What's Your Email Personality?

Question 1

A new email arrives from your boss. How quickly do you typically respond?

Accepted Answer

Within minutes, often before I have even finished reading the whole thing, Quickly, with a concise reply that hits the key points in bullet form, Pretty fast, with a warm and personable tone that includes at least one friendly aside, After I have carefully read it, thought about it, and crafted a thorough response, It depends on priority, I will batch it with my other responses during my scheduled email time

Question 2

How does your typical work email look?

Accepted Answer

Short and immediate, whatever gets the reply sent fastest, Multiple paragraphs with context, nuance, and careful word choices, Structured with headers, bullets, and numbered lists for maximum clarity, Concise but complete, templated when possible, and filed immediately after sending, Warm and conversational with exclamation points and a friendly sign-off

Question 3

You receive a long, rambling email from a colleague. Your reaction is:

Accepted Answer

Read it twice, identify the core message, and write a thoughtful reply that addresses all points, Mentally reorganize their message into bullet points and reply with a structured summary, Reply with encouragement and warmth, making sure they feel heard regardless of the content, Flag it for later, schedule time to respond properly, and archive it once handled, Respond immediately to the first thing that jumps out and deal with the rest later

Question 4

How many unread emails are in your inbox right now?

Accepted Answer

Honestly I am not sure, but I always respond to the people who matter, Zero or close to it, inbox zero is not a goal it is a lifestyle, Just a few, I read everything as soon as it comes in, A moderate number, because I only open emails when I have time to respond properly, Very few, my inbox is organized with labels, filters, and folders

Question 5

A coworker sends you a one-word reply to a detailed email you spent twenty minutes writing. You feel:

Accepted Answer

Fine, I prefer fast responses over detailed ones anyway, Frustrated that they did not address each point I carefully laid out, A little hurt by the cold tone but I assume they were just busy, Slightly offended that they did not engage with the substance of what I wrote, Indifferent, the email is handled and I can archive it now

Question 6

You need to deliver mildly bad news over email. Your approach is:

Accepted Answer

Rip off the bandaid, send it quickly, and move on, Write it once, proofread, send, archive, and move to the next task, Draft it carefully, revise it multiple times, and maybe sleep on it before sending, State the facts clearly, outline the implications, and list the next steps, Soften the blow with empathetic language and offer to chat in person if they want

Question 7

It is Friday afternoon and you have forty unread emails. What do you do?

Accepted Answer

Prioritize the ones that need thoughtful replies and save the rest for Monday, Sort them by category, respond to quick ones first, and flag complex ones for next week, Respond to the ones from people I have the closest relationships with first, Process every single one before logging off because starting Monday with a clean inbox is non-negotiable, Power through all of them as fast as possible, even if responses are brief

Question 8

How do you feel about email threads with more than ten replies?

Accepted Answer

I have probably contributed to half of them because I reply so fast, Chaotic, someone needs to summarize the thread into clear action items, I enjoy them when the conversation has good energy and people are engaged, They need to be resolved, archived, and removed from my inbox immediately, They usually mean the topic deserved a meeting instead of an email chain

Question 9

A colleague CCs you on an email that does not really involve you. You:

Accepted Answer

Skim it, decide it is not actionable for me, and move on, Read it and reply anyway, just in case my input is useful, Reply with a quick note to let them know I saw it and I am here if needed, Read it carefully to understand the context in case it becomes relevant later, Remove myself from the thread, mute it, or set up a filter to prevent future noise

Question 10

If your inbox were a physical space, it would look like:

Accepted Answer

A busy newsroom with messages flying in and responses flying out nonstop, A quiet writing studio where each message is crafted with intention, A filing cabinet with everything labeled, sorted, and in its proper place, A perfectly clean desk with nothing on it except the one thing I am working on right now, A colorful bulletin board covered in notes, stickers, and personal touches

What's Your Email Personality?

Quiz Questions