How Quickly Should I Respond to Email? (15/15)

We’ve been conditioned—by ourselves and others—to think that emails must be tended to immediately, but if you’ve been following this email series, you know that that’s a fool’s game.

What if I Just Monitor Email for the Really Important Stuff?

But that’s just it. It’s difficult to know if an email message is worth interrupting your work unless you open it – at which point you’ve just interrupted your work.

There’s no gray area here. Either you’re working productively, or you’re constantly monitoring email.

I’m not suggesting that you don’t respond to your email. There is no written code that says you have to respond within twenty minutes, an hour, five hours, or that day!

That’s why adding an attachment to your signature can work wonders. It lets people who deal with you know that they need to pick up the phone –  if it’s urgent, you’re there.

If it’s not urgent, then there’s no rational reason for interrupting whatever you’re doing for a non-urgent task.

Pretty simple logic, right?

What if People Get Mad at Me for Not Replying?

Unless your job description clearly states that you’re hired to do email, it’s better to have some impatient, unknowledgeable emailers mad at you than for you, or your employer, to be mad at you.

Failing to respond to email within an hour or less does not mean you’re lazy or irresponsible. On the contrary, it means you’ve got your priorities in line, and people will quickly understand how you operate.

You need to establish email rules and boundaries that are most comfortable for you. Then, when you do respond to your emails, people will notice that they’re structured, thoughtful, and considerate. You’ll be seen as someone who’s in control.

Stick to your guns, and you’ll probably win over some converts in your way of doing things.

What if I’m Just Too Important to Not Respond Immediately?

If you believe your world will unravel without your constant vigilance to email, then… you might need a little time out to think things over.

The reality is we’re all replaceable, and if by some chance you think you’re not, then unless you’re a one-person operation, you’re seriously screwing up.

If a team can’t move without your approval of every detail, you’ve killed all possibility of growth.

If everything revolves around you, there will be no vacations and no downtime.

You’re a bottleneck because everything must go through you. If this description fits you, you’re a detriment to your company.

Everyone needs downtime because without it, without the chance to recharge, you’ll become less and less valuable as time grinds you down and burns you out.

What if it’s My Boss Who Expects an Immediate Reply to His Email?

Okay, that’s a valid question. If your boss is one of those people who gets an idea and immediately fires off an email at all times of the day or night, then you have a situation.

You might try to establish a structure where you only answer your boss’s emails during regular working hours.

If your boss expects you to respond 24/7, I suggest having a sit-down and a heart-to-heart chat.

You may want to begin by saying that you’re always there for him and you’re just a phone call away if there’s ever an emergency.

But you must also be clear that your personal time is essential to you. Ask your boss what arrangement you could make so that you can have the personal time you need, but also be responsive when something urgent crops up.

Finally, and this is key, you’ll need to establish a firm definition of urgent.

If your boss has difficulty with an arrangement like this, you have some soul-searching to do if he wants you to be on call 24/7.

You’ll need to ask yourself if this is an acceptable long-term lifestyle. If not, it might be time to dust off the resumé.

There is nothing “down” about “down-time; down-time is lifetime.

Take some time to develop email rules that you can comfortably live with.

By doing so, you’ll eliminate a lot of wasted time, stress, and uncertainty.

You’ll also be a better employee, spouse, parent, and friend because you’ll be a whole lot less stressed.