I Don’t Do ‘Quiet Quitting’—But I Do Believe in Disappearing for a Day or Two With My Auto-Reply On

Hi there! I’m Johanna Voss, an influencer talent manager who has helped my clients land over $6M in brand deals. I also guide other talent managers in building successful, long-term brand relationships for their clients. This week, we’re talking about what I think of as the opposite of “quiet quitting”. Because I do not “quiet quit”, I loudly rest.

When I log off, I do so with intention, flair, and a cheeky auto-reply that says, “Yes, I saw your email. No, I will not be responding until Tuesday. Because I’m somewhere preserving my sanity and charging my creative battery like the rare Tomagatchi I am.”

My secret? Sometimes, I haven’t even gone anywhere. I'm just giving myself mental white space. The kind of breathing room that’s essential when you run a business where everyone and their calendar invite wants a piece of you.

I am a woman who LOVES her OOO message.

Read on!

My OOO Isn’t Just a Message. It’s a Manifesto.

Entrepreneurship—especially in the influencer talent and content creator industry—is like trying to sip from a firehose. I am juggling launches, negotiations, client texts, brand decks, content approvals, the list is endless.

So when I throw up an OOO, it’s not a vacation. It’s a boundary-setting ritual. A power move. A firm-but-loving “Not now, babe.”

Here’s what I actually do:

• I schedule late-night and weekend emails to go out during work hours—because no one needs to see me negotiating deals at 10:48pm on a Tuesday. That’s not the energy I want to normalize. Absolutely not.
  

• I put up an OOO even when I’m just taking a day for deep work. Or a walk. Or a nap. The world doesn’t need to know. My calendar is my fortress.
  

• I infuse humor into my auto-replies (because dry OOO messages are a crime). Think: “Currently unplugged and resisting the urge to check Slack like it’s a toxic ex. Be back Monday.”
  
  Or my current one goes something like this “Because I believe in the value of a swift response, you are getting this email. However, here's the thing....life is short and it's meant to be lived. My parents aren't getting any younger and life is precious so I've hopped a plane to the east coast for some laughs with inside family jokes that probs aren't funny, fried seafood and perhaps a dip in the ocean because why not. Cold plunging is in right? If we're in the middle of a project, I'm doing my best to check emails. Otherwise, I'll be in touch on Wednesday when I'm back. Have you ever been to New England? Any good recommendations?”
  

How to Take White Space Without Guilt

Let’s dismantle this toxic little myth: If I rest, I’m falling behind. This is a hard no. Rest is productive.

Taking intentional space isn’t about slacking—it’s about staying sustainable. It’s about protecting your creativity, your clarity, your actual capacity to serve people well.

Still battling guilt? Try this:

• Pre-schedule the silence. Put “nothing” on your calendar and guard it like your most important meeting. Because it is.

• Communicate confidently. “Hey, I’m unplugging for the next few days to reset and recharge. Everything urgent is already handled, and I’ll be back on XYZ date.” No apologies. Just a clear message about what you’re actually doing. Its tough to argue with this one.

• Reframe the story. You’re not being flaky. You’re being a leader who models what boundaries can look like in this hustle-obsessed culture. This is kinda screwed up but I’ll schedule time off to work on stuff for my business that is bigger picture stuff, like thinking about things. My best work and insights always come when I’m doing something far far away from my laptop.

• Notice what actually happens. The world doesn’t burn. Clients respect you more. I actually get bigger projects and work done.
  

What This Does For My Business (and My Brain)

Here’s the wild part—disappearing for a few days? It helps my business.

When I come back, I’m better. More decisive. More creative. I’m not dragging my half-burnt-out body through the workday—I’m in it. And my clients can feel that difference.

Also? My inbox never implodes the way I fear it will. People respect my boundary, especially when you make it clear and kind. Bonus points if you make ‘em laugh.

TL;DR: Be the Person Who Puts Up an OOO and Then Actually Logs Off.

This isn’t about disappearing forever. It’s about disappearing on purpose. For a weekend. A week. An afternoon. Whatever you need.

It’s about saying: I’m not here right now—but I’ll be back, sharper and stronger, because I took the time to not be here.

Believe me, I’m writing this AND taking my own advice. I get that it’s hard. But I think talking about it is one step towards normalizing it.

Until next time,