Here’s a (potentially scary) question for you…
What would someone learn about you if they took a peek inside your inbox?
Would it give them an accurate picture of who you are?
What if I told you that how you run your inbox reveals even more about you than what’s inside it?
You may have heard this famous quote from Martha Beck:
“The way we do anything is the way we do everything.”
And the same goes for the way we do email.
Like it or not, most of us spend a lot of time in our inboxes. But how exactly are we spending that time?
According to psychologists, our external environments — the way we keep our homes, desks, and yes, our inboxes — are representations of our internal worlds.
So, what inner landscape is your inbox revealing about you?
Option #1: Overstuffed and Chaotic Inbox
Does even looking at the number of unread messages in your inbox send you into a blind panic? Do you try to avoid your inbox at all costs?
You’ve probably missed an important email (or 20) because your inbox is overflowing. You can never find the important stuff when you need it.
How can you even begin to figure what’s important amidst the sea of random newsletters and marketing emails you never read yet never unsubscribe from.
You probably feel like giving up on your inbox altogether. You’ll never get through the backlog of unread stuff.
Maybe it’s time to select all → delete and get yourself a new Gmail account.
But that wouldn’t solve the problem, would it? Because your inbox isn’t the only thing in your life that feels overwhelming and chaotic. And an email is probably not the only important thing you’ve missed.
The Lesson
It’s not all or nothing, in your inbox or your life. Start unsubscribing from mailing lists that don’t serve you. Start saying no to unnecessary commitments and activities. Practice paying attention to what’s important. Consciously commit to not trying to do everything.
Option #2: Folder Queen
Your inbox is the digital equivalent of living inside The Container Store. A place for every message and every message in its place.
You’ve got more folders than a Lisa Frank Trapper Keeper. You love nothing more than dragging and dropping a message into its appointed spot. You’ve got the Tetris of inboxes!
Chances are your inbox isn’t the only meticulously organized and over-controlled area of your life. Maybe you’re a little rigid in the way you keep your home, your desk, your calendar…?
The Lesson
Do you need all those folders? Are you spending more time organizing things than actually dealing with them?
If you cut back on the structure a little bit, how would you feel? How would you choose to spend the time that you freed up by not dragging each metaphorical message into a different folder? What if your inbox — and your life — were a little bit messy and (gasp!) spontaneous?
Option #3: Inbox Zero or Bust
There is nothing more rewarding for you than the satisfaction of knowing you have no unread messages. Zip, zero, zilch. Inbox Zero is a way of life for you.
You are (unhealthily?) obsessed with reading and responding to each message as soon as it arrives. Check, read, respond, file… Again and again in an endless loop for the rest of time.
You love checking items off your to do list, and the Inbox Zero life gives you that in spades. Tiny little hits of accomplishment all day long.
Your inbox is not the only place in your life where you’re ruled by tasks. You need to complete them quickly, efficiently, and perfectly to feel a sense of accomplishment.
The Lesson
You’ve got to get off the achievement hamster wheel! You are not your inbox or your to do list. You are so much more than that, and your life will not fall apart if you miss an email or task (or 10).
At first, it might feel uncomfortable to know that you’ve got unread emails sitting in your inbox and unaccomplished tasks languishing on your to do list. That discomfort fades when you start to experience other ways to spend your time. You’ll find that you would never trade the freedom and flexibility that loosening that tie creates. You can still get things done without your inbox (or to do list) ruling over your time.
The Insights
So, were you surprised to learn what your relationship with your inbox says about you? Do some of your email habits reflect your larger life habits? Are there things about the ways you do email that you want to change?
The bottom line:
You are in charge of how how you manage things, in your inbox and all areas of your life and business. When you’re aware of your own habits, you’re in a much better position to know what’s working and to change what’s not.
Here’s to making your inbox work for you and your unique personality.
About the Author
At her core, Jenna Teague is a healer. Jenna comes from over a decade of supporting clients’ healing in her psychotherapy practice and sparking business healing for coaches and entrepreneurs. Jenna co-creates with her clients game-changing shifts in their lives and businesses. She knows, deep down in her bones, that presence always trumps perfection. Building community is what lights her up most.
If you want to see Jenna at her giddiest (and geekiest), invite her to your next creative brainstorming session. She lives for that. You can find her at Jenna Teague and Nourish Your Practice.
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“Drowning in Email – A Lifeline for Communications Overload”
