To Whom it may Concern,

As I write, an ominous force looms over me. I know it well: Procrastination has once again welcomed itself into my mind. It comes promising protection from the tasks that I dread to complete, that are unimportant, that are better left undone. Or so It tells me. I know they are only lies, but somehow, through Its cunning, I always find myself seeking comfort in It—yet I never find it. 

Today, I cower more fearfully behind It, for the tasks from which It shields me are truly frightening… emails.

I’ve always dreaded crafting emails. Even now, I often find myself asking for a second opinion before I hesitantly hit “send.” I obsess over every detail: should I sign “Sincerely” or “Thank You”? Is it too direct? Does an exclamation mark here sound nice or too enthusiastic? Without fail, sending an email—whether they’re to complete strangers or people I know relatively well—always stresses me out. I’m overwhelmed by trying to strike a balance between formal and approachable; not demanding yet direct. I can’t just say, “I hope this email finds you well,” but how much more sincere really is “I hope you are doing well”? This isn’t a get well card after all.  

Normally, I’d just power through and muster up the courage to finally send one and then immediately try my best to forget about it until I get a response. Recently, though, I’ve been faced with the need to write several emails for several reasons—recommendations, interview requests, updates, and probably others I don’t even want to think about.

I have considered, though not at all seriously, the idea of AI generated emails. However, I can only laugh at the thought that on my end I ask a generator to expand upon my question and add all the necessary formalities, only for the recipient to simply reverse all these efforts by asking another AI to summarize and simplify my email. 

I’m sure the best way to get used to writing emails is just writing more and more of them and getting used to the idea of rejection and being ignored. That said, it is certainly a steep path to climb that, unfortunately, I cannot avoid. For now, I’ll probably continue to hide behind the false protection of Procrastination, but, gradually, I’ll learn to fend for myself against this dreaded task.

P.S. Whose idea was it at Outlook to automatically sign off emails with “Sent from my phone”? They don’t need to know, and I’m sure no one reads that and goes, “Wow! Outlook as an app! I should download it!”