--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Do I want to spend my diminished working…" description: "\"Do I want to spend my diminished working hours writing or answering email? Now I have somebody read through them. If someone has something really impor..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a99/jennifer-weiner-2358_email_do-i-want-to-spend-my-diminished-working_2309432.png" --- # Do I want to spend my diminished working hours writing or… ![“Do I want to spend my diminished working hours writing or answering email? Now I have somebody read through them. If someone has something really important to tell me I write back. Otherwise they get the auto reply.” quote by Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a99/jennifer-weiner-2358_email_do-i-want-to-spend-my-diminished-working_2309432.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a99/jennifer-weiner-2358_email_do-i-want-to-spend-my-diminished-working_2309432.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a99/jennifer-weiner-2358_email_do-i-want-to-spend-my-diminished-working_2309432.png) > “Do I want to spend my diminished working hours writing or answering email? Now I have somebody read through them. If someone has something really important to tell me I write back. Otherwise they get the auto reply.” [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects on managing limited work time by prioritizing meaningful communication over routine email tasks. **In simple terms:** Prioritize important messages, automate the rest. Key Takeaway Focus on high‑value work, delegate low‑value tasks. Themes time management communication productivity Mood reflective pragmatic Type advice process When to use this quote - office work - remote work - project management - client communication Key Concepts prioritization automation boundaries Questions to Reflect On - How do you define “really important”? - What criteria can you set for auto‑replies? A Different Perspective May overlook subtle but important messages that aren't flagged as urgent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Answering Email](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answering-email-5480182/) [Auto Reply](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/auto-reply-5099206/) [Email](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/email/) [Email Somebody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/email-somebody-1225095/) [Hours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hours/) [Hours Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hours-writing-511890/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Reply](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reply/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I've given up email. Well, almost. At the weekend I set up one of those auto-reply messages, informing my correspondents that I would no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/i-ve-given-up-email-well-almost-at-the-weekend-i-set-up-one-of-those/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [ I got an email from somebody who's mad, and from the sound of it it's enough to make this person abandon \[Donald\] Trump. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/i-got-an-email-from-somebody-who-s-mad-and-from-the-sound-of-it-it-s/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“Had a real nice email from somebody who bought my book and said it took a lot of the "gringa" fear away from her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-borck/had-a-real-nice-email-from-somebody-who-bought-my-book-and-said-it/) [Ursula Borck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-borck/) > [I am a great believer in the OHIO principle: Only handle it once. When you read an e-mail, decide whether or not to reply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pozen/i-am-a-great-believer-in-the-ohio-principle-only-handle-it-once-when/) [Robert Pozen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pozen/) > [Anyone in London who sends me an email wants a reply within the next five minutes. If I don't reply, they come back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-hammond/anyone-in-london-who-sends-me-an-email-wants-a-reply-within-the-next/) [Alison Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-hammond/) > [“The life of a writer is absolute hell compared with the life of a businessman. The writer has to force himself to work. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/the-life-of-a-writer-is-absolute-hell-compared-with-the-life-of-a/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [A really good day for me is to write my book for about four hours, go to the writing room for about four hours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/a-really-good-day-for-me-is-to-write-my-book-for-about-four-hours-go/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) > [I hate being called lazy, so when everybody gets up at half seven in the morning, I'm up at the same time. Everyone goes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-shah/i-hate-being-called-lazy-so-when-everybody-gets-up-at-half-seven-in/) [Nadine Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-shah/) > [There isn't a dearth of it, but I will confess that it's harder for me to find songs on which I'm willing to invest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-torme/there-isn-t-a-dearth-of-it-but-i-will-confess-that-it-s-harder-for-me/) [Mel Torme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-torme/) > [When I'm on a good go, I can do 12, 13 hours of writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/when-i-m-on-a-good-go-i-can-do-12-13-hours-of-writing/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I have a group of cafes and coffee shops that I go to regularly. They usually have an area where I can plug in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bong-joon-ho/i-have-a-group-of-cafes-and-coffee-shops-that-i-go-to-regularly-they/) [Bong Joon-ho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bong-joon-ho/) > [No, there is literally nothing on the business side that I wouldn't sacrifice in a heartbeat to have an extra couple of hours' writing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/no-there-is-literally-nothing-on-the-business-side-that-i-wouldn-t/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [I was very disciplined when home - lights out for the girls at 9:00, two hours of writing for me. It was murder on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-weisman/i-was-very-disciplined-when-home-lights-out-for-the-girls-at-9-00-two/) [Jon Weisman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-weisman/) > [The useless days will add up to something. The shitty waitressing jobs. The hours writing in your journal. The long meandering walks. The hours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/the-useless-days-will-add-up-to-something-the-shitty-waitressing-jobs-2/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“You will learn more about writing from one hour of reading than you will in six hours of writing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcaleer/you-will-learn-more-about-writing-from-one-hour-of-reading-than-you/) [John McAleer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcaleer/) ## More by Jennifer Weiner > [Divorce isn't such a tragedy. A tragedy's staying in an unhappy marriage, teaching your children the wrong things about love. Nobody ever died of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/divorce-isn-t-such-a-tragedy-a-tragedy-s-staying-in-an-unhappy/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [Right now women are using surrogates because they can't be pregnant. What worries me is the possibility that soon they'll use surrogates because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/right-now-women-are-using-surrogates-because-they-can-t-be-pregnant/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [I think I'm much more comfortable talking about other books than my own!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/i-think-i-m-much-more-comfortable-talking-about-other-books-than-my/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [People will want you to behave a certain way, to make a certain choice because it reinforces the way they see the world...But you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/people-will-want-you-to-behave-a-certain-way-to-make-a-certain-choice/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [Women are far and away the bigger consumers of fiction than men, but men are still far and away the more reviewed, the more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/women-are-far-and-away-the-bigger-consumers-of-fiction-than-men-but/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [My sense is that beautiful women are living in a different world than I am, and that it's a world with benefits but also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/my-sense-is-that-beautiful-women-are-living-in-a-different-world-than/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [If you get the you-are-a-genius label, it can limit you. Because I'm not so scrutinized, I have more freedom. And that let's me write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/if-you-get-the-you-are-a-genius-label-it-can-limit-you-because-i-m/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [I also believe that if you're really a writer, you'll write, and that nobody could stop you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/i-also-believe-that-if-you-re-really-a-writer-you-ll-write-and-that/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [As many times as I told her she was beautiful, I know that she never believed me. As many times as I said it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/as-many-times-as-i-told-her-she-was-beautiful-i-know-that-she-never/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [“How do you find happiness in a body like yours...like mine? How do you find courage to follow anything anywhere if you don't feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/how-do-you-find-happiness-in-a-body-like-yours-like-mine-how-do-you/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [“seventeen, tells her”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/seventeen-tells-her/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [Maybe it stems from my newspaper-reporting days, but I took notes the whole time - getting the call, how I felt. As soon as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/maybe-it-stems-from-my-newspaper-reporting-days-but-i-took-notes-the/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [I'm going to continue writing. I'll always be a storyteller. But I'm also taking time to enjoy my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/i-m-going-to-continue-writing-i-ll-always-be-a-storyteller-but-i-m/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [She thought of what it would be like to grow up without the one certainty that every baby deseved - when I'm hurt or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/she-thought-of-what-it-would-be-like-to-grow-up-without-the-one/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [She hated the implied familiarity when customers requested things from her by name...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/she-hated-the-implied-familiarity-when-customers-requested-things/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) [Explore all 169 Jennifer Weiner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) ## More Email quotes > [There's more than 1700 emails out of the thirty three thousand Hillary Clinton emails that we've published, just about Libya. It's not that Libya…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/there-s-more-than-1700-emails-out-of-the-thirty-three-thousand/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [I spend a lot of time loathing the sentences that I put down on the page. Once I'm past that phase, it doesn't really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-link/i-spend-a-lot-of-time-loathing-the-sentences-that-i-put-down-on-the/) [Kelly Link](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-link/) > [Somebody once told me that if you laugh at a George Bush joke, or you send an email cartoon to your friends that makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/somebody-once-told-me-that-if-you-laugh-at-a-george-bush-joke-or-you/) [Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/) > [I don't spend much time on the computer at all, so I do most of my email on my phone if I do any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-garcetti/i-don-t-spend-much-time-on-the-computer-at-all-so-i-do-most-of-my/) [Eric Garcetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-garcetti/) > [“Subject: This is a work environment and this is harassment Mr. Zaccadelli, I am writing to inform you that your proposition has been rejected.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-m-cameron/subject-this-is-a-work-environment-and-this-is-harassment-mr/) [Chelsea M. Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-m-cameron/) > [To quote a recent customer email, “I really appreciate your thoughtful and professional response. I don’t get that a lot from customer service. Usually,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-mickiewicz/to-quote-a-recent-customer-email-i-really-appreciate-your-thoughtful/) [Matt Mickiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-mickiewicz/) > [The perception of what we as professors provide has changed. Constant and demanding e-mails are just another manifestation of what our society has become.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-payne/the-perception-of-what-we-as-professors-provide-has-changed-constant/) [Dan Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-payne/) > [Each email contains an unsubscribe link. We will NEVER sell, rent, loan, or abuse your email address in ANY way. Writing has been so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-mccaffrey/each-email-contains-an-unsubscribe-link-we-will-never-sell-rent-loan/) [Anne McCaffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-mccaffrey/) > [I saw a report on the news: 'Peter Dinklage tweeted... ' What? You know, I don't need any of that stuff. I got an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dinklage/i-saw-a-report-on-the-news-peter-dinklage-tweeted-what-you-know-i-don/) [Peter Dinklage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dinklage/) > [It's just madness. First email. Then instant message. Then MySpace. Then Facebook. Then LinkedIn. Then Twitter. It's not enough anymore to 'Just do it.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/it-s-just-madness-first-email-then-instant-message-then-myspace-then/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [I said it was a mistake. It wasn't the best choice. But all my emails have been turned over to the public.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-said-it-was-a-mistake-it-wasn-t-the-best-choice-but-all-my-emails/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [While I was still going to embrace social media, I knew I had to do things that nobody else was doing. I decided I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-edward/while-i-was-still-going-to-embrace-social-media-i-knew-i-had-to-do/) [Mark Edward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-edward/) > [I was late to the Internet. I didn't really understand what it was. I didn't know what an email was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-callahan/i-was-late-to-the-internet-i-didn-t-really-understand-what-it-was-i/) [Bill Callahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-callahan/) > [“Only, his email is there. I check the date and time of his note. As of this morning, Dad was still alive in Afghanistan.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-o-patterson/only-his-email-is-there-i-check-the-date-and-time-of-his-note-as-of/) [Valerie O. Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-o-patterson/) > [When I get an email from someone who says, 'Your book was the first book I ever read,' or, 'Your book is what made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-han/when-i-get-an-email-from-someone-who-says-your-book-was-the-first/) [Jenny Han](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-han/) [Browse all 910 Email quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/email/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Do I want to spend my diminished working hours writing or answering email? Now I have somebody read through them. If someone has something really important to tell me I write back. 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