Reclaim your time from your inbox

Less notifications, less stress, better communication.

Apr 29, 2024

A quick crowdfund update: Today marks 1 week since we started the crowdfunding campaign for our latest documentary short film, Trail Therapy, which follows Sharon Mosley as she trains for the Tar Heel 10 miler. 41 supporters have helped us reach 67% of our goal, equalling $2715 of our goal of $4,000! We have 3 more weeks to reach our goal, if you’d like to support or share our campaign, you can do so here.

Have you ever…

Counted how many emails you receive in a single day? Luckily, you don’t have to. The ongoing email notifications won’t let you forget that another one just landed in your inbox (a problem I am inevitably contributing to).

According to research from the University of California, email is a major cause of stress at work, with the average office worker receiving approximately 121 emails daily and checking their inbox a staggering 74 times per day (aka too much time spent on emails for any sane person).

I thought I would get fewer emails when I left my full-time job…. Let’s all laugh together. 😂 The complete opposite happened. In fact, not only did I get more emails, but I received more emails that required a response from me (and me alone). When you’re a solopreneur, much of your email correspondence comes from people who want to speak to you directly.

Email is a double-edged sword: it’s a critical part of doing business and professional communication, but it can make you feel overwhelmed and stressed when you can’t keep up with all your emails.

So, how can you turn your inbox from a source of stress into a place of peace?

Here are some of the features I currently love in Hey that allow me to manage my email across inboxes/accounts seamlessly (I don’t have an affiliate code or anything, and everything below is something you could implement in your own way in whatever email provider works best for you):

Turn off notifications. There are very few things in the creative world that are urgent. Even daily creator news or projects. Give yourself a break from the culture of immediacy. People can, and will, wait for quality.
Reply Later. Some emails require more than a “Yes” or “Thank you.” Set them aside until you have a moment to respond thoughtfully. I’m personally not a fan of constant “away from my email” autoresponders. They’re impersonal, often useless, and a complete turnoff. I’d rather wait for a thoughtful response than have one more email in my inbox that doesn’t serve me (and I’m willing to bet other professionals feel the same). It’s better to respond thoughtfully than to respond for the sake of responding.
Set Aside. If you have an ongoing communication thread, find a way to set that aside so you don’t have to constantly search for it in your inbox when new emails come in.
Tag newsletters. So that you can find them in one place and read them all at once rather than having them sit in your inbox collecting dust.
Tag receipts. So that you can keep them for later.
Unsubscribe. Say goodbye to any newsletters or marketing emails from your not-so-favorite brands that don’t serve you or bring you joy. You can always check in on them on social media.

Reclaim your time (and peace) from your inbox. Take a couple of hours to implement these simple yet powerful tips (or find a service like Hey, Superhuman, Missive, etc to do it for you). You’ll be glad you did.

Community Spotlight

Podcast Ally was recently acquired by our friends at Earfluence, and of course, they started a new podcast to get the word out! Podcast Ally’s podcast helps listeners learn more about the podcast guest booking process. In their episode with REVOLT's Akinwole Garrett, you’ll learn how to get booked on bigger podcast shows and how to pitch celebrity guests. Links to watch and listen below (the show is also available on Apple Podcasts).