Save as a Draft, by Jill

We all have been there, at least those of us willing to admit it. You know the times when someone - friend, co-worker, boss or relative - sends you an email that infuriates you. You’re so wound up that you can feel the anger rise in your face like you had just spent a day in the sun with no sunscreen. Feeling mad with an overwhelming need to express yourself, you write a response. You use ALL CAPS, boldface type and lots of #$!!. Then you hit the send button – a moment of “Ha! Take that!” Then a moment later, “Oh no, what have I done?” Unless you have Gmail, which has a new panic button that gives you three-five seconds to stop sending, you don’t get a take back.

If you are guilty of sending under the influence of anger, here’s a solution for the next time you are faced with this issue. I like to call this rule “save as a draft.” Yes I know, I did not coin this phrase but I have taken it and made it my own. Next time you are overcome with anger and start to type furiously pounding away at the keyboard, take a moment and do this - remove everyone’s name from to be sent lines; finish typing the email and then walk away from it. Go back and review it after counting to 10, waiting several minutes or whatever you need to bring down your blood pressure. Once you have reached a more Zen-like state and still agree with what you wrote, then send it. Then again, you may let the calmer state-of-mind prevail and choose to re-write it. If you are still unsure, keeping saving as a draft. You are likely to go through many versions of the email until you get it right or decide not to send it at all.

Before sending any email please keep this in mind – once an email is sent it is memorialized and cannot be erased or undone. Don’t let a brief moment of anger or weakness takeover and make you send something that you will be sorry for later. Take the high road when possible, you will be the better person for it.