All I have to do is hit a certain number of emails to send each day, she says.

I dont even have my work email on my phone.

Previously, she was as a personal assistant in Hollywood.

“Fake email jobs” are generally remote, require few hard skills, have little managerial oversight, a…

In that role, she says, she worked all the time.

I had no semblance of my own life, let alone a work-life balance, she says.

Her tech support job is worlds different.

A “fake email job” can be a breath of fresh air for people leaving more stressful roles, giving them…

My identity was so wrapped up in my previous job.

Now, I get to have my identity be my own, she says.

Sometimes, its just nice not to work that hard.

“I got a five-figure raise just from changing jobs. It’s fully remote; I send emails; I’m on Teams c…

I got really burned out.

The job became my identity; I worked overtime all the time, the 36-year-old says.

I couldnt do it anymore.

Some people find that their “fake email job” is an opportunity to de-stress; for others, it causes a…

It was killing me.

Its the easiest job Ive ever had, she says.

I got a five-figure raise just from changing jobs.

Its fully remote; I send emails; Im on Teams calls and send Teams chats all day.

It doesnt take a full eight hours of work to do everything.

When she started her job, the slower pace was a little startling.

I was like, Um, I guess Im not doing anything.

OK, Im just going to sit here and move my mouse around.

Thats really what it felt like, she says.

Unlike Rose, Kate feels a little conflicted.

But she doesnt miss the anxiety, stress, and lower pay.

Despite the perks, the position isnt perfect.

No ones getting to self-actualization through these kinds of jobs, she says.

For some folks, its great; for some folks, its soul-sucking.

He used to produce videos for various media companies in full-time roles and as a freelancer.

He finds his side pursuits pretty satisfying, but he is frustrated by the doldrums of his actual responsibilities.

But on the other hand, he says, We have one life to live… is right now, and it can be hard to not get depressed.

Partially because I was bored and partially because I wanted to show I was going above and beyond.

But shed still like a similar gig in the future.

Id like to do my little tasks, have a pension, have dental, she says.

For some people, a fake email job is the difference between life and death.

[But] at the same time, when Im on vacation, Im usually still taking calls.

Bocci says that tying your identity to work is a uniquely Western concept.

So much of our identity is tied up in our careers.

I am this, I do that, she says.

*Name has been changed.

Expert interviewed:

Goali Saedi Bocci, a licensed psychologist in private practice