There’s a feeling of spaciousness – no matter how fleeting- that we all get when we finish de-cluttering, filing, organizing, alphabetizing, or even tidying up. Right?

Whether it’s cleaning the house, sorting the garage or mancave, tidying the backyard, straightening the bills, harnessing the contents in that darn drawer in the kitchen, or even just restacking the mounds of books, CDs or paint cans, we all feel so much better when that mess is put away for a bit.

I’ve felt that spacious, accomplished feeling for nearly a month now. Care to know what I did?

Organized my email accounts!

Say what?

I was FORCED to do this because I had to change web host providers. Since my emails are attached to my websites, and the offer of a zero fee for hosting emails was too hard to resist, I caved. After all, how complicated can changing websites and email hosting providers be?

Short answer

There is a good reason why most of us mere mortals do not do this. It was far more expensive and time-consuming than I ever imagined. To save my sanity, I chose to view the experience as a massive upgrade, one in which I would eventually have full control over my inbox and, by extension, my life.

By way of background, my system of organizing my emails was good. I had many different file folders and rules created for much of what came tumbling in. Plus, three times a year, I was vigilant about unsubscribing from content I no longer read.

Okay, that’s what I thought.

Truthfully, my automatic filing system left too much in the inbox. My attention span had been so frequently diverted that truly unhelpful stuff and adverts were rarely tossed out, and stuff I WANTED to read was abandoned in a far-off, never-to-be-viewed folder. Opening the mail had morphed into a non-stop activity fraught with shame, guilt and hatred.

Longer Answer

About a month ago, a friend of mine forwarded an essay carefully laying out an argument that the one action the author regretted ever doing was having an email account. While I could agree with some points, I couldn’t get behind regretting owning an email account.

My deep regret has always been two-fold: my neuro synapsis constantly jumps into action to interrupt me when the ding ‘you’ve got mail’ bell goes off. (It’s why I never sleep with my phone on the bedside table.) The second regret was the constant anxiety and overwhelm I felt every time I looked at the full inbox. Had I forgotten something? Had I dropped a ball somewhere? Would the email police call me out for not responding within at least 24 hours?

In other words, while I recognize there are pros and cons to email (versus snail mail and written letters) I LOVE email. What I regretted was my lack of discipline. I also felt overwhelmed by the negative HUMAN behaviours and habits that come with having multiple email accounts.

First, the good news

All my email accounts (both business and personal) are now meticulously organized, with all messages neatly filed in suitable buckets. There are no more than three emails in any inbox, each waiting for a piece of follow-up action. This system, which aligns with my love for completing commitments and honouring my word, brings a sense of relief and peace. The feelings of overwhelm and anxiousness have been replaced by a calm sense of control.

Each morning, I only deal with the day’s most crucial mail — the stuff that does not get redirected by an automatic rule. And I get to decide immediately whether to delete or do something with it. There is no feeling of overwhelm or anxiety—just a sense of calm. I can see immediately in all the folders what needs to be addressed that day OR can be deferred until much later. So I remain in control at all times in a very real manner, allowing me to manage my time and tasks effectively and efficiently.

I also discovered another trick. One that no doubt you already do. I turn the email account off. (Yeah, I can be a slow learner at times.) There are very few emergencies in life. And cellphone calls and texts are perfect for emergencies. We, humans, function much better with peace and quiet in chunks of time made up of no more than two hours at a time.

Between these two simple things, I no longer worry about not having enough time, no longer fret about missing something important and have found a way of bringing more of the best of me to the table.

Now, the not-so-good news

Organizing one’s email accounts is not a quick job. I spent four whole days on this. It was mind-numbingly boring. I had headaches from doing the thing. And my eyes looked and felt like two little pee holes in the snow for several days.

Now, let’s be honest. None of us enjoys cleaning the house, sorting the garage or mancave, tidying the backyard, straightening the bills, harnessing the contents in that darn drawer in the kitchen, or even restacking the mounds of books, CDs or paint cans. Do we? YET, we DO feel so much better when that mess is put away. Even for a tiny bit of time.

It IS possible to reduce overwhelm and increase serenity. We need to remember it’s all a journey, isn’t it?