The more you send
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Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeart Radio. Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's tip is that the more email you send, the more you are likely to get. So if you wish to receive fewer messages, try sending fewer messages and see what happens. So if you have not historically sent holiday cards and you start sending them some year, you will soon find yourself getting way more cards in the mail than you ever have before. People who receive a card from you will reciprocate. And people who wanted to send a card to you already will now have your correct address. So their desire to send a card will translate pretty directly into an envelope in your mailbox.
For holiday cards, it can be delightful to realize that the more you send, the more you will get. But it is also true that the more email you send, the more you get. And in this case, you might not be quite so delighted. Responding to an email almost always elicits another response. And when you show people that you are the kind of person who responds quickly to email, people may be more likely to send you emails asking for quick input on individual things, rather than triaging or consolidating their messages. I once saw a time log from a woman who was trying to get down to inbox zero, that is, IBZ, on her log. Each entry on her log had a number as she processed her messages. IBZ 300, IBZ 275, IBZ 250.
She got herself all the way down into the double digits. And then, what do you think happened? All those people she responded to on the way down sent back up their own messages. She was right where she was before. So how do you avoid the exponential increase in emails? First of all, with email, aim to move quickly to a resolution. Try to avoid a situation where a person needs to respond, okay. So, for instance, if you need to update your boss on the next step of a project, you could say, unless you let me know otherwise, I will plan to reach out to John this afternoon to make that change. If you are confident you know what needs to be done, don't ask how to respond and don't ask whether the response you proposed is all right.
Just let the person know what you plan to do and on what timeframe.
How does sending more emails lead to receiving more messages?
If they want to weigh in, they know their guidance is welcome and they know they need to contact you sooner rather than later. Or maybe you want to trust the other person to respond in the way that they see fit. without further email from you. Say so. I support whichever option you recommend. Please update me on the plans when they're finalized. You can also avoid a lot of emails if you empower others systematically. If your direct reports email you frequently for guidance or approval on things, that is a sign that you may need to be more clear about your vision for a project. and what needs your input, and what really doesn't. Many emails can also be avoided all together with a live conversation. For instance, if you and your boss will be in the same meeting later in the day, you probably don't need to email her questions before that.
You can ask her live, right before the meeting starts. This works with Zoom as well. If you're going to be talking with someone, make a list of things to discuss and discuss them live the next time you see each other. And don't send them one by one in emails. If you don't have a conversation coming up, but emailing would require a long message that would probably elicit a long response, consider finding a time to talk live. Whether that involves sticking your head in a colleague's office or scheduling a meeting, a live conversation probably will take less time and be more likely to lead to alignment.
Why does reciprocal behavior increase holiday cards and emails?
One last strategy to consider.
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