I was scrolling through Google search results to this query, “Is it polite to send an email on the weekend?”, and it occurred to me that if I had to ask, then the answer was definitely “no.”

But what if I added a qualifier somewhere in the email saying, “This isn’t urgent, feel free to wait until Monday to reply”? I typed it out. Reworked it through several iterations. I didn’t like it. It felt disingenuous. It felt like I was making an excuse for bad behavior while going through with it anyway.

I was working on a Sunday for my own personal reasons (no childcare on the preceding Wednesday and a workload that required a full week), but there was no need to inflict that on anyone else. Because, let’s be honest, email recipients—unless they shut off their work phone/computer all weekend and don’t look at it (and not everyone has that luxury)—get the ping. They see that I’ve written. And even if they don’t open the email until Monday, they now have me on their minds, if only fleetingly, on Sunday, and that’s intrusive.

The solution to not sending after hours emails is so stupidly easy and obvious that I can’t believe I didn’t implement it earlier in my working life: SCHEDULE SEND. If you use Gmail, there’s a little down arrow on the send button. Click it. And schedule.

Ever since I had this revelation, I’ve been using the function with the brakes off. And every time I do, it feels like a new mastery of the very grownup and elusive skill of setting boundaries. Because creating a container for my workweek (Monday-Friday) and workday (8 a.m.-7 p.m. or 9 a.m.-5 p.m., depending on the day) also means respecting those of others.

So, unless there’s a true translation life-or-death emergency on the weekend that requires immediate action, know that you won’t be receiving emails from me after hours. But 8 a.m. on Monday is fair game.

P.S.

I’ve also used schedule send to give myself well-timed assignments, complete with relevant attachments: “Dear Self, Prepare a PowerPoint presentation on given subject using the materials in the attachments.” Schedule send for one month from now. It feels like a hack.