70 per cent of emails are responded to within six seconds or arriving and 85 per cent within three minutes. Research has found that 70 per cent of emails are responded to within six seconds of arriving and 85 per cent within three minutes. 

REMEMBER the good old days when we actually spoke to the people we work with and posted letters using ''snail mail''?

These days, speed and simplicity are the new kings of communication, and acting as court jester is email. Email has revolutionised communication, making it simpler and faster for businesses.

But it's not all good news. Most workers have come to rely way too much on email. Some are email addicts. To help you break the habit, here are some helpful hints.

■ Pop-up alert: Save time (and your mind) by switching off your email alert. This will help you to focus on one task at a time, especially when it requires thought and innovation. Check your emails at specific times: at the start of the day, just before lunch and at the end of the day.
■ Email tennis: Ever had one of those email conversations that goes on like a Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal final set tiebreaker? Get out of the habit of playing long games of email tennis. If you're still not sure what to do after two emails, revert to a really old-fashioned way of communicating and pick up the phone. Better still, if they work in the cubicle next to you, get off your backside and go and see them.

■ The email ostrich: This involves sticking your head in the sand and using email (or any form of electronic communication) to avoid face-to-face confrontation. Email is best suited to simple communications such as scheduling meetings and circulating minutes or updates. It isn't a substitute for personal contact.

■ Writing a thesis: We've all had to endure colleagues or clients who waffle on in emails. Simple solution? Get to the point and keep it brief. Email tends to be more like conversational speech and falls into a category between a short note and a memo, so it is unnecessary to spend hours composing a message with the formality and rigidity of a PhD thesis.

■ Unprofessional email etiquette: When you send your URGENT emails that need responses ASAP, is it really crucial that you get a response immediately? Being on the receiving end of these emails isn't fun, so LOSE THE CAPITAL LETTERS, urgent missives, bold headings and 32 point text - it only makes you look rude and impatient.

■ Quick Draw McGraw: 70 per cent of emails are responded to within six seconds of arriving and 85 per cent within three minutes? Stop the insanity and break the habit of reaching for the keyboard and firing away an automated response. Because email is quick and viewed as a less formal medium than letters or memos, people can be careless in their eagerness to reply. We've all seen this deadly sin in action and it can have devastating consequences. Like when a friend or colleague writes something about someone or something and accidentally copies in the entire distribution list. At the least, this will provide embarrassment; and at the worst jeopardise your career. If you are going to send an emotional or angry email, write it, store it in your draft folder, read it again later, and then re-evaluate how you feel.

■ Lack of email guidelines: I'm constantly amazed that many large companies (even in the ASX top 50) have little or no formal email policies. It seems most organisations just ''do'' email. Email can be a blight on and an added source of workplace stress that nobody needs. Break the seven deadly sins with increased self-awareness and apply some discipline and email can live up to its promise of being a fast and efficient communications tool.

Andrew May is chief executive of The Performance Clinic.