Are you tired of sifting through endless lists of statistics to find the ones that are relevant to your research on time spent on email? Look no further because we’ve compiled the latest and most interesting statistics on this topic, all in one place!
From the average time spent on email each day to the percentage of people who check their work email before getting out of bed, our list has it all. No more wasting time trying to find the information you need – our list of statistics will help you quickly and easily find the data you need to support your research.
Plus, our engaging and easy-to-read format will keep you motivated and inspired as you delve into this fascinating topic.
So why wait? Start exploring our list of time spent on email statistics now!
Time Spent on Email Statistics (Key Highlights)
- The average professional spends 28% of their workday on email.
- Over 90% of people check their personal email at work.
- The average person receives 147 emails per day.
- Around 20% of the time on email is spent searching and organizing.
- 40% of Millennials and Gen Z workers check their work email as soon as they wake up.
General Time Spent on Email Statistics
1. The average email is 434.8 words long, taking 3.3 minutes to read.
However, more than half (or 50.2%) of emails have 300 words or fewer, resulting in a 2.3-minute read time. While 25.7% of emails are 301-600 words long, 12.7% range between 601 and 900 words, and 11.4% exceed the 900 mark in word count, accounting for a read time of 6.9 minutes.
(AWeber)
2. 41% of employees spend around 30 minutes a day managing their email inboxes.
22% say they spend around ten minutes, while 20% say managing their email inbox takes them about an hour a day. 8% of employees say they spend between one and two hours, 6% say less than ten minutes, while 4% say managing their email inbox takes them more than two hours a day.
(Mail Manager)
3. Receiving 147 messages a day, the average user spends over 2.5 hours a day on email.
Of those, an average of 71 are deleted, which takes just under five minutes. Another twelve emails require substantial work, and those alone take up nearly 1.5 hours.
Around 25% of inbound messages are archived for future reference, which takes 7.3 seconds, while deleting a message takes 3.2 seconds, with 80% being deleted in less than three seconds.
Additionally, the average person writes around 40 messages a day, each taking 72.3 seconds. However, writing a message to be sent later takes 63.6 seconds.
(Boomerang)
4. Around 20% of time spent on email goes into searching and organizing.
A study reveals that, out of the total time spent on email, the highest portion, or 23.1%, goes into reading. 9.5% goes into filing messages, 6.2% into scanning the inbox, 2.4% into deleting messages, and 2% into looking for messages.
Opening and adding attachments account for 0.8% and 1.1% of the total time spent on email, respectively, while most of the rest of the time goes into writing emails.
(Palo Alto Research Center, Harvard Business Review)
5. On an average weekday, users spend 5.35 hours checking their emails.
More specifically, 149 minutes go into checking business emails and 172 into personal emails. Interestingly, 71% of users say that the time they spend checking their email is ‘just right’.
Of the business emails they receive, users open 80% and say that 59% are actually useful. When it comes to personal emails, users open 57% of them and find that 37% are useful.
(Adobe)
6. The average employee spends more than a quarter (28%) of their work day on emails.
The above translates into 2.6 hours and a staggering 120 messages per day.
It is estimated that moving communication to a social collaboration platform and having enterprise information accessible and searchable could reduce the above figure by 25%-30%, freeing between 7% and 8.5% of the workweek for more productive activities.
(McKinsey, Workplace Insights)
7. Marketers spend an average of 3.9 hours getting campaign emails reviewed and approved.
This can involve several steps, such as creating the email content, sending it to multiple stakeholders for review and feedback, incorporating any suggested changes, and finally getting approval to send the email to the intended audience.
To do so, they collaborate with an average of 2.4 departments, with the most common one being marketing (in 95.9% of cases), followed by executives and operations, sales, and legal and compliance (in 47.9%, 32.7%, and 30.3% of cases, respectively).
This process can be time-consuming and labor-intensive, but it is necessary to ensure that the campaign email is effective and meets the desired goals.
(Litmus)
8. 60% of employees say that wasting time to find information is the biggest risk of poor email management.
When it comes to email management, employees are quick to point out the risks associated with poor organization and control.
In a recent survey, 60% of respondents said that wasting time searching for information is the biggest risk they face when it comes to email management.
This is not surprising, as most of us have experienced the frustration of trying to find a specific email in an overflowing inbox. The constant sifting and searching can take up a significant amount of time, which can be better spent on other tasks.
This sentiment is strongest in the commercial and healthcare industries, where respective 77% and 67% of employees agree with the above statement.
There are several ways to avoid this wasted time and improve your email management.
- First, make sure you have a clear and concise filing system set up so you can easily find what you need when you need it.
- Second, use search tools wisely – don’t just rely on the default search function, learn how to use advanced search operators to help you zero in on the right emails more quickly.
- Finally, take some time periodically to declutter your inbox and keep only the emails that are absolutely essential.
With a little bit of effort, you can greatly improve your email management and avoid wasting time searching for lost information.
(Mail Manager)
9. Email-clogged inboxes can waste up to 27 minutes per day.
Have you ever found yourself buried under a mountain of unread emails? It’s not just you – the average professional has over 200 emails in their inbox and receives 120 new ones every day.
It’s no wonder that most of us only end up responding to a quarter of the messages we receive! But did you know that the problem isn’t just the sheer volume of emails we get – it’s also the time we waste re-reading the same messages over and over again.
Think about it: when you check your inbox, if there are a lot of unread messages, you’re likely to end up reading them all (even if you’ve already read some of them before). And if you’re like most people and check your inbox 15 times a day, spending four seconds on each email and re-reading just 10% of them, you’re wasting 27 minutes every day!
If you’re not in the habit of archiving your emails, you might only save 22 minutes, but that’s still a significant chunk of time.
So what can you do to stop this time-wasting cycle? One solution is to implement a clear-out plan to regularly organize and delete old emails. This can help reduce the number of messages in your inbox and make it easier to find the ones that are most important.
And, of course, using the search function can help you quickly locate specific emails without needing to re-read everything in your inbox. By taking these simple steps, you can save time and be more efficient in your daily email tasks.
(Harvard Business Review)
10. On average, professionals check their email about 15 times a day.
If you’re like most people, you probably check your email first thing in the morning, before you even get out of bed. You might check it again during your commute to work, or while you’re waiting in line for coffee. Once you’re at your desk, you might check it every few minutes, between tasks or meetings. And then of course, you’ll check it again when you get home from work.
That’s a lot of time spent checking email! But WHY do we do it? For some of us, it’s just a habit. We’ve been conditioned to believe that we need to be constantly connected and available, 24/7. But for others, checking email is a way to avoid doing more difficult or challenging tasks. It’s a way to procrastinate.
Whatever the reason, if you find yourself spending too much time checking email, there are ways to break the habit. You can set limits for yourself – only check email three times a day, or only during certain hours of the day. You can pause the notifications on the email app from your phone, so you’re not tempted to check it constantly.
And you can make a conscious effort to focus on other things when you’re at work – talk to your co-workers instead of hiding behind your screen.
(Forbes)
11. Overchecking email ends up wasting at least 21 minutes per day.
There’s a lot of research out there that says we’re all addicted to our phones. And it’s true—we check them a lot, and we expect a response pretty quickly when we send an email or text.
But here’s the thing: most people don’t expect you to respond right away! While 40% of people expect a response in about an hour, only 11% of customers and 8% of coworkers expect a response in less than an hour.
So why do we continue to check our email so frequently? Well, for one, we’re used to being able to communicate instantly with others via email. We also get a lot of notifications throughout the day about new emails coming in, which can be hard to resist.
But there are ways to break this cycle of checking our email too frequently. One way is to set specific times during the day when you will check your email, and stick to those times. Another way is to disable notifications for new emails coming in, so you’re not constantly tempted to check your inbox.
(Forbes, Harvard Business Review)
When and Where Do Users Spend Time on Email
12. 19% of Americans check their emails as soon as they arrive.
According to a recent survey, most people check their personal email multiple times a day. In fact, almost half (44%) of the respondents said they check their email many times a day or a few times a day.
At 24%, many times a day is the most common frequency in which Americans check their personal emails, followed by a few times a day at 20%. Equal 19%-portions of American email users check their inbox once a day or less often than that.
These findings suggest that for most people, checking their personal email is a frequent activity. Some people may find this constant checking to be stressful or overwhelming, while others may enjoy staying connected and up-to-date with their friends and family. Either way, it’s clear that email is an important part of many people’s daily lives.
(Statista)
13. 60% of users check their email while on vacation.
According to a conducted by AOL, a significant number of people feel the need to constantly check their mail. In fact, almost half (47%) of the respondents admitted to feeling this way.
Additionally, a quarter of the respondents said they couldn’t go more than three days without checking their mail, while 60% said they check their mail even while on vacation, and 59% said they check it even in the bathroom.
These findings suggest that for many people, checking their mail has become a compulsive habit. They may feel anxious or uncomfortable if they go for too long without checking their mail, even if they are on vacation or in the bathroom.
This constant need to check mail may be stressful and detrimental to people’s well-being. It’s important for people to find a healthy balance and not let their need to check their mail become an obsession.
(AOL)
14. On average, people spend 8 minutes daily reading and dealing with irrelevant, unimportant emails.
Email is a necessary evil in the modern world, but it can be a huge time-suck if you let it.
We’ve all been there. You open your inbox to a slew of emails, most of which are unimportant or irrelevant. You spend a few minutes scanning through them, trying to find something that warrants your attention. More often than not, you end up deleting most of them without reading them.
According to a recent study, the average person spends eight minutes each day reading and responding to emails that are of no importance.
This figure may seem small, but it adds up over time. If you consider all of the unimportant emails you receive, it’s likely that they account for a significant portion of your email time.
There are a few things you can do to reduce the amount of time you spend dealing with irrelevant emails.
- First, take some time to unsubscribe from any email lists that you don’t really need or want to be on. This will help to cut down on the number of unimportant emails you receive on a daily basis.
- Second, if you find yourself frequently deleting emails without even reading them, try creating a separate folder for these types of messages. This way, you can quickly scan through them and delete them en masse, without having to deal with them one by one.
- Finally, try to be more selective about which emails you actually open and read. If an email isn’t urgent or important, it can probably wait until later.
By following these tips, you can free up some valuable time in your day-to-day life.
(Harvard Business Review)
15. 43% of users check their work email outside of working hours every few hours.
Another 13% do so multiple times per hour, while equal 10%-portions say they do so hourly and constantly. On the other end of the spectrum, 24% of users say they never check their work email outside working hours.
These findings suggest that for many people, checking their work email has become a constant activity, even outside of work hours. Some people may feel pressure to stay connected and responsive to their work emails at all times, while others may find it difficult to disconnect and switch off from work.
It’s important for people to find a healthy balance and not let their need to check their work email become overwhelming or detrimental to their personal lives.
(Adobe on Slideshare)
16. 52% of users check their personal email every few hours while at work.
Another 15% do so hourly, 14% say they do so multiple times per hour, while 11% do so constantly. On the other end of the spectrum, only 8% of users say they never check their personal email while at work.
These findings suggest that for many people, checking their personal email at work has become a frequent activity. Some people may find it difficult to resist the temptation to check their personal email during work hours, while others may feel that they need to stay connected to their personal lives even while they are at work.
People need to find a healthy balance and not let their need to check their personal email interfere with their work productivity.
(Adobe on Slideshare)
17. Almost 40% of Millennials and Gen Z workers check their work email before even getting out of bed.
For many Millennials and Gen Z workers, the first thing they do in the morning isn’t brush their teeth or make coffee – it’s check their work email, with almost 40% admitting to starting their day with a dose of inbox overload.
That’s according to a new study from Adobe, which found that email is the first thing many of us reach for in the morning.
The study found that younger workers are more likely to check their email first thing in the morning than any other age group. In fact, nearly 40% of Millennial and Gen Z respondents said they check their work email as soon as they wake up.
So what’s behind this trend?
One possibility is that younger workers are simply more plugged into their work lives than older workers. With technology becoming increasingly ubiquitous, it’s easier than ever to stay connected to work – even when you’re not physically in the office.
Another possibility is that younger workers feel more pressure to be available 24/7. With the rise of the gig economy and the competition for jobs becoming increasingly globalized, many young adults feel like they have to be available whenever an opportunity arises.
Whatever the reason, one thing is clear: checking their work email first thing in the morning has become the new norm for the younger generation.
(Adobe)
18. After waking up on a workday, 23% of users check their work email while still in bed.
The majority, however, or 43%, wait to do so when they get to work. Another 27% check their work email while getting ready or having breakfast, and 7% do so before exercising.
When it comes to personal emails, the majority, or 30%, of users check them while still in bed, while 29% do so while having breakfast or getting ready. Respective 16% and 13% of users check their personal emails before exercising and on break or after work.
(Adobe)
Conclusion
After reading through our list of time spent on email stats, you now have a wealth of information at your fingertips. We hope that our list has helped you quickly and easily find the information you need to support your research on time spent on email.
Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just curious about this topic, we believe that our list of statistics has something for everyone. So why not take a moment to reflect on what you’ve learned and consider how you can use this information in your own life or work?
By doing so, you’ll be taking the first step towards becoming an email expert and mastering this essential part of modern communication.
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