Email is Only Fun for Delegators

Email Is Only Fun for Delegators (And Why That’s a Problem)

In this blog, I’m going to cover the topic of email is only fun for delegators. Here’s the deal: email is only fun for delegators. When you send an email as a delegator, as a boss, it feels good to make an email. You get a hit of dopamine if you are a reward-centered brain.

But the people receiving it? It’s not fun for them. The doers get an email and another and then hundreds more. And every email is just one more big task to do that overwhelms them, stresses them out, makes sure that they’re not closing out the day on time and not enjoying their family at home.

And I just realized that this email thing gets perpetuated because as leaders we’re like, “Email, send it off. Email, send it off. Email, send it off.” And we don’t see the pain on the other side.

The Pain of Email Overload for Doers

Here’s what happens when you overwhelm your team with email. Not only do they wait in queue in a batch, not only is it mixed with other things from trade partners, not only are we overwhelmed with email, not only does it take four times as much time to communicate through email than any other way, but now it’s stressing them out because that’s their overwhelming never-ending source of work.

And so, if we’re ever going to fix this email pandemic is what I would almost call it we’ve got to do it as leaders. And we’re not going to see it because it’s so addicting. It’s really only fun for us.

Here’s what email creates for doers:

• Queue Buildup: Emails wait in queue in a batch. Doers can’t respond in real time. Everything backs up.
• Mixed with Noise: Emails from bosses are mixed with emails from trade partners, vendors, spam, and newsletters. Important gets buried in noise.
• Overwhelm: Hundreds of emails. Every email is one more task. One more thing to do. One more thing that delays closing out the day.
• 4x Longer: Email takes at least four times as long to communicate than any other way. A five-minute phone call becomes a 20-minute email chain.
• Stress and Family Impact: Doers can’t close out the day on time. They can’t enjoy their family at home. Email follows them everywhere. This is the pain. And we as leaders don’t see it. Because for us, email is fun. We delegate. We send it off. We get dopamine. And we move on.

Why Email Is Addicting for Delegators

I was teaching, and there’s a book called Coming Up for Air, and it’s a really neat book and it talks about how email really as a default should only be used for external clients. And then other forms of communication should be like WhatsApp, Asana, Monday.com, ClickUp, you know, all kinds of different internal organization systems, Microsoft Teams, quick communication, right? Nothing slow.

And I get a lot of pushback on that. If you become a victim to email, if you become like an email PM, you’re going to be really held up because it wastes a lot of time. It takes at least four times as long to communicate through email than any other way.

And it hit me that email is really only fun for delegators. So when you send an email as a delegator, as a boss, you are it feels good to make an email. You get a hit of dopamine if you are a reward-centered brain, a neurotypical brain is probably what they would call it.

Here’s why email is addicting for delegators:

• Dopamine Hit: You write the email. You send it off. You get a hit of dopamine. Task delegated. Done. Feels good.
• Perceived Productivity: You sent 50 emails today. You feel productive. You delegated 50 tasks. You’re moving things forward.
• Out of Sight, Out of Mind: You sent it. It’s in their queue. You don’t see the overwhelm. You don’t see the stress. You don’t see them staying late to clear their inbox.
• No Capacity Visibility: You can’t see how many tasks they already have. You just keep delegating. Email doesn’t show capacity. This is why email is addicting. It feels productive. It feels good. And we don’t see the pain on the other side.

The Email Pandemic (And How to Fix It)

So just remember: email is only fun for delegators. It’s literally like having, you know, being in a restaurant as a head chef or a general manager and just throwing food plates at overwhelmed waiters and waitresses and just hoping for the best and hoping they don’t drop something.

Here’s the truth: Email is like throwing plates at overwhelmed servers. You’re delegating faster than they can execute. You can’t see their capacity. You can’t see their stress. And you’re hoping they don’t drop something.

So what my challenge would be is to analyze how many emails you’re sending out as delegation and see if we can be more responsible. How we do that: use Scrum, use the kanban method, use another type of system like I use Asana, our company uses ClickUp. Do something where we can actually look at capacity and not overwhelm people.

Here’s how to fix the email pandemic:

• Use Asana, ClickUp, Monday.com, or Kanban: These systems show capacity. You can see how many tasks someone has. You can see what’s in progress. You can’t overwhelm them invisibly.
• Use Scrum: Daily standups. Sprint planning. Capacity planning. You delegate based on capacity, not based on dopamine.
• Reserve Email for External Clients: Email should be for external communication only. Internal communication should be quick WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams, Slack.
• Analyze Your Email Delegation: Count how many delegation emails you send per day. If it’s more than five, you’re probably overwhelming someone.
• Check Capacity Before Delegating: Before you send the email, ask: “Do they have capacity for this?” If you don’t know, you’re guessing. And guessing overwhelms people.

The email pandemic is real. And we as leaders perpetuate it because it’s addicting. But we can fix it. We can be more responsible. We can use systems that show capacity. And we can stop throwing plates at overwhelmed servers. If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.

A Challenge for Leaders

Here’s what I want you to do this week. Count how many delegation emails you send. If it’s more than five per day, you’re probably overwhelming someone. Switch to Asana, ClickUp, or Scrum. Use a system that shows capacity. Stop delegating invisibly through email.

And remember: email is only fun for delegators. For doers, it’s stress, overwhelm, and delayed family time. Be responsible. Use systems. Respect capacity.

As we say at Elevate, email is only fun for delegators. It takes four times longer, overwhelms doers, creates stress, and delays closure. Use Asana, ClickUp, or Scrum instead. That’s how you respect people.

On we go.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is email only fun for delegators?

Because delegators get a dopamine hit when they send emails. They feel productive. They delegate tasks. But for doers, every email is one more task that overwhelms them, stresses them out, and delays closing out the day on time.

How much longer does email take compared to other communication methods?

Email takes at least four times as long to communicate as any other way. A five-minute phone call becomes a 20-minute email chain. It’s slow, batched, and mixed with noise.

Why is email addicting for leaders?

Because it feels productive. You send 50 emails, you feel like you delegated 50 tasks. You get dopamine. And you don’t see the overwhelm on the other side because email hides capacity.

What should you use instead of email for internal communication?

Use Asana, ClickUp, Monday.com, Scrum, Kanban, Microsoft Teams, Slack, or WhatsApp. These systems show capacity, allow real-time communication, and prevent invisible overwhelm.

How do you fix the email pandemic as a leader?

Count how many delegation emails you send per day. If it’s more than five, switch to a capacity-visible system like Asana or Scrum. Reserve email for external clients only. Check capacity before delegating.