Email: Dealing With A Backlog Of Delayed Decisions
Delaying and putting off dealing with decisions can have a crippling effect. As unmade decisions pile up, they start to take over your mind and your space. Typically, the avoidance starts because of a strong emotion. After the avoidance has gone on for a while, guilt and shame get added to the list and dealing with the decisions seems impossible.
In this article series, I’ll review the most commonly avoided items and ways to get started when you've been paralyzed by the thought of tackling the project.
Let’s tackle email.
It's easy to think that because you don't see it piling up around your house that hoarding thousands of emails is harmless, but it takes a toll on your mental energy. Even if you don't realize it's happening, your stress ramps up each time you see that unread email count because your brain sees that as thousands of 'to-dos'.
The easiest way to clear the deck is to pick a date going back no more than a month (preferably no more than a week), batch-select all the emails before that date, and archive all of them. If there's something you need to find, you'll be able to use the search function to find it, but odds are that you'll never need any of them again. If there were emails that required action, the sender will most likely ask again, so don't worry about missing things (a simple apology for missing the first request is all you'll need).
Now that your inbox is more manageable, sort the emails by sender. Make a pass through the list and identify any emails that are from stores or are solicitations. Unsubscribe and then batch delete them. If you ever need to be on their list in the future, you can sign back up. If you are not sure that you signed up for an email list or if you're not sure the sender is a legitimate company, delete without unsubscribing to avoid the possibility of hacking or malware.
Next, identify anything you want to save for reference and either archive to be searched for later, or create a folder to move reference material to. Most email services have very robust search functions so archiving is almost always sufficient.
Now deal with any emails that need action. Respond to anyone who is waiting for a response and schedule time on your calendar for anything that requires more time and attention.
New junk email and solicitations?
Deal with them immediately by unsubscribing and/or deleting.
Finally, as new junk email and solicitations come in, deal with them immediately by unsubscribing and/or deleting. Use the archive function frequently and make plans on your calendar to deal with emails that need action.
Putting off making decisions is common and can be a natural consequence of fear, but not facing the things you are afraid of doesn't make them better or easier to deal with later. Be courageous: feel the fear and do it anyway! Don't let guilt and shame cause you to continue on a destructive path of avoidance. If you need support, contact a friend or professional (organizer and/or therapist) to help you get through the first steps.
