I’ve had this as my Slack status at work for 3 years now and either people have learned this independently over time, or it has done its job.

I also do keep it as a firm boundary - if people just say “hello” or “how are you” I ignore the message until they actually say why they want to talk to me.

At first I was worried about seeming like a passive-aggressive asshole, but it has really improved my quality of life. No more spikes of anxiety when I get a “hello” and have to sit there and be like “ah fuck what’s this bullshit gonna be about” while deciding how and when to answer. Now I can take a quick glance and decide whether to respond now or save it till later.

…Who does this? Do people really just say “Hi” and that’s it? WTF?

Another similar, but slightly different problematic way of formatting yourself: https://dontasktoask.com/