Something to doWorking with your manager
Ask which updates your manager actually reads
A quick audit to cut the updates nobody reads, and make the ones that matter land
Why it’s worth your time
Updates pile up: a weekly email, a dashboard, a thread, a slide for the monthly review, each started for a good reason and rarely stopped. Your manager likely reads a few closely and skims the rest, and you can't tell which from your side. Asking directly lets you put your effort where it lands, and gives you back the time you've been spending on the rest.
How to find out which updates your manager reads
You’ll come away with a shorter list of updates, each one something your manager actually uses.
We’ll turn this into a checklist you can tick off.
- List what you send now.
Every regular update over a normal month: emails, messages, reports, dashboards, slides, and recurring meetings that are really status. Note roughly how long each one takes you.
Tip: Most people are surprised by how long the list is.
- Ask which ones they read.
Bring the list to your 1:1 or send it ahead. Make honesty easy; nobody likes admitting they skip things.
You“I send you a few different updates, and I'd like my time to go into the ones you actually use. Which of these do you read? Honestly, I'd rather cut one than keep sending it into the void.” - Ask what they'd miss, and what's missing.
The second question often matters more.
You“If I stopped one of these, which would you miss? And is there anything you wish you heard about that isn't in any of them?” - Cut, merge or reshape, and say what changed.
Drop what nobody reads, merge what overlaps, and reshape what's left into the form and rhythm they asked for. A short note afterward keeps it from looking like you've gone quiet.
To: your managerFollowing up on our chat about updates. From now on I'll keep the updates you use, and stop the ones we're dropping.
I'll also start including what you said was missing.
If you find you miss anything, tell me and I'll bring it back.
Swap the highlighted parts for your thing. Works on Slack, in email, or said out loud. - Check again when things change.
A new manager, a reorg, a new project. Preferences shift, and updates have a way of piling up again.
Good moments for this: when updates start eating real timewhen you get a new managerafter a reorg or a change of role
We’ll turn this into a checklist you can tick off.
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Making it work for you
Every workplace is different. Here’s what to think about before you start, and what might get in the way.
Things to think about
An update exists to help someone know or decide something. If it doesn't do that for anyone, it's become a ritual, and rituals are worth questioning.
What might make this harder
Ask which one they'd keep if they could only have one. It usually surfaces the real answer without anyone having to admit to skimming.
Questions people ask
How often should I update my manager?
As often as they find useful, which varies a lot between managers. The reliable way to know is to ask what they read, how often, and in what form, then match it.
How do I know if my manager reads my reports?
Ask directly, and make it easy to be honest, for example by saying you'd rather cut something than keep sending it. Their answer beats guessing from replies.
How do I cut down on status updates at work?
List everything you send, ask your manager which ones they use and what they'd miss, then drop, merge or reshape the rest, and tell them what changed.
Can you send your manager too many updates?
Yes. Too many tend to bury the important ones. Fewer, clearer updates usually get more attention.
Why this works, and where it comes from
Updates accumulate. A weekly email started when a project was on fire. A dashboard someone once asked for. A slide for a monthly review that has since changed shape. Each began for a good reason, and almost none of them ever gets stopped. Meanwhile you spend real time on them every week, with no idea which ones anyone reads.
From your manager's side, it looks different. They're receiving updates from several people, plus their own boss, plus every tool that sends notifications. They read some things closely, skim others, and quietly ignore a few. Most won't tell you which, because it feels unkind to say they skip what you worked on. So the only reliable way to find out is to ask, and to make it easy to answer honestly.
The useful question isn't only which updates they read, but what they'd miss and what's missing. Sometimes the thing your manager most wants to know isn't in any of your updates at all. It might be a risk you tend to mention only in passing, how a key customer is feeling, or simply whether you need anything. Finding that out is worth more than any amount of trimming.
Sometimes the right answer is more: a manager who's underinformed benefits from something short and regular. Sometimes it's less, because they're drowning in what you already send. Most people can tell which situation they're in, and when you can't, asking settles it. Either way, the principle is the same: an update is for the person reading it.
Other simple things to consider
More in Working with your manager
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An exercise written by Truest, based on our experience. Last updated September 25, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.