Attention
2 min read
Slow Inbox
I check email twice a day and answer on Thursdays. The world has not ended yet.
By Mara Ellison · Lisbon
For a year I have answered almost all of my email on Thursdays. I read it twice a day, flag what needs a reply, and then leave it alone until Thursday afternoon. It sounds rude written down. In practice, almost nobody has noticed.[1]
What changed
My replies got longer and better. When you answer twenty emails in one sitting, you stop writing one-line reactions and start writing actual answers. Several threads that would have taken eight back-and-forths took two.
What didn't
Urgent things still found me. People who truly need something quickly call, or say so in the subject line. The emergencies I was afraid of mostly turned out to be other people's impatience, not mine to carry.[2]
A note for clients
I put one line in my email signature: I reply on Thursdays; for anything urgent, call. It has done more for my attention than any app.[3]
Notes
A few clients noticed and started doing the same. That was my favourite outcome.
This is not advice for everyone. It works because my work allows it.
The phone has rung twice this year. Both calls were worth it.
Written by
Mara Ellison
Product designer in Lisbon. Writes about quiet software, attention and the slow craft of making things.
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