That’s a picture of my inbox right now. I used to click on every single email that was sent to me, minus spam. Something didn’t sit well with me about seeing an unread email sitting in my inbox. It was like looking at a dirty dish in the sink. I had to get rid of it.
Obviously that’s not a great use of time. Just clicking on emails for the sake of it.
Then I stumbled on SaneLater. In 2 months I’ve said myself from clicking/reading over 700 emails.
When given multiple choices, people often pick the path of least resistance, whether or not it’s the best option. This is why it’s helpful to make what you really really want, the easiest choice or the path of least resistance.
But to do this, you need to alter your environment. If your goal is to lose weight, you’d be throwing out the brownie mix and push pops (I’m fighting the urge to eat a push-pop right now. Yeah I’m 5 years old.). Want to spend less time on Facebook? Delete the app off your phone (or at least move it to the very very far right screen on an iPhone). Want to write more? Set your homepage to 750 words and use a Pomodoro timer. Not productive after work? Go to bed earlier and wake up 2 hours earlier so you have a forced time constraint. Not productive working at a coffee shop? Don’t bring your laptop charger.
Everyone has leaks. Little cracks that drain you every single day. Plug your leaks by making your current “easiest option” harder and the best long-term option easier.
Connect with me on Twitter where I write shorter things: @BenNesvig