We haven’t spoken in a while

Love More

Mar 14

Written By Jeff Shibasaki

Overthinking every word before hitting send? Deleted "Hope you're doing well." Put it back. PatchBot has a 12-step system for this.

PatchBot at a laptop explains how to write a professional email while a character looks on under a night sky.

patchOS Love More card, an email tile about writing a professional email, and a character who says he prefers texts.

PatchBot explains that email is still the main communication tool, while a character asks how long a jiffy is.

Step 1 card: Decide the tone — a panel explains that tone depends on who you're writing to and why.

Formal tone example showing two professionals with a phone and a robot explaining when formal language is appropriate.

Informal tone example showing coworkers sharing a tablet and a robot explaining friendly internal communication.

Casual tone example showing two people at a tablet and a robot explaining quick, friendly message styles.

Step 2 card: Add a salutation — a panel explains that greetings set the tone, with "Hi Kate" as an example.

Salutation examples are organized into formal, informal, and casual email greetings.

Email compose window showing a draft in progress, with PatchBot suggesting pressing Enter twice for a line break.

Step 3 card: Introduce yourself — a panel explains how to open with a short introduction or a friendly pleasantry.

Cards showing best practices and example opening lines for email introductions and pleasantries.

Email compose window with a short introductory message, with PatchBot suggesting a line break.

Step 4 card: State your purpose — a panel explains why clarity matters, with a character announcing good news.

Cards showing example phrases for stating an email's purpose clearly, with a Power Boost graphic.

Email compose window showing a message that clearly states the reason for writing, while PatchBot suggests a line break.

Step 5 card: Provide more detail — a panel explains how headings, bullets, and short paragraphs organize information.

Do-and-don't card listing email-writing tips and common mistakes to avoid, with a Strong Signal graphic.

Attachments card with example phrases for referencing files and a character who forgot to attach the document.

Email compose window showing a message with bullet points and an attachment reference added.

Step 6 card: Close the message — a panel explains that clarity and warmth help encourage a reply.

Response expected card listing formal, informal, and casual phrases used when requesting a reply.

Response not expected card listing formal, informal, and casual phrases used when no reply is needed.

Email compose window showing a completed message closing while PatchBot suggests pressing Enter twice for spacing.

Step 7 card: Add a sign-off — a panel explains how to choose a closing phrase that matches the email's tone.

Sign-off examples organized into formal, informal, and casual closing phrases for professional emails.

Email compose window showing a completed message with a closing sign-off and PatchBot suggesting line breaks before the signature.

Step 8 card: Add your signature — a panel explains how signatures vary for formal and informal situations.

Signature best practices card with a robot explaining how a strong signature reinforces credibility.

Signature examples showing formal, informal, and casual email signature formats.

Email compose window showing a completed message with the signature block added and ready for a subject line.

Step 9 card: Add a subject — a panel explains how to summarize the email with a short, clear subject line.

Subject line best practices and examples showing short, descriptive email subjects.

Email compose window showing a completed message with the subject line "Tokyo Visit – October" added.

Step 10 card: Proofread — a panel reminding writers to check spelling, grammar, and clarity before sending.

PatchBot suggesting AI proofreading tools alongside logos for ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.

Email compose window showing a completed message with subject line and signature ready to send.

Step 11 card: Add email address — a panel explains that the recipient's address should be entered last to avoid sending too soon.

Email compose window showing the recipient's email address added as the final step before sending.

Step 12 card: Send — a panel explains that many email services let you undo a sent message for a few seconds.

Email compose window with the send button highlighted and PatchBot prompting the user to click it.

PatchBot at a laptop under the night sky, celebrating after finally sending a professional email.

patchOS six default habits: Plan Ahead, Eat Well, Move Often, Stress Less, Love More, and Sleep Deep.

Writing a professional email should take five minutes. Instead, it somehow becomes a full-blown psychological event. You've rewritten the greeting six times. Deleted "Hope you're doing well." Put it back. Wondered whether the exclamation point makes you sound friendly or unhinged. Meanwhile, the email keeps getting longer.
Writing a professional email means choosing the right tone, opening with a clear greeting, stating your purpose early, keeping the body organized and brief, and closing with a phrase that matches the relationship. That's the whole system. Include a subject line, a sign-off, a quick proofread, and add the recipient's address last so you can't accidentally fire it off half-finished. Research on workplace communication consistently shows that clear, structured messages get faster responses and fewer misunderstandings — not because they sound impressive, but because they're easy to act on.
This is the Love More habit at its most practical. Good communication reduces friction in relationships — at work, with clients, and with people you haven't spoken to in a while. An email that's clear and human is an act of respect for the person reading it.
Here's the part that gets overlooked: email paralysis usually comes from trying to control how you're perceived, not from having nothing to say. You know what you need to communicate. The fear is that you'll say it wrong. That's why a simple system helps — it takes perception management out of the equation and leaves just the message.
Keep coming back. You're not alone. 🤓💪
Pick a challenge:
1. Rewrite one long email into five sentences or fewer
2. Use a specific, descriptive subject line on your next professional email
3. Remove one unnecessary paragraph from an email draft you're composing
4. Read your next email out loud before sending it, and cut anything that slows you down
5. Add the recipient's email address last — after everything else is written, proofread, and ready
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Jeff Shibasaki is a Staff UX Writer at Wellhub and creator of Geek Strong, a comic-driven wellness brand that helps geeks patch the habits holding them back through storytelling, humor, design, and the patchOS framework. He created patchOS — a six-habit system built around the idea that systems work better than willpower alone. New Patches drop every Saturday.

https://geekstrong.com

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