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# A faster, better way to reply to emails
- URL: https://www.plainfinance.net/a-faster-better-way-to/
- Published: 2025-04-07T09:22:17.000Z
- Updated: 2025-06-25T12:17:58.000Z
- Author: Gary Bandy
- Tags: #Migrated-1749137416019, #sqs, #Import 2025-06-05 15:30

We don’t send original letters back with our replies—so why do we include the full text of every email in our responses? 

Email systems automatically create message threads. There’s no need to repeat every line of a previous message. Instead: 

1. Highlight the sentence or two you’re responding to.
2. Hit return—only the selected text stays visible.
3. Type your reply below it.
4. Send.

It’s faster, clearer, and easier to read. And if more people did it, we’d cut the size of email chains dramatically—saving storage space, money, and energy. 

Small habit. Big impact. 

💡 Try it and see who follows your lead.