I take two steps forward/ I take two steps back,
We come together/ ’cause opposites attract.
—Paula Abdul
Since time immemorial, our wisest sages and speakers of truth—Lao Tzu, Plato, Descartes, Paula Abdul—have observed that all of reality can be divided into two equal and oppositional forces: light and darkness, heat and cold, up and down, Jedi and the Sith. And while these forces are opposite, they are also complementary; true harmony can only be attained when they are brought into balance. The most famous representation of this perfect balance is the taijitu, the Ancient Chinese symbol of yin and yang.
When these forces are out of balance, however, the results can be disastrous, unleashing discord and dismay into our mortal realm. As should by now be obvious to the attentive reader, I am of course talking about email.
Email: Out of Whack and Out of Date
Just like the ancient yin and yang, email can be divided into two halves: sending email, and receiving email. In a perfect world, the sender and the recipient would be evenly balanced. In our world, however, the recipient has a whole lot more to do than the sender. Basically, the breakdown goes like this:
For email to work correctly, balance needs to be restored.
Restoring the Balance: A Harrowing True Story
Granted, correcting an imbalance can be a dangerous proposition. An example from my own life:
When I was a little kid, my dad had a job and my mom stayed home with my brother and me. Then, when I was in fifth grade, my mom got a full-time job too. With the natural inquisitive gusto of an 11-year-old who doesn’t realize he is about to seriously screw himself, I asked my parents, “So, now that Mom has a job, is Dad going to help out with the housework?” My mom arched an eyebrow, turned to my dad, and said, “Good question. Honey?” My Dad looked at me with the eyes of a man who is less-than-appreciative of his son’s heretofore-mentioned natural inquisitive gusto, and said, “Yes, dear. We’re all going to help.” Then my brother hit me, with what it is hard to argue was impeccable logic.
Timyo: The Right Way to Fix Email
So there are a lot of ways to go about restoring balance to email that could go wrong, is what I’m saying. Luckily, Timyo has found the right way to fix email: simply. Timyo makes it easy for the sender to quickly specify how and when they want the recipient to respond. It allows the recipient to follow up on emails when it actually matters, rather than rushing to reply as soon as possible. And it keeps track of when an expected reply is overdue, helping sender and recipient alike.
And because in our daily and work lives all of us act as both senders and recipients of email, restoring the balance benefits everybody. It’s truly a win-win proposition, and I’m sure even my dad would agree.
You can’t ask him right now, though, because he’s pretty busy with the laundry.
