The Art of the OOO

Longest. Day. Ever.  The day before vacation. The day I spend a double day tying up loose ends and teeing up opportunities to keep them flowing while my inbox goes unattended.

You with me? Work a 16 hour day, just to get a 40-hour work week off. 

You will soon be incommunicado, off the grid, Final task before letting go….the OOO notification. In an era of ridiculous expectation around the “working vacation” it’s increasingly important to unplug, recharge, and (eh-hem) give everyone a break from dealing with you!

Setting the proper expectation with others about your OOO status is entirely up to you. Don’t be a bore.  Be clear, humorous, and provide value, even leave them wanting more. We are over the dry OOO reply! Share a professional reflection, generate interest in a company marketing campaign, give some personal insight into you, or just be a little different. I strongly suggest keeping it professional…..

You’d be surprised, once I started doing the slightly non-standard OOO, how many emails I received in appreciation. 

Have any cool auto-responders to share? Here are a few examples of mine:

I have good news! You won’t have to hear from me for a while. Consider it YOUR vacation instead of mine. If you really want to talk to me, I will be back on June 20th. Be well!

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I am Down Under through March 7th. Which means that I am in one of the most challenging time zones to connect with - unless you’re writing me from Australia or Asia. I’m at our R&D site, which means big things are brewing…. Responses will be delayed. Will do my best to keep up.

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Hello! Our office will be closed in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, January 21st. Time to reflect on how each of us can be a positive leader…

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.” -Martin Luther King Jr.

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Thanks for your message! I’m out of office this week.

Meanwhile...Did you see? We've named our first honored creator in the #lifxlimelight : creators for creators non-ad campaign. His art is featured for the week on our billboard in Times Square NYC.

https://twitter.com/LIFX/status/1086550358674075648. If you'd like to nominate a creator, check out the deets: https://www.lifx.com/pages/williamboard_

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Thanks for your message! I will be out of country Monday-Friday. Responses will be delayed. Meanwhile...Did you know you can catch Santa in the act? We did! https://youtu.be/HUfiQgAmSQE

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Try as I might, I just can't do CES and email (well). Please pardon the delay in my response. If you are at CES, have a meeting with us, and need to reach me, please call me. Otherwise, I will get back to you the earliest possible.

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Thank you for understanding my delayed response as I "dig out" of CES early this week. Will respond as soon as possible.

Meanwhile...Have you seen our billboard in Times Square NYC? You wouldn't know it's LIFX by looking at it. #lifxlimelight : creators for creators -- and you can nominate a creator for a 5-day feature. Check it out: https://www.lifx.com/pages/williamboard_

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Work matters. Just right now, family wins. I’m on holiday and will get back to you once I return. Speak soon!