Email Strategy: Respond Late, Rest Easy

My favorite strategy when it comes to combating email headaches is simple: respond late. Many people tell you that once business hours are over you should close down your email and not look at it. I think the smart way is to do the opposite.

Think about it. We’re forced to multitask on multiple issues everyday. Emails are a big contributor to this. Each message represents a new challenge, question, complaint, problem or idea that we have to confront, investigate and address. By removing email from the equation, the day can be made less hectic.

So, push email responding to late at night. My favorite time is from 10pm to 12am. It may sound odd, but here’s my reasoning:

• Value Your Day Time: Responding to emails throughout the day forces us to diminish the quality of our time. It becomes diluted in multiple issues and we really can’t give our full attention to any one thing when it really matters.
• Perception: By responding late at night, people perceive you to be a hard worker. And take it from Benjamin Franklin, this is a good perception. Franklin was known, while working as a young printer, to keep his shop running into the late hours — people noticed.
• Focus: Nighttime has fewer distractions and really gives you the opportunity to dedicate a good hour or two to getting through emails.
• Positive State of Mind: Nighttime is usually less chaotic and puts you into a more relaxed state. This can be beneficial because you’re less likely to respond negatively to emails.
• Avoid Email Chain Reactions: Since no one else is working this late, you can rest assured that you won’t get an immediate response which can tend to set off a chain reaction of emails going back and forth. That can be a real time drain.
• Problem Solved: The brain has a tendency to mull over problems throughout the day. If you’re confronted with a tough email, let it sit in your mind during the day. By night, you’ll have subconsciously organized your thoughts.
• Rest Easy: Nobody likes stress. And stress can cause you to have a bad night’s sleep. What better way to cap off the day than to systematically take care of all the issues sitting in your inbox before hitting the pillow?

This solution has worked for me, but it depends on your mentality. And if you’re not a night person, try doing it early in the morning — it has the same effect.