How I've Been Digital Decluttering, and You Can Too

Methods for finally sorting out the inbox, and making space for what you actually want to read.

Dear reader, this was originally intended to be a longer post, with tips beyond the mere influx of emails, and spanning the whole realm of our digital content world. But yesterday’s scheduled writing time was impacted first by a health flare up, then a cancelled train, then a train without a driver.

You couldn’t write it.

So rather than push myself to get more words down on the page, think through even more methods as I battled brain fog and lethargy, I decided to do the best I could with the draft I had so far, and present you with a cupcake.

A cupcake, you ask?

Unfortunately not a delicious treat hand-delivered to enjoy with a cuppa today, but a techy term I have recently been introduced to, referring to the concept of getting the MVP (minimum viable - or lovable! - product) out into the world. Rather than wait till you can serve the all-singing-all-dancing three-tiered extravaganza, if in the meantime you can serve up something in a smaller, simpler form, albeit still with the goodness that might be expected, then do that.

So I hope this will serve the purpose today - to give you something practical, to help you navigate modern life, as I am learning to navigate it too.

And the kind of health stuff I was dealing with yesterday? You can read a little about that here …

A Woman with a Body in Pain

Do you feel an overwhelm of digital content?

Looking for a way to sort through your cluttered inbox?

Missing emails and newsletters you actually want to see, because they're so buried under a heap of rubbish?

Yeah, same.

But over the past few weeks I've been trying to quash the overwhelm.

My motivation? A desire to read a physical newspaper on a Sunday.

I have this vision of having the time and inclination to pick up a paper, early on a Sunday morning, and read it through the day. Perhaps over coffee. On the sofa. Before lunch. After lunch. Lounging. Taking it easy. Catching up on news I might have missed through the week, but keeping myself informed. Saving the arts and culture pages for the evening.

I could, in theory, be doing this on any given Sunday already. Yet I feel paralysed by the sheer amount of unread digital content. Content that I am forever carrying around with me, on my phone, on my laptop.

I always feel like I need to catch up, but catching up never seems achievable.

I still haven't got it nailed, but here's how I've been tackling my non-work emails - and am already feeling weirdly (but wonderfully) lighter for it!

I started by clearing my personal inbox of as many emails as I could; those I knew from the title I would not read. Promotions. Sales long ended. Shows I had no interest in seeing. But I kept the most recent ones, and started to work through unsubscribes…

🛍️ Shopping emails

Anywhere I once, likely long ago, ordered from (I'm not a regular online shopper) and do not need updates from on a regular basis - they were the first to go. I feel a sense of needing to stay in the loop with sales and promotions, just in case there's chance of a bargain. But is it really a bargain if you don't need it?

Okay, sometimes it is.

But still. Get rid of temptation you do not want.

I worked through emails from an array brands, and unsubscribed to any I was no longer interested in at all.

Then made a list of those I am most likely to shop with, have accounts with etc., in my notes app. And unsubscribed from all those too.

🎁 Gift emails

Arguably the same as above, but for me this category includes several flower delivery brands, boutique hamper offerings, and personalised jewellery providers. I added them to a separate note I already keep just for gifts ideas, then unsubscribed from all of those.

They may in time come off my phone entirely, and into my gifting notebook.

Indy brands, I love you! Small business owners, I understand your need to market!

I'm not saying I'll stop purchasing your wonderful goods, packaged beautifully and with care. I just need to explore what you're offering in a different way.

Some I've changed my preferences for, to receive monthly emails rather then weekly (or sometimes daily!) which feels more manageable.

🗞️Magazine-style emails

I subscribed to several of these, like Stylist and Sheerluxe. I enjoy the content, get inspiration for trends, and often news of interesting exhibitions or new podcasts to explore.

But honestly, this is the kind of thing I much prefer in print, through an actual old school magazine - or the supplement of a Sunday paper! - which I find myself with less time for on account of all the digital content!

And now there are several Substackers serving me style and other such insights in a more personal way, that feels more engaging, not least

Una

,

Farrah @Substack

and

Alisha Ramos

.

Ironically I think I'll miss scrolling through these emails, but I do it at such a pace I don't really consume the content so much as inhale it with one scroll and exhale with another.

📚 Bookshop emails

With a TBR list as long as War and Peace, and my TBR pile collapsing on itself, I need no further encouragement to buy books. I know when a favourite author has something new coming out that I might be desperate to read, and if I'm after something unexpected, I'm far more partial to a bookshop browse than a scroll through an email, albeit well-curated. Substack also provides some great book recommendations, in a more organic way.

I've stayed subscribed to emails from a few local bookshops whose events I may want to attend, or to know of other ways I can support them, but anything else is gone.

💙 Charities

Some I've volunteered with. Others I've donated to, or fundraised for. Others whose work I'm just interested in keeping up with.

But the truth is, I am not. I’m not keeping up.

My donations these days are intentional but in a different way - a galvanising email isn't what's going to get me popping in my card details. Not because the cause is not worthy, but that's not how I'm engaging with my inbox.

And so, there is yet another list in my notes app, this time of charities, so I can revisit in a different format, and re-think how to keep up with them.

In the meantime, the emails are gone.

🍽️ Restaurants

I probably don't need to know when they have a fun event going on, or if a new chef has taken the helm. That's all lovely, but just a classic example of things I feel I need to keep up with, because it's in my inbox (on account of having eaten there at some point), but in fact I absolutely do not.

When looking for a new restaurant these days, or searching for an offer to get a good meal or less, The Fork and First Table is where it’s at.

✅ Next on the list?

While there are still a few categories of emails left to tackle (do I want to know about last minute theatre ticket deals, or do I keep culture-browsing more intentional?) I’m feeling pretty good with the progress I’ve made tackling the inbox overwhelm.

It also means non-Substack newsletters, like those from Oliver Burkeman and Ann Friedman, are more easy to spot and actually get around to reading.

But there’s still work to be done.

I am a fiend unto myself when it comes to opening internet tabs on my phone.

Current count? 75.

Everything from click-throughs from emails, to research related to something or other that’s peaked my interest in recent weeks, to things I keep meaning to look into (a new yoga studio membership, a Covid jab appointment the GP recently text me to book in). I need a better system, but I don’t know what it is yet.

Then there’s long form articles from publications we all wish we had more time to read: The New Yorker, The Cut, The Walrus, The Guardian Long Reads. Some of these I have saved in a folder on my emails. Some are in those open tabs on my phone. Others still are linked in my notes app. Many more, yet uncovered.

I know I have things saved I’ve been meaning to read for a good three years. Maybe the answer is simply accepting I’ll never get round to all those great in-depth pieces, settling only for one or two here and there when I’m compelled to read a piece as soon as I see it. But I’m sure there might be a better system…

And of course, lest we not forget Substack. Filled with new names, and more words, hour after hour. Keeping up with all the wonderful work here is indeed a conundrum, but what a lucky problem to have.

If you’ve found the time, and inclination, to read this - whether on a Sunday morning as soon as it’s landed with you, or in six months when you’re on your own inbox clear out - then thank you, genuinely, ever so much.

What a privilege to have my words find you.

And if they encourage you to now step away from the screen and pick up something in print, all the better.

A peek at my Sunday reads.

PS - in need of a more IRL declutter? Don’t miss

Suzy Walker

’s daily emails this month, inspiring readers to take part in the minimalist experiment. So far I’ve already taken four bags to charity shops, made about £60 on Vinted, and got a bag of fabrics building ready to recycle.

If you enjoyed reading this piece, and would like to show some support without a paid subscription, a Ko-fi coffee is always much appreciated.☕

Thanks once again to Claire Venus and all taking part in the Sparkle on Substack 24 Essays Club for the encouragement to think, write and share.