Inbox Therapy: You vs. Your Email Overlords

3.5 minute read time

Remember that mini-meltdown/personal epiphany I posted earlier this week? Yeah, about that...

Look, I'm still that wannabe entrepreneur with zero clue what I'm doing. But hey, at least I'm not overthinking it anymore. No more forcing things, just letting the process unfold like a slightly terrifying choose-your-own-adventure story.

So, thanks for sticking around and reading this mess. If it somehow helps navigate your own crazy journey, then that's awesome. Now back to your scheduled newsletter:

Today’s issue: Inbox therapy and a mini rant on why are so subscribed to so many things?

“The inbox is nothing but a convenient organizing system for other peoples agenda’s.” Brendon Burchard.

Scary, right?

Let’s talk inbox dread. More specifically, the heart attack you get when you open your emails in the morning.

Look, I get the irony. Here I am, emailing you complaining about emails. But hear me out.

There’s entrepreneurs saying, ‘build an email list’ because you own it and where the money is. Sure it makes sense to my newbie eyes. But from the receiving side? It looks like sales pitches disguised as ‘helpful’ newsletters.

I mean we are already bombarded with marketing to the nice tune of 10,000 times a day — and that was in 2007.

So as I was looking at my curated list of people I’m subscribed to and conversations I’m having from the newsletter to help in any way I can (wink wink) I had a mini episode.

It made me think what are the terms of conditions of handing over our email past the persuasive pitch and promise people make us?

Think of your inbox like a house. You wouldn't just let anyone walk in, right? So why do we tolerate a constant stream of emails to walk in our house and yell at us in the form of subject lines and previews?

Even without reading them they become mental squatters, brands living rent-free in our subconscious.

These are questions I didn’t even think to ask myself at first. But some of us start our mornings WITH emails.

I recently cleaned up my inbox, you know, the curated list I thought I had under control. Turns out, a few "mystery senders" snuck in. I had to stalk their social media just to figure out who they were! We shouldn't have to jump through hoops to understand who's emailing us.

Makes me wonder, what’s is your email norm? Do you spend up to 30+min deleting emails every few days like it’s nothing or do you swear by ‘inbox zero’ — which doesn’t save you from the next unsolicited email?

It’s funny too because I forgot to tell you but I actually got a job recently (well, almost). Let's just say the pre-employment email overload was insane. It was enough to make me quit before I even started.

Listen, I'm not fighting for a permanent spot in your inbox. You deserve a digital space that doesn't make you want to throw your phone across the room.

I'm curious – what does YOUR ideal inbox look like? What purpose does it serve for you? Seriously. And this isn’t limited to emails but DM’s and any form of messaging too. Instead of having automated marketing in your inbox.

And what rules and conditions do you have for it?

I'm still figuring mine out, but maybe sharing my journey can help yours. Here's what I learned from a branding strategist who deals with CEO-level ‘life or death’ problems daily:

• Phone emancipation. Gmail is officially banished from my phone. No more bathroom emails scrolls or panicked ‘did I miss an email’ panic grab.

• Cut down my messages to 5 subscription limit in total.

• I check my emails once a day or every other day. I’m not trying to die there.

It’s interesting because when she did something similar, her clients actually respected her more.

It’s been a week and you know what? My inbox feels better and I’m training my inbox before the clients. Still working on the X DM’s but work in progress.

Bottomline: Your inbox doesn’t have to be a dreadful experience.

Enough of this monologue business. I want to get to know you! What's your biggest communication struggle lately? Share your inbox woes, or anything else that's on your mind.

Let's turn this newsletter into a two-sided conversation, not just another email in your (hopefully less chaotic) inbox.

Nichole

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