Email revolutionized the way we communicate with one another, but there’s one major drawback: It’s a huge time suck. Research shows that professionals spend an average of 29 percent of their workday dealing with emails—a little over two and a half hours. Reclaim that time by adding clear instructions and expectations to the way we digitally and asynchronously communicate. According to Adam Grant, a Wharton psychologist, adding a phrase like “I would appreciate a response by X so that Y,” can dramatically decrease the time you’re spending waiting and can help you structure your time better. It’s important to let your recipient know when you’d like a response and why. Grant says an egocentric bias creates a major discrepancy in what senders expect and what recipients believe is necessary. “When you send an email, you don’t usually expect an answer within an hour,” Grant said. “But receiving that email? ‘Oh no! If I don’t answer in the next four seconds, everyone will think that I’m a bad person and it will ruin my reputation and our relationship!’”