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iamflimflam1yesterday at 2:24 PM1 replyview on HN

Early on in my career I wrote a highly critical email - I asked a coworker for his opinion before I sent.

He said “there’s just one thing that would improve this” and hit the delete button.

That intervention saved me, and everyone I was working with, from a lot of unnecessary stress.

Venting is great - get it out of your system. Then take a deep breath, go for a walk, and then decide what to do.


Replies

Rendelloyesterday at 10:41 PM

Abraham Lincoln used to write angry letters and stow them away, unsigned and unsent [1]. The book "How to Win Friends and Influence People" claims he stopped harshly criticizing people publicly after being challenged to a duel [2] by a government official he had attacked anonymously in the press.

1. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/primary-sources/lincolns-...

2. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/abraham-lincolns...