The other day I ran into a chef who hadn't gotten back to me with some information a journalist needed.  Clarifications on a recipe. 

"Oh," he said, "I have been meaning to call you about that email. I keep forgetting.  Seriously, I remembered on Saturday when I was running an errand."

I suggested that maybe just emailing back would have been an option.

"No, it's easier for me to call.  But I kept on remembering at the worst times. Like right in the middle of service or when I was checking in an order."

And so I wonder: How can it possibly be easier to call when the nagging reminder interrupts what seems to be every day of your life?

Emailing can "seem" inconvenient if you are not a proficient typist.  But, it has a few virtues to consider:

1) You can do it when it is convenient for you;

2) It provides a written record of what transpired, so no guessing;

3) It serves as a de facto to-do list.

4) In the end, it is faster, because you don't have to wait on hold, exchange lots of pleasantries, wait for one party or the other to get a pen so notes can be recorded, what have you.

Email. It's a good thing.