Simplify Your Life and Declutter Your Mind
We’ve all felt the sinking feeling of returning from a trip to hundreds or thousands of unread emails. A rush of anxiety sets in that maybe you’ve missed something important or time sensitive as you scan countless emails only to realize that the overwhelming majority of them aren’t important at all. After twenty-five years in the workforce, I’d had enough of the chatter and I set out on a mission to remedy the situation.
The Approach
The first line of attack was to get to a clean inbox with zero unread emails which I’d done countless times before. However, now I set out on a vigilant journey to unsubscribe from all unwanted emails moving forward. While discussing my plan with a colleague, he suggested I simply search for the word “unsubscribe” to load all emails and start the process from there. As I attempted that strategy, I once again felt the same feeling of helplessness as thousands upon thousands of emails resulted from the search. In the name of simplicity, I pivoted to a different approach that was much more effective and oddly powerful.
From that moment forward, as an unwanted email arrived I immediately scrolled to the bottom and unsubscribed. The real-time action was strangely exhilarating because it was like a game where I got to decide what was important or not. Since companies have different cadences and frequencies of emails, it took nearly two months to eliminate most unwanted emails from my inbox. Even now, I still find new emails daily from companies that I get to choose if I want to continue receiving, however, I typically unsubscribe.
The Results
The benefits of the mission are more impactful than I imagined and the process was incredibly gratifying. For one, I’m much more responsive to legitimate emails that need attention. They stand out because they’re not buried in a stack of unneeded emails. Additionally, I find myself more productive because my inbox is always at a minimal unread status so I don’t take periodic email checking breaks that interfere with more important activities.
I’ve since attacked my email which had over 45,000 unread messages and left Slack channels that I no longer needed to be a part of. Like the PureSpectrum platform, I’m more productive and focused. I also have more time to spend on more high-level work tasks and I have more time to spend with my family. To that end, when I’m with the people I love, I’m more engaged and attentive. When in meetings I no longer feel the urge to check emails. Dare I say, I’m a better person to those in my professional and personal life?
Simplify Your Workday
If you are also seeking simplicity, focus and productivity, I highly recommend assessing what is stealing focus in your life. If you are like me, the first step is tackling your inbox and notifications. This quarter PureSpectrum is focused on our cornerstone of simplicity. Simplifying research has always been a passion of mine and it’s a huge motivator for all of the innovations we create at PureSpectrum to make life easier. Commit to the process and the purge. A simpler, easier workday awaits.
About PureSpectrum
PureSpectrum offers a complete end-to-end market research and insights platform, helping insights professionals make decisions more efficiently, and faster than ever before. Awarded MR Supplier of the Year at the 2021 Marketing Research and Insight Excellence Awards, PureSpectrum is recognized for industry-leading data quality. PureSpectrum developed the respondent-level scoring system, PureScore™, and believes their continued success stems from their talent density and dedication to simplicity and quality.
In the few years since its inception, PureSpectrum has been named one of the Fastest Growing Companies in North America on Deloitte’s Fast 500 since 2020, and ranked for three years in a row on the GRIT Top 50 Most Innovative List and the Inc. 5000 lists.