At one point in my life, I had three separate email accounts – two work and one personal. Although I used my work email more frequently, my personal email was the one that was constantly packed with dozens of emails.  

My inbox was flooded with subject lines like “FLASH SALE! ENDS TONIGHT!” or “Buy one, Get one!” Yet none of these retail emails ever made me buy something. If anything, I cringed at the all-capital letters and lightning bolt emojis. I spent precious minutes every day placing a checkmark next to the emails and clicking delete.

And then it dawned on me.

Why am I subscribed to these places in the first place? Sure, the occasional coupon from Michaels is nice, but am I actually using it? When CB2 sends me an email letting me know that outdoor furniture is now 20% off, do I ever commit and buy? No. If anything, I may go to their site and waste more time browsing the sale section only to realize I wasn’t looking for anything in particular. Argh! More time wasted. 

I decided it was time to make a change. The time I usually spent deleting emails was not being used to unsubscribe from them. Two weeks in I was tempted to just get a new email and start fresh but after another couple of weeks, I felt completely liberated!

I’m not encouraging you to unsubscribe from all retail emails, newsletters, and notifications. I’m encouraging you to be more mindful about what makes its way to your inbox. 

There are a couple of places that I have intentionally chosen to keep receiving emails from. They have meaningful content that I enjoy reading. So now, instead of instant anxiety from dozens of bold-type subject lines, I’m starting to feel more relaxed and joyful about the emails I’m receiving.

*UPDATE* Check out unroll.me for the quickest and easiest way to unsubscribe!