Just so you know…

Have you ever received a long email or text message with these words “no need to reply” included at the end?

This is a common business email etiquette.

The phrase—no need to reply—is used when the email’s sender is notifying the recipient of information just for the sake of it. This means the recipient doesn’t have to do anything with or take any action based on the information they have just received.

I call these kinds of emails JSYKs i.e. Just So You Know. I’m not a big fan of them and here’s why:

Everyday, we are bombarded with JSYKs—messages or information that have no bearing on our lives but yet call our attention. From emails, text messages, social media posts, direct messages to random commercials, we give incredible amounts of attention to JSYKs without even realizing it.

Some say JSYKs are important because you never know when you will need the information. These same people believe that knowledge is power but the truth is knowledge isn’t power unless it is applicable or—like Dale Carnegie says—until it is applied.

In many ways, this is a major crisis for my generation. We have access to so much information but most of it is baseless and useless. Yet, we find ourselves listening, watching, reading, subscribing, following, liking, retweeting and, worst of all, replying. In fact, many of us are addicted to replying and we don’t even know it.

Have you considered the cumulative amount of effort and time it takes to reply every correspondence you receive each day?

Well—just so you know—you do not have to reply or react to every text message, email, direct message or piece of information you receive. You can choose to selectively ignore irrelevant information and give more attention to things that truly matter to you.

If your text messages, emails or direct messages don’t need a reply, maybe you don’t need to read them right away. If the information being shared isn’t applicable, relevant or enriching, you should probably pay little or no mind to it.

Just as you don’t need to reply every email, text message or direct message you receive, you don’t have to know everything that’s going on. Be at peace with not knowing and not replying—unless you really have to.