How Long Does It Take You To Answer Email?

Immediately or as close as possible to instantly for me. A bit longer obviously if It's the middle of the night or I'm out.

I have become absolutely awful at responding punctually to emails. It's like I've got two separate modes, one for readin' emails, and one for sendin' em. I have to force myself 'go through' my emails about once a week and respond to all those hanging un-responded to.

hellos and how are yous take ages. i think it's impersonal if i just do a quick reply.

do you want to go to the pub emails are done straight away ("yes")

If it's a short email, it's generally instant or within 24 hours. The 24 hour stuff is the stuff that requires any actual thought or emotional response.

I have this terrible problem, that if I don't respond to something within about 48 hours, it sinks into the morass and doesn't get answered at all, so I try to be prompt, within reason and workload.

actually i think it's probably impersonal to just say "hello" or "how are you" by email to start with.

If it's asking about something urgent, e.g. pub, then straight away, otherwise a day or 2 usually but anything up to a month! That's usually for friends who live miles away that I haven't seen for a year or 2 so I wait until I have something to tell them.

oh yeah, miles away people, i guess. but then again i don't know that many. and it'd be better if we just msn or soemthing.

i don't really want a penpal anymore.

I have this terrible problem, that if I don't respond to something within about 48 hours, it sinks into the morass and doesn't get answered at all

Gmail's starring system is good for this problem, I find.

This question makes no sense to me because there is no usual time. I respond to different emails at different speeds, if I do at all.

1. "let's go to the pub" and "can you help me with X" - right away
2. somewhat chatty chains - by end of day
3. longer/thoughtful/personal stuff - often take ages because i try to do a good job (and as a result occasionally never actually send, trying to wean myself of this habit)
4. parents - never

a month. i am rub.

If it's work email, then either immediately or... well a few weeks. I know it's wrong, but once the week barrier has been passed, I'm too ashamed to answer. If it's a personaly email, then usually within a day.

Can you help me get some X, mitya? heheh

sure :)

http://www.xcommunications.ie/img/black/homeX.jpg

Within an hour. I take pride, like Reagan and Wallace Stevens, in an empty inbox.

"Thank you for your thoughtful inquiry into the size of my penis..."

an empty inbox

what do you do when you need Evidence later? i hate to delete things

Usually within the day I receive it.

Which does not explain my overflowing inbox, exactly - but like mitya, I hate to delete things.

what do you do when you need Evidence later? i hate to delete thing

I keep'em in the trash until I delete them later or let Gmail do it.

i try to do it immediately, because if i put it off i then forget to reply for literally weeks or months.

In theory I move everything in my inbox to archive folders, in theory.

Work email gets archived into the appropriate folders, because I use it as my to-do list.

But personal email almost never gets deleted, and just sits in the inbox until whatever it was that we were talking about has gone by.

i'm such a hypocrite. i'm bad at returning e-mails, but whenever someone doesn't respond to one of mine or takes a long time i get all "oh noes they hate me."

I am terrible at email. I am always delighted to get personal email (it doesn't happen very often any more, for obvious reasons) and then think "well, I want my reply to be amusing and interesting and well-written, and I don't have time to do it justice now, I'll come back tomorrow," and then I only ever think of it when I'm not at a computer or when I don't have much time, and then months later I'll wish I'd replied, but it feels too late unless I make up a good excuse, and it never gets done because excuses seem fake and lousy.

I totally assume that other people not replying to email = "oh noes hate" even though if anything when I don't do it it's because I like the person enough to want to look GOOD. Though mainly I'm just lazy too so I probably wouldn't reply either way.

Don't like phones either but at least once I've picked up and dialled there's no backing out. With email I type a few words, think "ugh" and hit cancel.

What are the "obvious reasons"?

I return work mail as soon as I have a reasonable reply.

I return personal email when I've had a chance to think about it, so I don't short-change the person with a curt reply.

(I return personal postal mail never.)

NB: This is why there's a flag function for (e)mail.

Oh, I just meant that, uh, of course nobody emails much, because the last few times they did there was no reply.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

it depends on the person. I have extremely conversational email exchanges with some people dozens of times a day; people I talk to less frequently it usually takes me forever, mainly because I really want to write them a letter, and not an email. these are usually more important emails; I start them, leave them as drafts, and write them over weeks.

i've waited more than a year to reply to some~

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It seems we are generally quite punctual people.

or b) economical with the truth or c) the only people not guilty enough to respond are the ones who are the most punctual

Well, I was going to suggest b, but thought better of mankind.

they probably forgot to respond in time before the deadline

as an experiment i have decided to respond to the next 3 emails i get in exactly one years time