I follow a lot of incredible thought leaders, from Seth Godin to Gary Vaynerchuk to Lewis Howes (and the list goes on from there). I keep tabs on a lot of interesting companies in fields from marketing to tech to sports to insurance. Then there are products and brands I like to be kept in the know about. All of this following means getting lots of email notifications—and that’s not counting spam.
I bet you’re in the same situation. Go ahead, open your email account, and see how many people you don’t personally know who have your email address and send you stuff. It’s a long list, isn’t it?
And I bet a lot of these people also send you information through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Feedly, or all of the above, which means you’re basically getting the same notification from the same source over and over and over again.
Do you have time for any of this?
Let me offer you the ultimate time-saving tip:
UNSUBSCRIBE!
Our minds are clogged with info. Much of it is unnecessary, and in any case, there comes a point where it is impossible to read all the information coming in so matter how important the info itself might seem. Let it go. Clear it out. I’m not saying to literally unsubscribe from everything, just make some choices about what notifications you actually want. Cut it down to a manageable number.
If there are emails you’re not sure about, go ahead and keep them, but put them in a separate folder. Do this automatically by creating an email filter where any email that has the word “unsubscribe” anywhere in the body of the email it goes to a folder titled “unsubscribe”. That way, the notifications won’t clog up your in-box and make it hard for you to find more important emails. You can then browse through your “unsubscribe” folder when you have time.
In the end, it’s about simplifying your day, de-cluttering your mind, and focusing on what’s important. Why let unnecessary info clog your email inbox and mind? Protect them both and be more productive and successful as a result.
Picture of mail was taken by Gellinger under the CCO license