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Megan Hodges's avatar

I LOVE this newsletter. And I love the sign in my office that I've had from day one "Get Your Shit Together" except the Y conveniently fell off and now it says "Get our Shit Together". How apropos.

PS: Nobody unsubscribe from this newsletter based on the above. K. Thanks.

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Skottie Young's avatar

hahaha. yes GET OUR SHIT TOGETHER is super apropes. And please, EVERYONE stay subscribed. hahaha. It's been a really self reflective, eye opening few weeks of time audits and assessment. It's exciting to feel like i'm taking control back.

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Jason McBride's avatar

I needed this remainder that all of us are faking it till we meek it and maybe none of us ever "make" it. The creative life is journey, but I need more comfortable shoes.

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Melissa Bryan's avatar

I'm trying but some times it just so damn hard. Thank you for the kind words.

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Melissa Bryan's avatar

Thank you for the smile, I needed some joy in my life, it's pretty shitty right now...

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Skottie Young's avatar

my pleasure. Sorry to hear about the tough times.

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Megan Hodges's avatar

Sorry for the shitty. Been there often. Hang in there!

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Jami Cullen's avatar

Sending positive thoughts and virtual hugs. 💕

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Tyler Lariscy's avatar

Glad to know I'm not alone in not fitting into the "well adjusted, full-blown grown-ups with your shit completely together" group hahahaha. But to be perfectly honest, I think that group is a fairytale anyways lol.

I too I just live day-to-day focusing on work and whatever else comes up powering through. My calendar filled with all kinds of to-dos or deadlines both from work and personal.

The emails I get are outrageous! I can tell you 99% of them I don't need! So I think I'm going to follow in your steps by archiving them, going through and getting to that wonderful 0! Or at least close to it hah.

Just wanted to say I really enjoy reading these kinds of posts from you! It brings that personal touch to the Substack that keeps me reading posts! I truly hope you find success in decluttering and getting back time in your schedule! We'll be rooting for you!

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Skottie Young's avatar

Thank you! i'm happy to say, that i'm still at Inbox Zero and it's been well over a week now. I love. Just deciding on the spot if this is ready for me or if it needs to be vanished until it is! It's a wonderful feeling.

And thank you. you can expect a lot more journal like posts from me in the near future. I'm glad you're enjoying them.

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Tyler Lariscy's avatar

That's awesome to hear! I always dread receiving new emails and seeing those notification numbers. But I hadn't ever really stopped to consider the impact of all the emails dealt with just sitting there have.

Of course! Thank you for posting and interacting with us on here on TOP of being a dope artist, writer, creative, parent, etc. I'm definitely looking forward to more of these types of posts and will continue to enjoy them!

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aaron laurich's avatar

Great read on a Tuesday afternoon.

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Calvin Harlow's avatar

I love the zero inbox rule, been doing it for few years now. It can get very challenging when you become super busy but stay the course and keep on refining the grind.

Hope everyone had a great holiday!

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Skottie Young's avatar

Thanks! I'm in love with his system. Still at zero today! jsut deal and delete! love it.

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Kevin Scott Jacobs's avatar

This is the best one yet Skottie and you got this man!! I retired two years ago do to stress and started working again because I needed insurance. Anyway today I can not catch a break to even get a moment in the sketch book or to work on something fun. So thanks for this info and I’m gonna start looking at my time management!

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Jami Cullen's avatar

I will try this...I think....maybe...I WILL! Your description made it fun! It sounds really tough to do, though. Won’t the archived emails be as stressful, knowing they still exist? Did you categorize them before archiving them, so you can check only certain archived emails when you have your email time? I SO want to be less overwhelmed! Thanks, Skottie, for helping! (Dr. Skottie! 🥰)

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Skottie Young's avatar

nope, they're out of sight our of mind. i only have them incase i need to reference them again. I delete most. Most emails don't need to be touched more than once.

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Scott Kane's avatar

I thought highly important comic book creators had minions for such menial tasks as email! :)

Depending on your email software, another good technique is to use the Filters (gmail) or Rules (MS Outlook) to help automatically move stuff from your Inbox into a separate folder for later review (or better yet, bulk delete). This is especially helpful for stores that feel the need to constantly email you.

I've also seen people use the inverse of that technique to cherry-pick VIP/must-respond emails to a separate folder.

Implementing other people's organizational schemes can give you a starting framework, but definitely find what works best for *you* to keep on top of critical emails and keep from getting overwhelmed. Everyone's brain organizes things differently!

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Jose Marzan Jr.'s avatar

I think most freelancers just wing it as the go along. Hey, it's worked for us for decades! But now, editors don't call, they email, and so does everyone else. Years ago, before the email deluge, I set up separate email accounts (Gmail, outlook, etc) for everything (work/personal, bills, subscriptions, etc). My main email box is just that, and then I check bills. The others arent a big deal. I don't care what Netflix, or Amazon have to sell me. I'll check it once in a while, then dump all of it. The system works for me. And now onto Notion and Obsidian! Gah!

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Christina McBride's avatar

So inquiring minds wanna know: did you just delete all 25k emails 😆

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Skottie Young's avatar

I archived them all. just select all and archived.

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DLL's avatar

I love this. I've been doing an email detox myself. However, I'm afraid of the archive. Where is it and can I retrieve old emails easily, does it take up all of my memory? Thanks,

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Skottie Young's avatar

oh yes. "ARCHIVE" is just the fancy name for that folder. you can rename it GARBAGE FOR LATER if you want. You can always search and find emails there so easy.

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