Didn't Get Your Email

A few weeks ago, I made a shift that feels big to me: I no longer check email on my phone.

While I didn’t delete my email apps completely—you know, in case of emergencies—they have been moved away from my home screen, dismantling my muscle memory to click the little envelope icon around the time of my first morning pee.

I did this after getting my millionth stressful email on a {insert: night/weekend/holiday/date with my husband}. Whatever it was that particular day sent me into a frazzle because of my inability to process the message as anything but urgent. The situation ended with me feeling guilty, stressed, but above all, like nothing was sacred.

And I was sick of it.

For the first time ever, I had this undeniable yearning to protect my time, space, and energy when away from my desk. I needed a boundary from the always-on digital world and realized that no one can, or will, draw that for me, but me. So I did just that.

For as nervous as I felt that I may miss that Old Navy clearance alert, I felt just as free—for I knew my mental energy was not going to be compromised while out for a walk to get ice cream, while riding the Peloton, while watching trash TV with my husband. I could be fully present with the most menial of things, which made them feel intrinsically more exciting.

Millennials like myself grew up with the internet. From dial up, to broadband, to AOL, to social media, to google and more, we learned, acquired, and adapted as fast as it all came along—and still do. Now, I would bet that if we had to boil down our careers to just two words, most of us would say: “Answering emails.”

I love my job. And I love email, too! Some of the biggest and best moments of my life happened, and continue to happen, through the thoughtful exchange of an ever-convenient email. But my generation has evolved into a species where always-on is expected and I don’t know how or when I fully agreed to that.

I still sit in front of a computer most hours of the day. My email tabs are always up. If something comes in and I see it, I read it and respond usually right away. But redefining what my time away from this set-up looked like has brought me a simple joy that I both humbly and highly recommend.