3 Dead Simple Work Rules I Should Have Learned Faster.

Ask for deliverable deadlines.

It's important to ask when they need something done by, this way you know how much time you have, and can plan accordingly.

Or if that deadline is unattainable for you, you can communicate that too.

Acknowledge emails even if you're not ready to act on the request.

We've all been super busy with work and then receive email from someone asking for something, and in our head we're like, "I don't know, I don't want to deal with this right now."

As soon as you're able, it's helpful to respond saying, "I saw your email, I'll get back to you (whenever).

Don't leave people wondering. It's unnecessary.

Acknowledgement reduces the senders anxiety level and also reduces yours because it's like checking something off your list.

Copy people on emails when they task you with contacting another person.

I'm often in situations where a manager tells me to ask a client or another colleague for information.

In the beginning, I would reach out to said person(s) and then inform my manager of the outcome subsequently or not at all if I forget.

Simply copying everyone concerned on the email does three things:

1. It confirms I reached out to the person like they requested.
2. They can see what question I asked, and would do nothing if sufficient or send an email to clarify or add something new.
3. Lastly, when the person responds, and they typically do "Reply all", my manager will get the email too, and thus is kept in the loop.