Getting it back
Catch an email in the seconds after you send it, and know what actually works once those seconds have gone.
Almost every mail service now holds your message back for a few seconds after you press Send, so that you can change your mind.
It is not a recall, and nothing is chased down and brought home. The message has not left yet. The program is standing in the hall with its coat on, waiting to see whether you say "actually, no".
Key points
- Turn on Undo Send and set it to the longest your mail offers
- Catch a message in the seconds after Send and open it again untouched
- Deal with a message that has truly gone, in one short sentence, without dread
What to remember
- The setting lives under General in most mail, and it is called Undo Send or Cancel period.
- Undo Send opens the message again exactly as it was. Nothing is lost and nothing was ever delivered.
- Before it goes: thirty seconds of undo. After it goes: one plain sentence putting it right. There is no third option, and knowing that is a relief in itself.
Try this
Go into your own mail settings and find Undo Send. Set it to the longest number offered, usually thirty seconds. It is the most useful setting in email and changing it takes about twenty seconds.
Practice: Getting it back. Your first lesson is free, with no account or card; the rest are part of a Lantern plan. Interactive lessons require JavaScript.