When I was writing this book I set an e-mail bounceback with the subject line “In Monk Mode.” The e-mail said: “Dear Friends, I am currently working on a new bo

When I was writing this book I set an e-mail bounceback with the subject line “In Monk Mode.” The e-mail said: “Dear Friends, I am currently working on a new book which has put enormous burdens on my time. Unfortunately, I am unable to respond in the manner I would like. For this, I apologize.—Greg.” If one of my friends did this -- actually, my real friends would never do this. But if by "friend" here is meant in the fairweather / outer social orbit sense -- I guess it could sort of work. Most of the other techniques here (like the humorous "Nope!") strike me as off-base, somehow. And a sign that that person probably isn't worth having as a high-value friend.