You receive an email. It’s not directed at you and there is no action you need to take. You are copied, as well as 20 other people. Then it starts. One person replies all, then another, and another. Next thing you know, you have 20+ emails from this chain that has nothing to do with you. Yet, you have no control to make it stop, because you know that if you reply-all with “please remove me from this email chain” it will just start another chain!
Does this scenario sound familiar? It happens all the time to many of us, but we’ve become conditioned to simply delete these emails and deal with the irritation. In fact, it wasn’t until I went on vacation and completely disconnected that I realized how bad it has gotten when I fired up my email inbox and it was jam-packed full of reply-all emails.
The dreaded reply-all email chain has become an unfortunate side-effect of our tech-entrenched lives. Technology does a lot to make our work and lives easier and more convenient, but it can also have a negative impact on our well-being. Considering the average knowledge worker gets over 100 emails a day (many, I’m sure, are reply-all emails) it’s no wonder that email anxiety has become a phenomenon that many of us experience on a daily basis. That’s why I’m on a mission to end reply-all and take back control of my inbox. And I want to help others do the same!
Here are 4 ways to send fewer reply-all emails:
- Email mindfully: Be more mindful about emailing. Ask yourself, “does everyone here really need to see this email?” before you hit send. Better yet, consider if you even need to send an email at all!
- Don’t use email to collaborate: Remember that email is not an effective tool for the purpose of collaboration. Consider whether an email is the right way to communicate. Do you need to receive feedback or collect information from multiple people? If so, a collaboration tool would likely be better to use instead.
- Find other ways to show gratitude: Reply-all emails are often just a growing chain of “thanks”. I’m a huge supporter and champion of a gratitude-focused culture but reply-all thank yous often do more harm than good! Find other ways to show your gratitude, instead of always using the reflexive “thank you” email response. Maybe a personal note or a quick call would be a more effective way to show appreciation.
- Give permission to NOT respond: Another common reply-all chain response is “got it!” When you send an email to inform, make it clear that no response is necessary. We often feel that reflexive need to confirm that we’ve received and understood the message. When the sender makes it clear that no confirmation is required, it makes the receiver more comfortable not responding.
Email has become so ingrained in our lives that we often use it without even thinking about it. There have been times when I feel like my inbox is controlling me, instead of the other way around. It’s time to take back control of our inboxes and end the chaos of reply-all. Join me in building better email habits and remember that technology itself is neither good nor bad, it all comes down to how you use it!
