Not spamming coworkers, what works for you?

I run a small, flat team that communicates mostly in writing. I hate avoidable distractions and value WFH. We’ve experimented with this stuff a lot. Now we’re looking to take it further.

So here’s my question: how do you stay mindful of your coworkers’ time? What works, and what doesn’t (especially over time)?

Here are some tips that I’ve found useful over the years:

Default to async.
It’s easy to ping but annoying to get pinged. Before I ping someone, I ask:

• Do I need an urgent response, or can we do this async?
• By when do I need a response?

Then I choose the least disruptive channel. If it’s outside working hours, I’ll schedule send.

Good writing >> Bad writing.
It’s tempting to shoot off a message, but sharpening it avoids back and forth. Here’s what I’ve found helpful:

• Draft my message as it comes
• State what I need the receiver to do and by when
• Centralise context, links, and who’s involved. Occasionally I’ll record a quick video. But usually I prefer a quick call to 40 back-and-forth messages
• Apply the “So what” test. What is my teammate likely to infer from my message? Did I forget anything?
• Trim to the essentials. I’m naturally verbose, so this is an effort for me

Bad structure or formatting = ignored messages.
I learned that the hard way.
For structure, here’s what I do:

• Specify the urgency : FYI, Input needed, or Urgent
• Open with a recap one liner of the ask and deadline (like a TL;DR)
• Add context my coworker may need
• Specify who should be involved

For formatting:

• Use headers to make content skimmable
• Use bullet points
• Embolden the most important sentences (but I use bold sparsely to avoid visual overload).

If you need a meeting, prep it to get things done.
Replace sync time with voice notes + transcript, short videos, async messaging when possible. If I need a meeting, I:

• Keep meetings short by default (30 min, 15 min) and extend them if needed
• Prepare an agenda with the meeting’s goal, and link it in the invite so it’s easy to find. And I follow up with a recap of what we decided on + our next steps.

Understand coworkers’ expectations
Company culture shapes how people are used to receiving information. I don’t impose my way. In the different teams I’ve worked in, there was usually a tool etiquette in place. This helped people use the right tool for the right intent.

Anyone else have team tips for async? What tips or methods do you use?