It’s a little early for New Year’s resolutions, but there is no time like today (as in, every day) to improve. Today, I will no longer put so much time into crafting some emails. They are mostly disposable, not something to dwell on because, for the most part, the recipient will not. I will write them more like texts – get in, get out.

My emails will not necessarily be much shorter, they will still be as long as needed. But other than scanning them before I hit send, no more second guessing how it will sound to the recipient(s). I wonder if it is really a form of procrastination. Maybe I would have filed this week’s editorial already, had I made this change sooner.

There may be a false start or two. When I first chose to be a vegetarian, I went two weeks and then had a steak sandwich with mustard and onions. That happened about twice, but ever since, I have never looked back. Meat – it’s one letter away from mean. So I may find myself 20 minutes into an email with some work idea, plan, or tip. But eventually, probably on the sooner side, I will be more conscious of the time I’m typing away at a single email and that, however earnest the effort, my time could have been better spent.

Week’s positive parting thought: Remember your Christmases when no one was missing. Be thankful for those years and for the new Christmases you make.