Don't Wait on E-mails

One phobia I personally have is sending emails. This may sound weird but I have recently met people who share the same fear as me. A few of the reasons why sending emails may be a fear are:

-We want every email to be perfect.

-We don't want to offend the recipient. This is because even with the best intentions, tone cannot usually be read in an email. Especially in professional emails where emoticons cannot be used.

-Sending an email puts the 'ball' in the recipient's 'court'. Knowing you have the email that needs responding to puts you in control. Sometimes, waiting for another person's email can be very anxious.

But that's exactly why everyone should work to move past this. Emails do not have to be perfect. They just need to contain the message necessary for the response and to keep the conversation going. You must remember that people are waiting on you for your email. They probably also have people waiting on them for their email. By being the weakest link in the chain, you hold back many people's potential to accomplish tasks and make a difference.

Also, realize you are in a privileged time. Compare the present with earlier times where letters were sent. Even their fastest pigeon carrier could not match our slowest email response. Recognize that holding off on sending emails does not help anyone. Unless you have a legitimate reason to not send an email (i.e. emergencies, vacations, awaiting other people's confirmations/responses, etc.), then try to respond to emails as timely as possible.

Waiting to send an email only holds you back. You have less to lose by sending a non-perfect email than by not sending it at all. Unless you wrote a horrible typo or sent an inappropriate picture. I can’t help you there.