At the end of last year, I put out a reader’s survey and discovered the biggest issue we all shared was… LACK OF TIME!
We’ve got families and fur babies to feed and houses to clean. There were the various work and social commitments pulling us in so many directions we just wanted to shut the front door and hide at home!
Don’t you agree?
THE RIDICULOUSLY SIMPLE WAY TO FIND MORE TIME
So I thought I’d share with you what I did that was so ridiculously simple in finding more time and that was by doing a DETOX of THE INBOX!
You see, not that long ago I’d stepped away from my laptop (phone/ tablet) for a weekish. When I returned from my unplanned hiatus, I opened the inbox to an avalanche of emails screaming for my attention.
I wanted to cry!
To bury my head and ignore them ALL!
Talk about overwhelming, huh?
BEATING BACK THE EMAIL OVERWHELM
So I gave myself a pink permission slip to roll up my sleeves, slurp on my cuppa, and staunchly learned to say ‘NO!’
The funny thing is, I live in a place where the number plates on my car say ‘Outback Australia’ where there is no post office box.
You’d think I’d have escaped the junk mail I see littering the land of suburbia. Yet, somehow, it has morphed into cleverly curated emails/ newsletter/ sale’s alerts/ must have this/ ending soon/ last chance…
Yep! It’s just JUNK MAIL.
So, just for you, I devised the…
(drumroll)
THE EASY INBOX DETOX PLAN:
This inbox detox plan is where you book in some time at a café, or even while you’re waiting in line for the bus. But it’s best to do to this in the safety of your own home…
Should this post come with a warning label?
Should this post come with a warning label? Tweet this!
Nah, it’s just all about the preparation that starts by:
♥ Grabbing a wine, a coffee, or that favourite herbal tea
♥ Put on some music
♥ Light that fragrant candle
♥ Start with a deep breath and a wince as you lift the lid on your laptop
♥ Then take a moment to stare at your overflowing email’s inbox…
This may hurt at first—I kid you not.
It’s like opening up your closet and looking at what you should and could get rid of to create space for the new season’s sales.
You can do the same with your emails.
THE SPRING-CLEANING SCRUTINEERING BEGINS
For each email look at how many times they’ve bombarded you?
Is that email offering you any value?
Do you even remember how and why you joined their email lists?
Which email provider/ group haven’t you opened in a loooong time?
Which email do you roll your eyes at while forcing yourself to open it?
Which email do you really, really, really HAVE TO READ? I bet it’s not that ten on the top of your email’s inbox. I mean, come on, do you even use that product anymore?
I know, tough questions, huh?
BUT THOSE TOUGH CHOICES DO DELIVER, CHAMP!
Once you’ve chosen your target (yep, it’s war, baby, and you have my permission to take that extra sip of wine), open it and search for that unsubscribe link. It’s usually hidden waaaay down at the bottom of the email.
Click on it, and then they’ll send you off to somewhere in the ether as you begin your hunt through cyberspace with finger poised like a sword… to UNSUBSCRIBE.
Slam on that link/ button/ circle or whatever test they have set for you.
Just make sure it says, ‘You’ve unsubscribed… and we’re sorry to see you go.’
AND THEY WILL BE SORRY TO SEE YOU GO…
Why?
Because…
“You are a precious customer,” so says this author who also crafts emails for her readers.
But hey, this is a great start to giving yourself permission to say ‘NO’ to the non-essential stuff stealing your time.
“…give yourself permission to say ‘NO’ to the non-essential stuff stealing your time.” Tweet this!
Then give yourself a pat on the back for doing the hard yards, coz the first one is the hardest one.
And the fact you’ve decided to take the time to sit down and detox the inbox! (*high fives all round.)
THE INBOX DETOX REWARDS ARE…
Detoxing your email’s inbox will create more PRECIOUS TIME to do those things that truly matter IN YOUR LIFE.
I’d saved me a whopping 1.15 hours per day—that’s over 8 hours a week—free for me to do what I want. Like, read more books!
In AVOIDING THE PITY PARTY: our heroine, Deanne, does the same with her emails, her electronic calendars, and closets as a way to delete her cheating ex. It was her form of therapy.
It could be yours, too!
So, are you going to do yourself a favour and de-clutter your inbox today?
Go on, what have you got to lose–except all that time to gain.
And then, set yourself a calendar reminder to do it again in six months to keep on top of it.
Detoxing your email’s inbox will create more PRECIOUS TIME to do those things that truly matter IN YOUR LIFE.Tweet this!
And, you know what?
I’m not going to even ask if you’d like to join my email list, because I wrote this post so you’ll have more time to do what matters to you!
Enjoy your detox party.
**All still images relating to this post’s topic are via the talented & fabulous photographers at https://unsplash.com/ Thanks guys.
#ESCAPE2HEA—it’s where I create escapes for today’s busy women to enjoy from the comforts of their home. Is that you?
| #Escape2HEA |#AvoidingThePityParty |
Wendy Hamm
Could you put more of your ebooks in the Kindle Unlimited program?
Mel A ROWE
Love it!
Hello, Wendy.
I aim to please with my new series coming out mid-year that will be in KU. (You heard that first!) I hinted at the series title in yesterday’s newsletter.
I promise to share more in the future. Hope this helps?
Thank you for commenting, it is very much appreciated.