NNTR: The Email Hack That Will Save Your Inbox (and Sanity)

Looking for a super simple way to cut down on email overload? Meet your new best friend: NNTR (No Need to Respond). Instead of the classic “FYI” on emails that don’t need a reply, drop NNTR in the subject line. Boom—no more unnecessary back-and-forth!

Picture this: someone sends an FYI, and the other person replies, “Thanks!” The sender then sends back a “Got it!” and now you have three emails…that didn’t actually need to happen. Multiply this by dozens of daily emails, and you’ve got a cluttered inbox and wasted time. Instead, NNTR lets recipients know that they’re free to read and move on without feeling obligated to respond.

Take it from Merck Canada. When one of their teams implemented NNTR, they cut their internal email volume by a whopping 20%! Just by eliminating those “thanks” emails, they freed up valuable time for actual work (and maybe even a coffee break).

So next time you’re tempted to hit “Reply All” with a “Thanks!” consider NNTR. It’s a small shift, but if everyone’s on board, it makes a big difference. Less inbox clutter, more focus, and time saved—now that’s something worth replying “Thanks!” about.

Give it a try, and watch the emails you don’t have to respond to disappear.