An Email Can Save Your Productive Time Everyday
'In the era of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, I write for humans.'- A Rebel's Diary
As a writer, I have a habit of writing long emails. Whenever I ask my sister to go through my pitches for a prospective client, she tells me, "I feel it's too lengthy. People might not read it till the end." She is a techie by profession, and she isn't used to reading long emails. But, I take her suggestions and work on them. I make them crisper and on point so that my client/reader doesn't get bored.
However, most of my clients, business partners (and editors) tend to read my long emails. People who have been working consistently with me know that my emails are worth reading. They are not unnecessarily poetic or full of jargons. My emails offer realistic solutions to the problems we might encounter in getting a task accomplished as per my client's expectations. So, they take time to read and process the information and schedule a call with me for discussion. Trust me; this saves a lot of time. My clients get time to think and come up with their exact requirements. It also removes my awkwardness and helps me prep up for the call since we have been greeting each other over emails and asking about health, weather, or the current political scenario. We already have the talking points inside our heads, and that makes the task easier and better!
When I started freelancing, I thought it would be hassle-free and faster to move my workstation to Whatsapp. Being an introvert, I always felt comforting about chatting with a prospective client or emailing them, rather than having long phone calls or Skype sessions.
With time, I realized how my productive time started vanishing as I stared meaninglessly at the Whatsapp chats for hours. It wasn't my friends or family. One minute, my client read up something or came across a social media post; he immediately sent them over to me as a reference. However, the next moment he wanted something else!
Over Whatsapp, people are always in a rush. I don't know why. I don't know which trains they have to catch, and even if they have to, why don't they wait for a while before opening up a thread of conversation and vanishing for the next few hours. They all know how frustrating it can be to be on the other side, but still prefer to intimidate, whenever they get a chance.
Consciously or unconsciously, both the clients and the freelancers tend to mess with the thin wall, which distinguishes their personal and professional lives.I realized I had to limit my screen-timing. I had to get back to the traditional working mode. I never knew emails could save so much time!
I still use Whatsapp for work, but I have learnt to use it wisely now.
I am a hustler, but I think I have the right to decide how to use my productive time.