A manager told me my emails were too long and it finally made sense

My old boss said, 'If it takes more than three lines, pick up the phone.' I was sending these huge emails trying to explain everything. After that, I started writing just the key point and action needed in emails. It cut my reply time in half. What's one piece of feedback that changed how you work?

2 comments

2 Comments

jones.andrew5d ago

Disagree with that three line rule honestly. Some things need a paper trail. If I'm explaining a complex process change to a team, a quick call leaves room for confusion later. I write a clear, detailed email so everyone has the same reference document. A phone call for that just creates more work when people forget the details.

campbell.nora5d ago

You make a good point about needing a record for complex stuff, @jones.andrew. My take is that the three line rule is more for quick back-and-forth chats that get stuck in endless email chains. For your example, a detailed email is totally the right move. The rule is just about cutting out the noise so the important docs, like your process change, actually get read instead of buried.