I have 1,700 items in my inbox. My preference, and my norm over the years, would be more like 17 items — or just what fits on one screen on my laptop.
The good news: a couple of weeks ago it was 4,800+ items, and I keep ratcheting it down every day.
The good news: a couple of weeks ago it was 4,800+ items, and I keep ratcheting it down every day.
2/ I don't know what it's like for you, but I find that my inbox balloons anytime I'm anxious about work. Whether it stems from anxiety, depression, ADHD, or whatever, it can feel overwhelming to go in and face whatever-it-is that's coming into my inbox.
3/ BUT: I seem to be over the hump with whatever was holding me back lately — thus the radical decrease in my inbox load over the past few weeks.
Upside: clearing it all out is a very good opportunity to review my information diet and to cull, cull, cull.
Upside: clearing it all out is a very good opportunity to review my information diet and to cull, cull, cull.
4/ As I'm culling my inbox, I try to use a principle borrowed from the Toyota Production System: "Fix everything two ways" — meaning: fix the thing at hand (What do I do with this specific e-mail?) and fix the underlying issue (Should I even be receiving this e-mail?).
5/ So I start at the top of my inbox, open the first e-mail, and consider these things. In many cases, the e-mail will be some newsletter I've subscribed to. I *love* good newsletters because they feed my curiosity, as well as giving me ideas for writing of my own . . .
6/ . . . but life is short! So I do three things:
1. In a second tab also open to Gmail, I do a search for that newsletter in my inbox, like this:
label:inbox from:"Aeon Magazine"
This will turn up all the things that Aeon has sent me since the last time I did housekeeping.
1. In a second tab also open to Gmail, I do a search for that newsletter in my inbox, like this:
label:inbox from:"Aeon Magazine"
This will turn up all the things that Aeon has sent me since the last time I did housekeeping.
7/ This will turn up, let's say, 40 e-mails from Aeon (highly recommended, BTW). Then comes:
2. Click the check-box that sits at the left above the first e-mail to select all 40 e-mails. Uncheck the most recent 2 or 3, if you want to read them, then archive the rest untouched.
2. Click the check-box that sits at the left above the first e-mail to select all 40 e-mails. Uncheck the most recent 2 or 3, if you want to read them, then archive the rest untouched.
8/ I can't stress this strongly enough: If you want a lean-and-clean inbox, GIVE UP THE FANTASY that you will ever, ever have time to "go back and catch up" on even your favoritest newsletters.
9/ We humans have a known cognitive bias that makes us believe we'll have more time later, even when experience should tell us that we won't.
So unless you KNOW you're going to dedicate a SPECIFIC chunk of time to reading back issues of this specific thing, archive with abandon.
So unless you KNOW you're going to dedicate a SPECIFIC chunk of time to reading back issues of this specific thing, archive with abandon.
10/ To put it another way, having a lean-and-clean inbox is incompatible with FOMO, in my experience.
You can cling to this fear that you'll miss something (bulletin: you will ALWAYS miss something, regardless), or you can clear your decks. Not both.
You can cling to this fear that you'll miss something (bulletin: you will ALWAYS miss something, regardless), or you can clear your decks. Not both.
11/ Okay, finally we get to . . .
3. If it's a newsletter, promotional e-mail, or the like that you haven't looked at in, say, a month, how about you UNSUBSCRIBE from it?
In my experience, unsubscribing from something you don't read regularly is like getting a fresh haircut.
3. If it's a newsletter, promotional e-mail, or the like that you haven't looked at in, say, a month, how about you UNSUBSCRIBE from it?
In my experience, unsubscribing from something you don't read regularly is like getting a fresh haircut.
12/ And again: it's about being honest with yourself. Life is short, and we will NEVER have time to watch / read / listen to / partake of everything we might want to.
The good news: you can use any visit to your inbox as a micro-exercise in building clarity about your LIFE.
The good news: you can use any visit to your inbox as a micro-exercise in building clarity about your LIFE.
13/ Since this morning, I've reduced my inbox by another hundred e-mails, so now the total is under 1,600.
Which leads me to another general principle: if you want a lean-&-clean inbox, keep lowering the ceiling of what you'll accept as the total number of e-mails there.
Which leads me to another general principle: if you want a lean-&-clean inbox, keep lowering the ceiling of what you'll accept as the total number of e-mails there.
14/ It's a little like something I read about Betty White (of blessed memory) many years ago. She credited her longevity and good health in part to taking good care of herself. One way she did this was to always keep her bodyweight within a certain 5-pound range.
15/ So if she got to the top end of that range, she knew it was time to cut back on desserts a little, be sure to eat her vegetables, maybe get a little more exercise.
You can do the same with your inbox, if you choose to.
You can do the same with your inbox, if you choose to.
16/ Alison raises an excellent point here: if it doesn't bother you to have a lot of things in your inbox, cool — by all means carry on as you have been. I do not think that #inboxzero is some universal badge of honor.
https://twitter.com/lettertoalison/status/1503433405740072974?s=20&t=hChst9Rz31wNOzDfOG8vcg
17/ But for myself—and a lot of other people with ADHD—visual clutter is a serious impediment to productivity. For many of us, "Out of sight, out of mind" applies all too well, and it's easy to lose track of something important in the daily flow of e-mail.
18/ I'm a big believer that we can often use one part of our life as an entry point for making changes that ripple out from there. IMO the inbox is a good example of that, because so many of us spend so much time handling e-mail relating to work, friends, hobbies, finances, etc.
19/ So, hearkening back to tweet no. 9 in this thread, what do you do if you really, really want to read some significant piece of the backlog in your inbox? CHANGE YOUR BEHAVIOR, that's what. :)
https://twitter.com/TWalk/status/1503398929605537803?s=20&t=a4gOhDtthxMN90bEPV0MFw
20/ Here's what I mean: if you REALLY want to be the person who keeps up with all of those newsletters from National Geographic or Lit Hub or whatever . . . okay, what behavior changes can you institute today to help you get there?
21/ I don't mean you need to read all those newsletters today, but could you take a minute right now to block out some designated reading times on your calendar when you go through them in batches — like on Sunday afternoons, maybe?
22/ Related to this: could you start using relevant TOOLS to help you manage the flow of what you read? For example, could you do a quick daily sweep of the new newsletters in your inbox and then save whichever articles you want to read to Pocket?
(Hint: yes.)
(Hint: yes.)
23/ That approach would make it very easy for you to read the articles you want when your designated reading time comes around — while also allowing you to archive the newsletters and free up space in your inbox.
24/ This follows the principle of doing things in more efficient ways (batch processing, designated time, etc.) AND doing them in the most helpful context (reading you want to do ideally belongs in Pocket—not your inbox).
25/ The moral of the story here: If the overload in your inbox is bothering you, don't just clean it up mechanically without changing your underlying habits, or else you'll find yourself in the same place six months from now.
26/
27/ Another point I want to make again more explicitly is that, ultimately, the only way I've ever found to avoid that Sisyphean feeling about your inbox is to *gain on it consistently* and then *stay ahead of it consistently*.
28/ To put it more plainly, if you have time in the average day to fully handle, let's say, 50 e-mails with ALL of their connected tasks (reading, replying, filing, etc.), but you receive 70 e-mails on an average day — you'll never catch up.
29/ In that sense, the flow into and out of your inbox is kind of like the monthly income and outgo for your bank account. Sure, you can have *some* months where you run a deficit — but it can't be every month, or you'll never get ahead or have peace of mind.
30/ Just as a detailed review of your spending for the past few months might uncover patterns/habits holding you back, so might a thorough reconsideration of your inbox. (Cf. my earlier point about using one part of your life to reconsider others.)
https://twitter.com/TWalk/status/1503494654787993604?s=20&t=yTgP4btlBbQCmby2HVQwlQ
31/ Bigger picture: We don't have to be victimized by our inboxes. We *can* adapt our habits so that e-mail serves us — without making us feel like we're always behind.
To that end: more inbox-management tips coming!
To that end: more inbox-management tips coming!
32/ Topic: morning inbox cleaning! As I sit down to my work for the day, I see that 29 e-mails came in between 2am and 9am. Time to parse these and give my inbox a trim . . .
33/ This is where I IMPLORE YOU to learn the keyboard shortcuts for your e-mail system. Once you do, you can easily go from one message to the next — reading, archiving, deleting, filing — without having to touch your mouse/trackpad.
34/ For Gmail users, here's the relevant page for learning those shortcuts:
support.google.com/mail/answer/65…
The crucial ones are:
—select a message
—archive
—delete
—add a label
—next message / previous message
—compose a new message
—send a message
support.google.com/mail/answer/65…
The crucial ones are:
—select a message
—archive
—delete
—add a label
—next message / previous message
—compose a new message
—send a message
35/ Okay, now to parse what's in there...
—one piece of spam ➡️ marked as such
—nine newsletters or the like from publications I enjoy, but don't need to spend time on this a.m. ➡️ archived
—an offer from a publisher I like to subscribe to a magazine I don't need ➡️ trash
—one piece of spam ➡️ marked as such
—nine newsletters or the like from publications I enjoy, but don't need to spend time on this a.m. ➡️ archived
—an offer from a publisher I like to subscribe to a magazine I don't need ➡️ trash
/36 Continuing to parse this morning's fresh e-mails...
—notification of payment from a client ➡️ went to my online banking portal, transferred a bunch to savings, paid a specific bill etc., archived e-mail
(This fits under the 5-minute rule: needs doing, takes little time.)
—notification of payment from a client ➡️ went to my online banking portal, transferred a bunch to savings, paid a specific bill etc., archived e-mail
(This fits under the 5-minute rule: needs doing, takes little time.)
37/ Looking back through this morning's fresh e-mails...
—archived a couple of other notifications unread, e.g. a Goodreads notification for a book giveaway (I already have more TBR books on hand than I can get to.)
—archived a couple of other notifications unread, e.g. a Goodreads notification for a book giveaway (I already have more TBR books on hand than I can get to.)
38/ More inbox parsing...
—a nice reply from another Duolingo user about a comment I left yesterday; clicked through to thank them, archived the e-mail
—the Lit Hub daily newsletter wants me to know about a new interview with Cormac McCarthy — RELEVANT TO MY INTERESTS ✔️
—a nice reply from another Duolingo user about a comment I left yesterday; clicked through to thank them, archived the e-mail
—the Lit Hub daily newsletter wants me to know about a new interview with Cormac McCarthy — RELEVANT TO MY INTERESTS ✔️
39/ For that Cormac McCarthy interview, I opened the Lit Hub newsletter, clicked through to the article, saved that article via Pocket (I use the Chrome browser extension for that), then closed that tab + archived the e-mail. (See tweets 22–24 above for context on why.)
40/ Back to clearing this morning's e-mails...
—Got a notification from a dating site that (a) sucked, and (b) I hadn't used in ages and ages; took a couple of minutes to log on and delete that account. (Solve the root problem whenever you can.)
—Got a notification from a dating site that (a) sucked, and (b) I hadn't used in ages and ages; took a couple of minutes to log on and delete that account. (Solve the root problem whenever you can.)
41/ More inbox clearing...
—Wistfully unsubscribed from a newsletter for a publication that I like but never read. Life is short.
—Quick read of a friend's (interesting) newsletter.
(Assume that in every case I archive the e-mail after I'm done.)
—Wistfully unsubscribed from a newsletter for a publication that I like but never read. Life is short.
—Quick read of a friend's (interesting) newsletter.
(Assume that in every case I archive the e-mail after I'm done.)
42/ More inbox clearing...
—Starred and archived the monthly statement from my apartment complex. I'll pay the bill on the 1st as usual; the statement will be easy to find via search if I need it for some reason.
—Skimmed remaining several newsletters in ~5 minutes.
Et voilà!
—Starred and archived the monthly statement from my apartment complex. I'll pay the bill on the 1st as usual; the statement will be easy to find via search if I need it for some reason.
—Skimmed remaining several newsletters in ~5 minutes.
Et voilà!
43/ I found myself with a few minutes between meetings earlier, and in that time I was able to carve down my Gmail inbox by 200+ items.
Having already spent a lot of time on the top of my inbox, I clicked to the second page, then just started cherry-picking things to archive.
Having already spent a lot of time on the top of my inbox, I clicked to the second page, then just started cherry-picking things to archive.
44/ I was able to clear 200+ e-mails in ~10 minutes by following the steps from tweets 6–7 of this thread.
My target for today was to get my inbox under 1,500 items. I had already been gaining on that, but in that short burst I went below 1,200 items.
My target for today was to get my inbox under 1,500 items. I had already been gaining on that, but in that short burst I went below 1,200 items.
https://twitter.com/TWalk/status/1503397067502276613?s=20&t=9apO0koVk1mkqtsYEFchpQ
45/ This morning I got my inbox below 1,100 items. Again this followed the basic pattern:
1. Take any item that needs addressing.
2. In a separate tab, do a search to find everything like that in your inbox (e.g. other issues of a newsletter).
3. Archive at least most of them.
1. Take any item that needs addressing.
2. In a separate tab, do a search to find everything like that in your inbox (e.g. other issues of a newsletter).
3. Archive at least most of them.
46/ As I go along w/this approach to clearing my inbox, I find that I spend a little extra time—just a little—to go ahead and read those last few issues of this or that newsletter. Plus I unsubscribe from more marketing lists, newsletters I don't read much, etc.
47/ Also, it helps me to have a daily checklist item that says "Reduce inbox below 1,100" or similar — puts it on par with other daily actions like exercising, keeping in touch w/friends, doing Duolingo lessons, and so on.
Just keep ratcheting the number down for each day.
Just keep ratcheting the number down for each day.
48/ It also pays to remember that what you're doing here is engraining new behaviors that will help you keep your inbox lean-&-clean FOREVER.
That means chipping away at it day by day, & it means developing new reflexive actions for handling the new & old items in your inbox.
That means chipping away at it day by day, & it means developing new reflexive actions for handling the new & old items in your inbox.
49/ In case anyone has been wondering (ha!), my inbox is now under 600 items, down from a high of 4,800+ a few weeks ago.
I keep finding all kinds of things I can delete, file unread, unsubscribe from, or just handle quickly.
I keep finding all kinds of things I can delete, file unread, unsubscribe from, or just handle quickly.
50/ I'm also doing a much more thorough job of labeling and archiving older e-mails from current clients that don't need to stay in my inbox. It's enough that they're easy to find if it turns out I need them.
51/ One challenge I've found when I do a mass inbox cleanup like this: it's much easier to focus on bringing down the total number of e-mails, rather than dealing with individual gnarly items that might be lingering.
I liken it to . . . washing dishes after a big party.
I liken it to . . . washing dishes after a big party.
52/ If you've ever had KP duty after a big party, you know what a pile of dishes there can be—plates, glasses, utensils, maybe encrusted cooking pots, etc.
Quick initial triage: take the easy stuff (e.g. plates and glasses w/out caked-on stuff) & fill the dishwasher immediately.
Quick initial triage: take the easy stuff (e.g. plates and glasses w/out caked-on stuff) & fill the dishwasher immediately.
53/ That's a GOOD approach to that mountain of dishes, just like archiving/deleting scads of old newsletters & marketing e-mails is a good approach to quickly reducing the overload in your inbox.
BUT . . . at some point, you've got to take care of the gnarly stuff, too.
BUT . . . at some point, you've got to take care of the gnarly stuff, too.
54/ So you fill up a cooking pot to let the crud in it soak and soften. You take a sponge and work by hand to get the lipstick off of every wineglass. With some things — dishes or e-mails — there just isn't any other way than focused attention + elbow grease.
55/ And when the dishwasher is finished running, you may need to empty & reload it again (maybe more than once) with more of the easy stuff — but WHILE you keep tackling the gnarly stuff. Same with your inbox.
56/ One way to gauge if it's working: for the e-mails you can see at the top of your screen (17 for my Gmail inbox, but YMMV), how far back do they go?
If they're all from today, you're probably not clearing enough.
If they're all from today, you're probably not clearing enough.
57/ If the e-mails at the top of your inbox are from the past 2 or 3 days—but you know there's important stuff lurking below them from last week—it's time to get more real. If you're lowering the total amount but falling behind on the front end, you're just shifting the burden.
58/ The point is, if you really want to change your relationship w/your inbox, you need to be radically reducing the backlog of clutter (newsletters, mailing lists, etc.) WHILE you're taking care of ALL of today's items . . . plus a few more on the newest end.
59/ A bunch of tips for handling the newest end of your inbox:
—Ask "Can I GET AWAY WITH not reading this one?" If so, archive it unread. It's not a matter of whether you WANT to read it, but of standing up for sanity & against procrastination.
—Ask "Can I GET AWAY WITH not reading this one?" If so, archive it unread. It's not a matter of whether you WANT to read it, but of standing up for sanity & against procrastination.
60/ (That tip is shamelessly stolen from the late Prof. Randy Pausch.) More inbox magic:
—Are any of these new messages reference material to keep just-in-case-I-need-it-later? If so, IMMEDIATELY label them (or file them in Outlook) and get them OUT of your inbox.
—Are any of these new messages reference material to keep just-in-case-I-need-it-later? If so, IMMEDIATELY label them (or file them in Outlook) and get them OUT of your inbox.
61/ This might be a good time to repeat my appeal that you become super-fluent with keyboard shortcuts. You want to be fast-fast-fast with all of this.
https://twitter.com/TWalk/status/1503734675881308163?s=20&t=Zl3MVxJ50dLf6_DLo7vXhg
62/ More inbox tips—some repeats, some obvious, all useful:
—Unsubscribe REMORSELESSLY.
—Every time you return to your inbox, start at the top and archive unread, let's say, five items. BEFORE you do anything else.
—Unsubscribe REMORSELESSLY.
—Every time you return to your inbox, start at the top and archive unread, let's say, five items. BEFORE you do anything else.
63/ Another classic inbox tip borrowed from David Allen:
—Apply the 2-minute rule. If an item comes in that you can handle (read, forward, answer, unsubscribe from, file, etc.) within 2 minutes, DO IT NOW. Archive when done.
—Apply the 2-minute rule. If an item comes in that you can handle (read, forward, answer, unsubscribe from, file, etc.) within 2 minutes, DO IT NOW. Archive when done.
64/ BTW you can combine & remix these for more inbox magic, e.g.:
—When you have 10 minutes between meetings, start at the top of your inbox and seek out targets for the 2-minute rule. I'm often surprised how much I can get knocked out in such a short time.
—When you have 10 minutes between meetings, start at the top of your inbox and seek out targets for the 2-minute rule. I'm often surprised how much I can get knocked out in such a short time.
65/ Want to blow your own mind? Try this:
—When you still have 100s or 1000s of items in your inbox, go to the OLDEST messages and go wild. You may wince at some things you missed, but c'est la vie. Better to have that whole cellar mucked out.
—When you still have 100s or 1000s of items in your inbox, go to the OLDEST messages and go wild. You may wince at some things you missed, but c'est la vie. Better to have that whole cellar mucked out.
66/ And then here's the really advanced move—one that you may find easier, even much easier, after you've already carved down your inbox by a lot:
—Seek out the stinkiest thing you have in your e-mail. You know the kind I mean; it may have lots of guilt attached. And handle it.
—Seek out the stinkiest thing you have in your e-mail. You know the kind I mean; it may have lots of guilt attached. And handle it.
67/ As I wrap this up (and thank you for *anyone* who has chosen to make this journey with me), I want to leave you with a couple of thoughts:
If you feel tyrannized or helpless in the face of your inbox—it doesn't have to be that way. You CAN take charge of it, and be free.
If you feel tyrannized or helpless in the face of your inbox—it doesn't have to be that way. You CAN take charge of it, and be free.
68/ Is it easy? No! I'd liken it to getting serious about your health & fitness after a long spell of bad nutrition and sedentary behavior. It's going to require you to set boundaries & engrain new habits, which is hard. But YOU CAN DO IT.
69/ The key is to STICK WITH IT. Day after day, and likely many times a day, until you bring your inbox to heel.
But then . . . you get to experience the bliss of an inbox that's free of guilt and stress, plus easy to maintain.
Doesn't that sound amazing?
But then . . . you get to experience the bliss of an inbox that's free of guilt and stress, plus easy to maintain.
Doesn't that sound amazing?
70/ Now, over to you:
—Do you believe you can have a tidy inbox? What would it mean for your work & your peace of mind?
—What are your technical questions?
—What are your best tips for handling e-mail?
I look forward to hearing from you!
—Do you believe you can have a tidy inbox? What would it mean for your work & your peace of mind?
—What are your technical questions?
—What are your best tips for handling e-mail?
I look forward to hearing from you!
71/ I only THOUGHT I was done with this thread. Turns out I have even *more* to say about clearing an inbox . . .
For one thing, to make explicit a theme touched on earlier, I think that rectifying a problematic inbox can be an exercise in radical honesty with yourself.
For one thing, to make explicit a theme touched on earlier, I think that rectifying a problematic inbox can be an exercise in radical honesty with yourself.
72/ I think that, for very understandable reasons, a lot of us bury our heads in the sand about things we'd be better off looking at candidly: health, career, relationships, finances, etc.
Just look at how many people *don't* take care of these things.
Same with inboxes.
Just look at how many people *don't* take care of these things.
Same with inboxes.
73/ But aren't inboxes trivial by comparison to those other Major Life Themes? I think not.
—How many hours of your life do you spend working in your inbox? Probably a lot.
—How many important areas of your life does your inbox affect? Probably several.
—How many hours of your life do you spend working in your inbox? Probably a lot.
—How many important areas of your life does your inbox affect? Probably several.
74/ Play along with me on this. Does the way you handle your inbox affect:
—Your career? Yes.
—Your relationships? Yes.
—Your mental health? Yes.
—Your reliability as a person? Yes.
—Your time, i.e. the little slices of your life that go by every day? Yes.
It's big.
—Your career? Yes.
—Your relationships? Yes.
—Your mental health? Yes.
—Your reliability as a person? Yes.
—Your time, i.e. the little slices of your life that go by every day? Yes.
It's big.
75/ Analogy: I think of a dear friend who once described herself to me as "a hot mess." I thought she was being funny (plus a little hard on herself) until I got to know her better. For a variety of human reasons worth being compassionate about, she WAS a hot mess.
76/ In her house were endless piles of dirty & clean dishes, dirty & clean laundry, opened & unopened mail, half-finished craft projects, LPs partially sorted, books everywhere, etc. And except for her parenting (✅) and career (✅), the rest of her life was similarly messy.
77/ From what I've seen, A LOT of otherwise well-put-together people in the world are in similar straits when it comes to their (our) inboxes. And there is a lot of suffering around it.
As with my sweet but shambolic friend, it calls for more than a few tips-'n'-tricks.
As with my sweet but shambolic friend, it calls for more than a few tips-'n'-tricks.
78/ If we're going to make the best impact we can in the world (see long soapbox spiel, attached), I think we need to be much more attentive to getting REAL about the digital communications media that reach us — with e-mail inboxes as Exhibit A.
https://twitter.com/TWalk/status/1505644072366706689
79/ And this is the coal face where I'm toiling myself. Real talk, the past few years have been full of ups and *downs* for your devoted correspondent. And it has required—is still requiring—more than a few tips-'n'-tricks to improve all of that in a sustainable way.
80/ All kinds of things can help: more exercise, better choices about nutrition, quality time with friends and family, meditation, therapy, pharmacology, etc. etc.
But I really, truly think that many of us need to put our handling of digital communications on that level.
But I really, truly think that many of us need to put our handling of digital communications on that level.
81/ We *know* that social media use has impacts on mental health. We *know* that constant stress leads to harmful outcomes across many areas of both physical and mental health.
Inboxes, unless we handle them well, are all too likely to be part of the problem.
Inboxes, unless we handle them well, are all too likely to be part of the problem.
82/ So this is what brought me back to this thread today: I got REAL about some Big Things.
Sure, I already told you to give up the fantasy that you'll ever have time to catch up on a big backlog of reading (see attached). And I meant it.
Sure, I already told you to give up the fantasy that you'll ever have time to catch up on a big backlog of reading (see attached). And I meant it.
https://twitter.com/TWalk/status/1503398587274825728
83/ But after weeks of carving down my inbox by hundreds of items per day, unsubscribing from countless mailing lists, etc. — I still hadn't gotten REAL with myself about this:
I take on too much.
And it's keeping me from having the impact I want.
I take on too much.
And it's keeping me from having the impact I want.
84/ Did I already know this? Sure. I've known it for years. Had I taken some stabs at it? Of course. (I mean, why else would I write threads like this?)
But had I translated that to my inbox in a big enough, bad enough kind of way?
But had I translated that to my inbox in a big enough, bad enough kind of way?
85/ So anyway, earlier this afternoon I hit a point of disgust + frustration (disgustration?) where I put the 🪓 to even more items, and types of items, in my inbox.
(If you're keeping score, I started at 4,800+ a few weeks ago, and was at 1,700 a week ago. I'm under 300 now.)
(If you're keeping score, I started at 4,800+ a few weeks ago, and was at 1,700 a week ago. I'm under 300 now.)
86/ Here's a good organizational tip for you, for inboxes and beyond:
Never underestimate the power of genuine DISGUST at a situation you've created.
Sometimes, that's what it takes to move you into a higher gear of ass-kicking.
Never underestimate the power of genuine DISGUST at a situation you've created.
Sometimes, that's what it takes to move you into a higher gear of ass-kicking.
87/ What does this mean in practical terms? For one thing, I may go a month without reading a newsletter or think-piece (which, come to think of it, might have health benefits of its own . . . ). Because after my inbox is empty (ETA: EOW), I'm attacking my queue on Pocket.
88/ And when I say "attacking," I don't even mean *reading* — just clearing. Because there's a lot of stuff in both inbox + Pocket that I tend to think I *ought* to read, but that somehow I never *do* make time to read.
👈 The exit for those pieces is to the left.
👈 The exit for those pieces is to the left.
89/ Honestly, we're living in such wild, nasty times, where we need every shred of available bandwidth to muster some humanity and wisdom in the face of climate change & military invasion & craven leaders & attacks on 🏳️🌈 people & & & — how can I waste bandwidth on my inbox?
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