When time is of the essence, prioritize!

For instance, say you have an email in your inbox. And, say this hypothetical email is a whopping 7 lines long, or even half that, with formatting. Now--and keep in mind the hypothetical nature of prioritizing (which no one actually does)--which lines will you read (assuming you have time to read only 3 lines before you reply)? The extra 12 seconds for the remaining lines cannot be spared. So which will you choose? Will it be the first three, in order to understand the nature of argument of the hypothetical email? Will it be the center-most three so you can get the bulk of the argument? No, my little cupcakes, if you chose either of those options, you chose wrong. The correct answer, and therefore the most economical method of prioritizing is this: read the last 3, in order to make it seem, when you reply, as though you took all twenty seconds required for a thorough understanding of the email. Beware of traps, though--a discontinuity to the email, such as a change in subject matter, could blow your cover should you reply.