How big a chunk from your day gets sucked up reading unnecessary emails? Studies show the average corporate email user sends and receives 149 valid (legit, not spam) emails per day. If you’re not sure, try the following exercise:

Organize each of today’s incoming emails into one of the following 5 categories:

1. Necessary for you right at this very moment.

2. Necessary for you, but at a later time.

3. Waste of time for you; perhaps useful for others.

4. Waste of time for everybody.

5. Beyond wasteful; actually created a problem

It’s typical to find only a very few emails that fit category one---which are the emails that truly justify the time spent reading them.

Now take the same five categories and assess the emails you sent out today. How many of them addressed something that was necessary for the reader right at that very moment? And how many could have waited an hour, two hours, or even until the end of the day to be sent? Maybe in an “FYI” collaboration of points that while important, are not so critical that they require someone to abort whatever they they’re doing to focus on an email. Most people stop whatever they’re doing to read incoming email. That means they have to refocus in order to continue with their work. A substantial time suck that can easily be avoided.

There are a number of factors leaders need to address in cutting down the email usage in an organization. However, there is a foundational question, which if you can inspire your folks to consider before hitting the Send button, will immediately start to eliminate unnecessary emails. The question is: What is the purpose of this email?

In it's most constructive form, an email is a medium for gathering information and/or creating action on the part of the reader. If the message being sent does not request action or information (i.e. call a client, read a report, provide statistics from a recent survey) from the person to whom the email is addressed, the question must be asked, does this email really need to be sent?

The fact is, most leaders don't focus on what their people are thinking about as they hit the Send button. Consequently, in boxes are stuffed to the gills.  This typically creates one of the following three reactions: defer the email (stick it in a subfolder and let it sit for eternity), delete the email without reading it (admit it, you do it too), or let the email linger (sitting indefinitely ignored in an inbox). These are all reactions that will go a long way in making sure the folks from whom you need information or action never even read your critical emails.

Stop the email madness.  Make it an organizational rule: if the message in an email doesn’t contain an urgent request for information or action, stop and ask if it really needs to be sent.