I spent years convincing myself that long emails meant thorough communication. I would pack every message with background context, hedging phrases like « I just wanted to check in, » and polite openings that stretched three sentences before reaching the point. My inbox filled with replies that did the same. We were all drowning in words nobody had time to read.
The turning point came when a colleague forwarded one of my emails with a single note: « Can you say this in half the words? » He was right. The real information took up maybe 30 percent of what I wrote. The rest was filler, fear of sounding rude, or a vague belief that more words equaled more professionalism. Since then I have been obsessed with cutting fat from every message I send. That obsession led me to bulliant official site, a tool that forces you to rethink every unnecessary phrase.
Why we add fluff in the first place
People write long because they are uncertain. A short request feels blunt. Abrupt. So we bury it under « I was wondering if you might have a moment when you get a chance. » That safety net creates noise. We also copy the style of the people above us. If your boss writes four-paragraph status updates, you assume that is the expected format. Nobody stops to ask whether anyone actually reads paragraph three.
Another reason is the cult of formality. Many offices treat casual language as unprofessional. So « I need the report by Friday » becomes « Would you be so kind as to ensure the report is submitted no later than Friday of this week? » The meaning is identical. The second version just wastes everyone’s time.
The real cost of unnecessary words
Every extra sentence carries a hidden tax. The person reading it has to process and decide whether it matters. Multiply that by a hundred messages a day and you lose hours of collective focus. Worse, fluff hides the important parts. A request buried in a long email gets missed. A decision point surrounded by background gets ignored. Short writing is not rude. It is respectful of attention.
I have seen teams adopt a « five-sentence rule » for internal emails. It works. But the habit of editing your own writing is hard to build. Most people do not have the distance to see what is filler. That is where an external filter helps.
Practical ways to cut without losing meaning
Start by removing every instance of « just, » « actually, » « basically, » and « very. » Those are almost always padding. Replace « please find attached » with « here is. » Drop « I am writing to inform you that » and just state the fact. Read your draft out loud. If a sentence feels natural when spoken, it is probably lean enough. If it sounds like a government form, rewrite it.
Another trick: write your email, then delete the first paragraph. Nine times out of ten that paragraph was a warmup. The real message starts at paragraph two. Do this for a week and you will spot fluff before you type it.
- Limit each email to one topic. Multiple topics belong in separate messages with clear subject lines.
- Use bullet points for action items instead of prose. Readers scan. Help them.
- Set a maximum length for internal communication. A 150-word cap forces prioritization.
- Wait thirty seconds before hitting send. Reread and cut two more words.
- When you reply, delete the original email text unless the recipient needs it for context.
How a tool changes the habit
Editing your own writing is a skill you can learn, but it requires constant feedback. I found that using a dedicated tool made the process automatic. When you paste a sentence into bulliant, it highlights the fluff you trained yourself to ignore. After a few weeks, you stop needing the tool because your inner editor takes over. That is the goal: internalize the standard so you write clean from the start.
« The most valuable thing you can do in an email is say what you mean and stop. » — a manager who taught me that brevity is not rudeness.
Writing short is a choice. It takes more effort upfront because you have to think about what matters. But the payoff is enormous. People actually read your messages. They respond faster. They do not ask for clarification. If you want better communication, stop adding words and start removing them.
