Today my Outlook got completely wiped out and I feel… well, not the way I thought I’d feel.
I pretty much run my home based business out of my Outlook inbox folders. It’s my giant electronic filing cabinet, to-do list and template holder. Also my ideas file.
So how do I feel? Not devastated but… oddly relieved. There’s this rush of “school’s out” energy. FREEDOM.
Interesting! And yes, I do have an external back-up source so I can get them back. But I’m going to wait a few days and see what happens. If the sky doesn’t fall I might just leave it and start over! Is this the new face of office productivity?
Update 8 hours later:
The first wave of panic has set in. What about my file that contains the confirmation emails of the 100+ forums, services, affilate products, and software downloads that I am subscribed to? Darn, maybe I will have to recover the email after all.
Update 24 hours later:
I’ve been thinking about it: Do I really need that information? How many of those 100 can I even remember? I made a list and could only come up with 15. What that tells me is that a lot of the things I’ve signed up for I don’t use anymore (or maybe never used). So why am I keeping the information? It’s like hanging on to anything – because “I might need it someday”.
And part of it is that I sign up for stuff, throw it in that file, and then never get around to cleaning it out. So my “virtual home” gets cluttered. Sort of like all the stuff that starts to clutter up my “real home”.
I remember my brother-in-law telling me about his decision to get rid of all the bubble-wrap he had been saving. He decided that when the time came that he needed some bubble wrap, he’d just go buy a package.
I’m wondering if that same principle could work with my file. The worst that could happen is that I’d have to sign up again, or ask to have my log-in info emailed to me.
So do I really need to recover that information?
Update 48 hours later
I caved. I kept wondering if there was something important in there that I was forgetting. But it’s been an interesting experiment. My initial feeling of relief tells me that I have a yearning to reduce the amount of stuff in my life – whether that’s email, household clutter or commitments. I’ll keep you posted.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Dear Barbra, Congratulations on your new site! I’m already loving the posts…particularly this one. My own mentor, Andrea J. Lee, reminds me that email has an energy of its own. So I open those emails that call to me first…and leave the others for a time of day when my energy is strong and protected. As for the positives…I love receiving surprise notes from friends, clients, family, and mentors. Those notes make my day and keep me connected. And often, as my day ends, I send out a big bucketful of those love notes myself…to those wonderful people who keep me going. All the best to you!
Thanks for your note, Flo, and your reminder that email can be enjoyable as well as a burden. Great point! I think I will go send out some of those love notes you mention right now!