I have a problem. It's a big one, and I've had it for a long time.
I stink at keeping up with email.
Early in our marriage, Jeff and I shared an email account. Boy, was that ever a mistake! I would let the emails pertaining to me pile up into vast quantities, which collided terribly with his philosophy of deal-with-each-email-as-you-get-it-so-you-can-keep-your-inbox-at-zero. Who does that anyway? ;-)
It wasn't long before we realized that having two separate email addresses would be a very wise thing to do, so we did it. Maybe that's the secret of our happy marriage. :)
I'm not sure what my record is as far as how many emails I've had in my New Mail. I know it's been in the 700s; Josiah seems to think it reached 800; and only God knows just how high it really got. But I've been working at it, trying to deal with the old, accumulated emails, as well as reform my way of dealing with new emails.
The sad part about it is that, too often, the really important emails are the ones that I have procrastinated on and have let get buried in the virtual pile that's been higher than the real-life infamous pile of papers I constantly battle on the counter by the telephone. Some emails are quick and easy to deal with; I can read them and do nothing further, or I can dash off a quick reply. But the ones that require thought and consideration are the ones that I push off; and regrettably, I'm afraid that sometimes the people who've sent them to me feel pushed off as well. That is what bothers me the most about all of this.
I've made some progress, evident by the fact that my inbox "only" holds 137 emails, at present count; but I'm not stopping there. Tonight, while Jeff is gone at a class, I'm inspired to attack the pile again and see how low I can go. I would REALLY like to break 100 and hit that elusive 99. Is it possible?
I'm taking a deep breath...I'm getting a pillow to sit on (because, mercy, this chair is hard!)...I'm trying to ignore the fact that one of my sons (whose name and age happen to start with the same letter) is still awake and is finding every excuse in the book to get my attention...I'm including a quick, fuzzy picture of that very son, taken today by David during a break from homeschooling (and no, I don't look that scrubby every day, but today was a I-don't-have-to-go-anywhere kind of day, so I dressed down--Casual Tuesday, that was my motto today)...
...and now, I'm ready to focus. Here I go!
But maybe I should go get a drink first... ;-)
11 comments:
Wow..I'm with Jeff. I start getting annoyed when I have three or four emails in my inbox! lol And I think you look adorable dressed down!
Update: Jeff got home about 10:40, and he brought me a Coke Slurpee! I love that man. :) Now I don't have to get up to get a drink, and I'm already down to 122 emails. Yee-haw!
Don't ever peek at my e-mail box! Yours looks good. I glance at all mine and decide what to do pretty quickly, but I let read one pile up like crazy, just in case I need to look at that note again, or decide to make that recipe, etc. I just don't organize my stuff, and really, I should just wipe it clean sometime and then start organizing from that day forward.
I think you look super cute in that picture!
Another update: I'm now down to 97 emails. 97! Unbelievable! I would take a screenshot of my email inbox and post it so there would be proof, but I'm much too tired. It's 1:15 a.m., after all, and I've got to get at least a little sleep tonight. But oh, how nice to actually meet my goal! :)
97 is still a lot of emails though... :)
Dressed down? Hey, that's me on a good day!
Well done with your e-mails... I do them as they come in - certainly not because I'm an organised kinda person - ha! that's a joke! - but most of mine are quick looks and maybe a quick note back.
My in-box has over 200.... Mostly necessary junk, like library reminders.
B. always keeps his meticulously clean, and since he thinks like an engineer, he can't just zip through and delete, he *HAS* to read every. single. one.
Glad I'm not the only one who lets them pile up!
It is such a wonderful feeling to get the e-mails under control. I got down to 70 and then it ballooned to 120 again.
hows it going? I keep mine at zero as well.. or every now and then there will be a few emails of things I am working on :-P
congrats on that goal, davene!!
I keep mine at zero... except for my junk account email address. That one has hundreds and hundreds. I check it on occasion and do a mass delete. I start to have a wee bit of a panic attack if my inbox gets too full.
If only I had that same reaction to the clutter in my bills cabinet...and laundry room... :)
Oh my, I've got almost 5,000 in my inbox, but all of them are read :) I guess I'm an e-mail pack rat! I've kept almost every single e-mail ever since I got my address :)
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