There are two types of people in this world.
Type A sees a red notification badge on their email app and clears it immediately. They are at “Inbox Zero.”
Type B sees the number “5,492” on their email app and feels absolutely nothing. They have accepted defeat. They live in “Inbox Infinity.”
If you are Type B, this post is for you.
Let’s discuss your cluttered digital life. We need to stop the flood of unread newsletters.
The “Just in Case” Hoarding
Why do we sign up for so many lists?
It is usually for a discount code. You wanted 10% off a pair of socks in 2019. So, you gave them your email. Now, five years later, they still email you three times a week about socks.
We don’t unsubscribe because of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). We think, “Maybe one day I will need a coupon code for socks again.”
But you won’t. All these emails do is bury the important stuff. When your inbox is full of junk, you miss the email from your boss or your mom.
3 Ways to Stop the Flood
Deleting 5,000 emails one by one is impossible. You will die of old age first.
1. The “Search and Destroy” Method
Do not delete emails chronologically. That is too slow.
The Fix: Go to the search bar in your inbox. Type the word “unsubscribe.”
This finds every marketing email you have ever received. Why? Because the law requires them to use that word. Select All. Delete. You just cleared 2,000 emails in 10 seconds.
2. Be Ruthless with “Unroll.Me”
If you are lazy (like me), use a tool.
Use a free service like ‘Unroll.Me’. It scans your inbox. Then, it shows you a list of every subscription you have. You can just go down the list and click “X” to unsubscribe from them in bulk.
It is incredibly satisfying to watch the list shrink.
3. The “Two-Day Rule”
From now on, follow this rule: If you delete a newsletter without opening it two days in a row, you must unsubscribe.
You didn’t care about it yesterday. Also, you don’t care about it today. Therefore, you won’t care about it tomorrow. Unsubscribing takes 5 seconds. Deleting it every day for the rest of your life takes hours.
Conclusion
Your inbox is a To-Do list that other people write for you. Don’t let strangers clutter it up.
Take 10 minutes today to purge the junk. You will be amazed at how much lighter you feel when that red notification badge finally disappears.
Tell me in the comments: What is your current unread email count? Be honest. Mine is currently 1,204.
