Hey, howdy, hallo,
I just realized this newsletter turned 2 years old back in August. I sent my first issue on August 31, 2023. For everyone reading this, thanks for sticking around and trusting an internet stranger with your email. (Most of you use aliases, which I love to see.)
I never really plan what to write until I sit down to actually write my newsletter, which is usually the day I send it. This month is no different, so let’s get on with it.
P.S.
In case you missed my announcement last month, I launched my membership site. It’s been going great, and I had the first livestream last week. Thanks to everyone who participated!
I apologize in advance if you were looking for something technical this month. It’s almost 2026, so I thought I might share something that can help your mental well-being when it comes to email.
I get a lot of emails, and I have a bunch of different email addresses I use for different things. It can get overwhelming, to say the least. I’m guessing at least a few of you have inboxes with thousands of unread emails. If you’ve been meaning to work on that, maybe this can help.
The goal of Inbox Zero is to have zero emails in your inbox. I’m not perfect, and I don’t stick to that as a golden rule, but it does provide some nice guardrails.
Unsubscribe from any emails that you no longer need or want.
Create folders or labels to organize your remaining emails.
Create rules or filters to automatically sort incoming emails.
Step 1 is straightforward enough. Unsubscribe ruthlessly. Step 2 is where the Inbox Zero method begins.
In the morning, I check my email and start at the top, the newest email.
Delete or Archive: If the email is not relevant, delete it. Deleting is a personal choice. I try to lean toward delete, but if you like to save everything, then archive it.
Respond or Do: If I can respond to an email or complete the task in less than 90 seconds, I do it. This prevents small tasks from piling up into mental clutter.
Action: This folder is for tasks or responses that will take longer than 90 seconds. These are emails you need to come back to later that require action from you.
Reference: This folder can blur a bit with Archive, but I see this as things I know for certain I will need to reference. Such as an email from an online store with a tracking number or details about a project I’m working on.
Waiting On: This one is the opposite of Action. Emails go here if you are waiting on action from someone else. I put things here like questions I sent to a company that I need to follow up on if they don’t reply.
Depending on how many emails you get, this process should only take a few minutes in the morning. Once I finish sorting, I either start working on my Action and Waiting On folders, or I come back and do that later. Throughout the day, I check my email (more frequently than I’d like) and continue processing incoming emails using the same steps.
My inbox used to be overflowing, but now things are manageable, and I know what I need to do.
If your inbox has been weighing on your mind, give it a try.
Happy New Year, and I’ll see you in January!
-Josh
A flashback to the old trailing cursors.
GPU • Power Supply • Cooling
Private Space Explained • Security Preview Releases
(Just filmed a new video yesterday. More coming soon with the holidays coming to an end).
A few things I make and work on:
Membership Site — Bonus content, monthly livestream Q&A, and more.
Consulting — Personalized help for individuals and teams.
Yellowball — Podcast hosting. No BS, no tracking.
"We suffer more often in imagination than in reality."
— Seneca
I don’t track or analyze these emails, so the only way I know they’re read is if you tell me. If you enjoyed it, reply with a 🎆. If not, send back one sentence with what you’d improve.