You think you’re being a good colleague. You finish that small project that has been darkening your to-do list for days, and innocently send an email out letting your team know as you prepare to move onto your next task. . Next thing you know, you’re sucked right back into that one as a barrage of replies to your email take over your inbox. Emails are flying throughout your organization as each recipient receives and instinctively reacts with an immediate reply, resulting in utter confusion as messages overlap and repeat questions. 

With one simple pause on their part, much of the confusion and incredible influx of emails could have been avoided. Like a magic wand, the simple act of clicking “send later” has the potential to increase your productivity, improve quality of your email content, and deepen clarity. 

Most modern email platforms offer the option to send later. For example, in Gmail it is a simple matter of pressing the downward arrow right next to “Send”, turning the button  into “Schedule send”.

The process is so simple, it has us wondering why more people skip out on the benefits of sending the right message at the right time. The Wingmen at MaverickApp are fans of the scheduling opportunities within our smart hangar for engaging with new qualified leads and reigniting conversations that may have fizzled a little. Utilizing your email client for those times you are in your general, day-to-day email situations, will help you take advantage of the following  benefits of sending later.

Write better emails. How many times have you hit send on an email, and within seconds remembered more information that needed to be included, resulting in writing a follow-up email to clarify? Or written and email later on that was devoid of important contextual content?

When an email with wrong information is sitting your outbox awaiting a delayed send, it is easier to open back up and edit to include the correct information. This tactic also allows you to continue updating with information as it comes in and conduct multiple proofreading rounds. Often a second look results in emails looking even better thanks to the additional freedom to change your mind about things and reconsider decisions.

Save time. The flurry of emails between coworkers can pile up in surprising amounts of the workday. Since many of these messages could have been condensed into a single message,  “sending later” potentially reduces the back-and-forth throughout the day, freeing you up to complete more important work than cleaning your inbox. Bonus Wingman “work smarter” tip: set up your afternoon emails to go out at the end of the workday, then in the morning you can reply to everything at once rather than interrupting your thought process multiple times throughout the day. Many people find that they can go down to a single email-answering session per day!

“Time shift” your workday. 9 to 5 are not the best working hours for every job. If you prefer “off hours” you are not the only one! Due to this, in some cases, it may not be optimal for recipients to know what time you’re working. Burning the midnight oil was often seen in the past as an admirable work ethic and a way to impress the bosses, but today people are more aware of the importance of maintaining a good work/life balance. You never know how unusual hours can raise questions or suspicions with someone, so a delayed send to a workday hour can eliminate this concern. Alternately, you may want to make sure that you are delivering at a convenient time for your recipient in their time zone. Our ever-increasing work from home economy has given rise to coworkers being located across the country and the globe! 

Be more consistent. If you work in sales, or any environment that requires keeping in regular touch with your customers, scheduling your email deliveries in advance can be a real help in staying consistent with your messaging. These constant reminders are what keeps you top-of-mind with your customers, and reliable sends at an effective time of day are much more likely to deliver success than random sends whenever you think of it. Everyone needs a little push or reminder on occasion, forgetting to send that simple reach out could be the difference in hitting or missing your goals. 

Keep weekend departures low-pressure. Don’t you hate it when you get an email from your boss that seems like it may require a response just as you’re getting out the door on Friday? Most of the time they really could wait until you’re settled in on Monday, but you feel obligated to respond just in case. Don’t do the same to your team! Scheduling low-priority afternoon emails to arrive first thing in the AM instead will take the pressure off everyone.

Since it is probably better for your life balance to avoid adding more work hours to your life,  making your email work smarter for you is the best way to ensure you are working smarter and more efficiently. Scheduling your email sends for future delivery is just one way you can achieve both goals. The power is probably already in your email, so make good use of it! If you’re looking to give your email a “send later” turbo boost, MaverickApp might just be the tool you are looking for. Check out the features here.