How many emails do you have sitting in your inbox? If you're anything like I was, you've got literally thousands! Cleaning out your email inbox can be a very daunting task. I've always done it in chunks when I felt motivated enough to do it.
I've slowly been unsubscribing from newsletters that don't interest me. If I have several unread editions of the same newsletter in my inbox, I apparently don't find it interesting enough to actually read. If every time I get a newsletter I file it away, archive it, or delete it... I apparently don't have the time to read it. That is one good place to start. Just occasionally, when you receive one, open it and find the "unsubscribe" option.
I have always hated the idea of switching email accounts. It can be a huge hassle and there are so many people to update! It can, however, be a great way to clean out your email hoarding habits and start with a clean slate! This is exactly the approach I wound up taking. I wanted to use my email associated with my blog domain (MommaJorje.com).
I am awful about reading an email and then just holding on to it... with the intention of responding later. You know when you get to such emails? Never, that's when!
My current new inbox has, count them, two messages. Both messages are regarding an order I have not yet received. Since I'm using gmail now, I can also archive everything if I want and not have it slow down my mail system. I have a lot of saved emails on my old system, including a section for sentimental messages. I still need to clean things out and a couple of regular mailings I still need to switch over to my new address, but overall I've been happy with my behavior on this new system. I've been on it for 3 months and still... only 2 messages sitting in my inbox.
You can do it, too. If you'd like more ideas on how to keep your inbox empty, check out Inbox Zero: Better Practices for staying (near) zero. Now, tell me again, how many emails do you have sitting in your inbox?
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