What Your Email Inbox Communication Habits Say About You

You are sitting in front of a daunting Yahoo! mail inbox; it is overflowing in spite of the fact that your Spam folder is designed to catch all of the excess. On the other hand, you may have an extremely tidy inbox,
very easily perused, with any unnecessary correspondence tucked neatly away. There is a lot you can tell by the way a person maintains his/her email correspondence. Take a closer look at your accumulating emails, and see if any of these personality traits fit you.



The Immediate Responder
Most people would agree that it is a good practice to reply to incoming emails within a reasonable amount of time. It demonstrates courtesy; and in business, the timing of returned emails can be crucial. In spite of this, emails that are always immediately returned often indicate that a person spends a great deal of time near a computer. The popularity of handheld devices also makes it much easier do just that. Nonetheless, one might assume that your "instant" replies are born of a computer-oriented career. But it is quite possible that much of your socializing is merely done online. Perhaps you're a social website junkie—or on a perpetual search for Internet love. These are generalizations. But chances are you have a distinct need for a constant stream of communication, whether it is social or not.

The "Lag Time" Responder
Perhaps you are the type to let mail fester in your inbox. The messages pile up; with you picking through those that you'll respond to right away. Perhaps you even have quite a few saved Drafts in your folder, waiting patiently to be released to their rightful recipients. It is quite feasible that you are probably a very popular individual, merely too busy (with real-time activities) to spend lots of precious minutes typing vapid virtual responses. In any case, the person who takes a good deal of time responding to emails might either be a procrastinator, or someone who checks emails very infrequently.

The Quick Deleter

Picture it: "Forwards" go directly into the trash; spam is never even opened. And any pertinent emails are dealt with and immediately relegated to the trash bin. The person who handles his/her inbox in this manner has no time for frivolities. This individual views virtual communication with a perfunctory frame of mind. If this sounds like you, chances are you are extremely business oriented—or at the very least—have a curt personality and a no-nonsense attitude. You like your communications short and sweet.

The Folder Master
There are also individuals for whom every piece of correspondence fits into a specific category. These people create multiple folders that are explicitly labeled. This type of compartmentalization demonstrates a truly organized mind. If it seems however, that you have more folders than actual emails, there is a slight chance you're something of a control freak. Is it possible that in addition to creating the "proper places" for your correspondence, you also assign distinct categories for the people and events in your life?

The Email Hoarder
There are probably several people who fit into this category. In fact, you may or may not also be a "Lag Time Responder." But people who are "Email Hoarders" don't necessarily take forever to reply to senders. They simply keep all the correspondence they receive for exorbitant amounts of time. Thus, they spend a lot of time sifting through old pieces of mail just to make sure they didn't miss anything important. Email Hoarders have a hard time letting go of emails, lest they accidentally delete something they'll "need" later. If you fit this description, perhaps you are overly sentimental or nostalgic. It is also probable that you have a bit of trouble organizing certain aspects of your life.