Email consumes approximately 23% of the average employee’s workday. Or put another way, a typical employee sends and receives 112 messages each day. And the vast majority of that email is internal. This means the average employee is spending almost two hours a day writing messages that create no value for which customers are willing to pay.

But here is the good news. It doesn’t have to be this way. Internal email is entirely within the control of the company. You don’t have to waste all that time!

If you cut that 23% in half, which is totally possible, that’s like increasing the size of your workforce by more than 10%. Alternatively, it would allow each employee to go home an hour earlier. How can you not take such an opportunity seriously?

So here is what you do:

1. Don’t send email unless you are confident you are participating in a single round-trip conversation.

Single round-trip conversations only occur when you are:

• Providing a straight forward answer in response to a straight forward question,
• Asking a straight forward question that ought to elicit a straight forward answer, or
• Confirming, documenting, or disseminating a decision, plan, or assignment that requires virtually no negotiation or discussion.

If these conditions don’t apply, and they rarely do, your email will simply be full of guesses. Guesses about what the other person needs to hear, guesses about what the other person thinks or knows, guesses about subsequent questions, and guesses about the background information or persuasive arguments that will make a difference.

Guessing is a waste of time. People spend hours composing messages intent on getting all their guesses properly explained and aligned.

The solution to this waste is simple. Get out of your chair or on the phone!

2. Practice creating the clarity that replaces complexity with that essential straight forward question or answer.

What question do you really need answered? What answer will help someone else move confidently forward? If you don’t know, the last thing you want to do is to start composing an email!

3. Treat the Reply All button like a contagious disease, which it is, in a way.

I don’t think this one needs any explanation. Copying only those who absolutely need to know will reduce the volume of internal email significantly even if you continue to send emails filled with guesses, background information, and multiple answers.

Take these three steps seriously, and I guarantee you will send far fewer emails.

Get your whole company to take these three steps seriously, and you will receive far fewer emails as well.

Eager to go home an hour (or more) earlier than usual? Get started today!

This article originally appeared on Forbes.com on October 2nd, 2016.