In 1839, the British novelist and playwright, Edward Bulwer-Lytton wrote the words: “The pen is mightier than the sword”, in his historical play Cardinal Richelieu. In the 21^st century, the expression might be updated to: Email is mightier than the pen.

Jokes aside, to the average office dwelling human, email feels a lot like war; a never ending one. How everyone within a team utilizes email says a lot about your workplace culture. Here are 40 Taurus Email Guidelines:

1. Email is a secret time killer; use it with caution.
2. Desired response time for all email: Same day.
3. “To”, “cc”, “bcc” have different purposes, know them.
4. Cyber criminals are sending each of us phishing emails daily, act accordingly.
5. Always check the email address of the email sender.
6. When forwarding an email, highlight pertinent information to make it easier for the next party to find.
7. Spell people’s names right; always.
8. Fill the Subject line with LOTS of pertinent information; dates/times etc.
9. Proof-read important emails, its amazing what you will fnd.
10. Know the 2-minute rule.
11. Don’t have odd spaces in your email: salutation at very top, 1 enter between paragraphs, obviously.
12. Use @person correctly and appropriately.
13. Send emails to the right people.. aka double check who you’re emailing.
14. Do not “Bury the Lead”. Start with the most important information. Bold and/or Underline the most important points.
15. Drop not pertinent people to BCC and note in the email.
16. Treat email links with EXTREME caution.
17. Email chains requiring more than 3 replies should have been a quick meeting.
18. Mark urgent emails urgent.
19. Remember that many internal emails are erroneous and clues of poor process. Spot them, raise concern, better yet fix the process. 
20. Buffer language at the beginning of an email (“hope you’re well”) is nice.
21. If in doubt, delete. Shorter is better. 
22. Clients (with exception) should receive whiplash due to the speed of your response.
23. Be professional: informal language can liquify your credibility.
24. Your Email Signature should include a vacation alert in advance of longer vacations.
25. Your OOO (Out of Office) should provide thorough/critical specifics.
26. Respond to emails about a meeting directly with a calendar invite.
27. It is important to note, moreover, that in conclusion we know you are using AI. Use as a tool not a crutch. 
28. Utilize “Response Required” in subject line.
29. Read an email once.
30. Send the file path instead of the attachment.
31. Zero angry or emotional emails allowed. Email tomorrow if needed.
32. Don’t send emails at weird times to be cool.
33. Hello all, or simply “all,” forces everyone to read an email whether pertinent or not, narrow your audience.
34. Be the last to reply.
35. Emails longer than 5 sentences do not get read. If you want proof, give me a high-five this AM when you read this, and don’t tell anyone else.
36. If you do not get to inbox zero a few times per week, there’s a problem (not necessarily your fault!)
37. Specifics and exact numbers turn a 2-minute email into a 10-minute email; artfully avoid. 
38. Be human: personality sprinkled in the right way makes you more effective.
39. Use imbedded links when appropriate.
40. If you forget to include an attachment, you will be made fun of publicly 😀