You don’t have to soften your email with exclamation points!!!

Emails can be daunting. In an age where we get Gmail notifications to our phones at all hours of the day and night, it can be hard to resist the feeling that you have to reply immediately, and–especially in the world of full time freelance–it can be difficult to separate “office hours” from “off hours” when you are both your own manager and employee. 

Here are my 12 tips related to all-things email to aid in the eternal quest for “Inbox (0)”.

1. Be intentional with your email subject. Especially when working multiple gigs at one time, it is so easy for emails to get lost in the abyss. Putting the production/project title as the first words in your email subject can help you track down the thread again either by using the search function, or with a quick visual scroll through your inbox. Instead of “Meeting on Thursday” try “R+J: Director/SM Meeting Thursday, January 30”. Your future self will thank you.

2. Use email filters. I’m gonna be honest…I don’t do this. This is not a style that works for me and my process, but I know it is extremely helpful to some in keeping a tidy and organized inbox. Gmail offers an array of filter options that can help you separate emails from specific senders, identify importance level, color code, and even send some emails directly to trash. (I do love a color code, though, so maybe I’ll look more into this…!)

3. Keep unread emails at the top of your inbox. Now THIS, I do use. “Out of sight, out of mind” doesn’t just apply to the Check Engine light on my dashboard, because if I lose an email into the “Everything Else” category of my inbox, it’s gone forever. Having the top of my inbox always display the emails that I have not yet tended to is the simplest way for me to keep my inbox organized. PRO TIP: If you open an email and can’t reply to it right away, mark it as unread. This will hold the email at the top of your inbox, and keep it from the abyss of “Everything Else.”

4. Unsubscribe from brands you don’t actually frequent. I bought one sweatshirt from the Boston University bookstore as a graduation gift for someone five years ago, so please tell me why I STILL get Boston University bookstore emails to my inbox multiple times a day. Girl, unsubscribe. The thought of having to unsubscribe from every website you’ve ever shopped at can be a daunting task. The best way I have found to tackle this is to unsubscribe from a sender as a new email comes in. Taking on this feat one email at a time feels way more attainable, and a whole lot less mountainous. Bye-bye, Boston University bookstore.

5. Use your inbox as a to-do list. If something comes up throughout the day that I need to remember, the most surefire way to secure that task on my to-do list is to email myself. Using tips from above, I create a detailed subject line, keep the email as “Unread” in my inbox, and reference it (and thank myself for it) later when I nearly forget to take the compost out.

6. Schedule-send your emails. It’s Monday, and I need to remind actors on Friday morning that Saturday’s evening performance will be filmed for the archives. There is no way I’m just gonna ~remember~ that. So, on Monday while I’m thinking of it, I will draft up the email, and schedule it to send at 8am on Friday while I am definitely still sleeping. PRO TIP: Be sure to include your own email address in the “to” of the scheduled email so that you get confirmation that it has been sent out at the time you selected. Now I, too, will remember that Saturday’s show is being recorded.

7. Email Lingo: “Total scope of work.” You just got a personal email checking on your interest and availability for this super cool project. Go, you! The email is a bit vague, though; there’s nothing mentioned about the fee or specific time commitment in the message, and you don’t know quite how to bring it up. My go-to reply at a time like this includes the phrase “total scope of work.” I typically thank the person for reaching out, explain that I am interested in learning more, and would love more information on the total scope of work (including scheduling specifics and fee). A phrase like “total scope of work” helps create an all-encompassing ask for more information. 

8. Email Lingo: “I can’t afford to take this position.” Okay, they sent you the total scope, but–oof–the fee does not appropriately compensate you for the work you are doing, the travel required to get to/from the job, and the time it would take you away from finding supplemental work. Sometimes, producing organizations need to know that–though the opportunity otherwise could’ve worked out–you literally cannot afford to take the position they are offering. Sustaining a life in theatre is hard enough with jobs that compensate fairly. I am a firm believer that it is okay (even GOOD) for producing organizations to see that it is not actually possible for you to move forward with an offer at the rate at which they are compensating. As the adage (kind of) goes, “It’s not you, it’s them.”

9. Email Lingo: “I look forward to continuing the conversation.” Or, her best friend, “I look forward to hearing back from you.” I finish off almost all my emails in this way, signaling to the receiver that I expect a reply. To me, ending an email with an invitation for further conversation reminds them that this is a dialogue, and you are looking for a response of some kind. 

10. Email (Signature) Lingo: “I am replying during my work hours, and I acknowledge that they may differ from your work hours.” As mentioned, it is hard for freelance work to not slip into a nebulous space of always being on the clock. Setting a boundary in your email signature that acknowledges the importance of work-time vs. off-time can be hugely beneficial for you, as well as the recipient of your email. Especially in a digital age where we are frequently conversing with people in completely different time zones, setting the expectation that you will reply in a time that aligns with your work schedule (and giving the grace that the recipient, too, will reply at a time that works for them) is a great way to reinforce healthy email boundaries.

11. Remove (most of) the exclamation points in your email. Emails are not text messages, and ending a sentence with a period is not aggressive. (Trust me, they’re not going to think you’re mad at them.) Exclamation points are frequently used to soften or lighten something that really doesn’t need to be lifted. Especially in professional settings, you should feel allowed to strongly state your message. (I’m not a monster, I’m not telling you to delete every exclamation point…but maybe just save them for “LEFTOVER PIZZA IN THE LOBBY!”)

12. Set a timer and reward yourself. It is so easy to forget that email time is work time, especially when you mindlessly scroll your inbox on the Metro or while watching TV. I encourage you to challenge this, though, and stop treating your email like just another app. “Clocking in” to your inbox for a set amount of time will help you stay focused on the task at hand, while also preventing you from the slippery slope of being stuck on a back and forth email chain for hours on end. And, when the timer is up, reward yourself. Whether that reward is a step away from your computer, a favorite latte, or a few minutes of social media doom scrolling, (set a time limit on that, too…!) you deserve to take a break.

I hope these 12 tips help you feel more in-control of your own inbox, and less stressed about the never ending emails-that-should-have-actually-been-meetings. If you have any questions…text me.