It’s all a bit overwhelming. For a while I had a really good routine where I had deleted everything off my iPhone—Substack, Facebook, Gmail, and even my internet browser.
I kept a Google doc with, “things I want to look up.” I checked my laptop once a day after lunch and I really looked forward to that time. Mostly I found the stuff on the list was the desire to cast my anxiety upon the algorithm and by the time I had time I look it up, I couldn’t be bothered. I didn’t tend to scroll so much either.
However, I had our third baby three months ago and so I’ve got my browser and email back again while breastfeeding. But I feel the frustration of it now in a way I didn’t before. I’ll probably go back to checking the internet after lunch when my baby is a bit bigger.
I finally unsubscribed to every Substack except yours because I just wasn't reading them. I'm terrible in that I just couldn't handle the app. User error, I'm sure, but I couldn't figure out how to find creators I subscribed to and easily navigate the UI. So I uninstalled it and rely only on email notifications. Which means I probably miss the threads in the community. I try not to be a cranky old lady about technology but life is short and substack isn't where I felt like investing my energy.
With regards to email, I keep a Yahoo and a Gmail account and use them for different purposes. Yahoo is mostly for shopping and newsletters. Gmail is for more important correspondence and "higher level" accounts (banking, retirement savings, MyChart, etc.). I'm pretty good about not missing important emails but I do have to go through regularly and clean things up. BUT, I haven't had an online presence in the way you have so I can't imagine the crap you must get!
The email is so out of control. A lot of it I've done to myself (like signing up for email lists from retailers) but I've also just been put on SO many publicist/press release lists because of my public-facing work. Those are much harder to get rid of because they typically don't have an "unsubscribe" button, and it's like playing whack-a-mole...get rid of one and another pops up.
I hear you about Substack. I know it's not for everyone, and that's one of the reasons I pumped the brakes on moving the community over here (in other words, you haven't been missing much because I stopped using the discussion thread tools months ago.) When I look at my stats, the number of people who are reading my posts via email outweighs those who read it via Substack, but the longer I'm on this platform, the more that ratio starts to tip back in favor of Substack, which I feel iffy about. I appreciate the easy growth but wonder how sustainable or lasting it is. I could see a world in which I eventually go back to an email-only newsletter with a super tiny private community. You know, basically the world I was inhabiting with you a little over a year ago! :D
I'm glad you're getting this conversation started Meagan. I too have been feeling overwhelmed by the number of emails I was receiving from Substack and, since I strive to keep my inbox limited only to actionable items (the rest get deleted or filed away), it was starting to feel like I had dozens of extra things I needed to do every day. Last week, I decided to do a daily "roll up" of my Substack posts through Unroll.me so I get a digest of posts rather than ten or more separate emails. It's really helping. I LOVE the idea of setting my Notes feed to only people I follow. I think that will really help with my overwhelm in that space.
Also, I just preordered your book! I didn't know you had one coming out. My kids are still in the tween phase, but I'm preparing myself ahead of time so (hopefully) the teenage years don't catch me completely off guard. Very excited to read!
Thank you SO much for pre-ordering the book! You may be the very first order. We aren't doing official publicity yet but I figure it can't hurt to start getting the word out quietly :)
A daily digest is such a great idea, would be so smart for Substack to create a tool for this too!
Meagan, after a year I appreciate Substack more than ever ... but yes, it can get to be a bit much.
I'm trying to batch my online reading, writing, bill paying, and wandering around. There's something freeing about doing what needs to be done ... and then shutting down the screens and going on with the day.
Batching is so helpful and also SO hard to do when you can access everything, everywhere, all the time - complete with notifications in each place! I love the idea of batching "wandering around", too...I may need to try that :)
KINDLE! My mind is blown!
It's honestly so much better.
It’s all a bit overwhelming. For a while I had a really good routine where I had deleted everything off my iPhone—Substack, Facebook, Gmail, and even my internet browser.
I kept a Google doc with, “things I want to look up.” I checked my laptop once a day after lunch and I really looked forward to that time. Mostly I found the stuff on the list was the desire to cast my anxiety upon the algorithm and by the time I had time I look it up, I couldn’t be bothered. I didn’t tend to scroll so much either.
However, I had our third baby three months ago and so I’ve got my browser and email back again while breastfeeding. But I feel the frustration of it now in a way I didn’t before. I’ll probably go back to checking the internet after lunch when my baby is a bit bigger.
Looking forward to digging into this! I listened to the podcast you dropped yesterday and have been feeling a lot of this!!
I finally unsubscribed to every Substack except yours because I just wasn't reading them. I'm terrible in that I just couldn't handle the app. User error, I'm sure, but I couldn't figure out how to find creators I subscribed to and easily navigate the UI. So I uninstalled it and rely only on email notifications. Which means I probably miss the threads in the community. I try not to be a cranky old lady about technology but life is short and substack isn't where I felt like investing my energy.
With regards to email, I keep a Yahoo and a Gmail account and use them for different purposes. Yahoo is mostly for shopping and newsletters. Gmail is for more important correspondence and "higher level" accounts (banking, retirement savings, MyChart, etc.). I'm pretty good about not missing important emails but I do have to go through regularly and clean things up. BUT, I haven't had an online presence in the way you have so I can't imagine the crap you must get!
The email is so out of control. A lot of it I've done to myself (like signing up for email lists from retailers) but I've also just been put on SO many publicist/press release lists because of my public-facing work. Those are much harder to get rid of because they typically don't have an "unsubscribe" button, and it's like playing whack-a-mole...get rid of one and another pops up.
I hear you about Substack. I know it's not for everyone, and that's one of the reasons I pumped the brakes on moving the community over here (in other words, you haven't been missing much because I stopped using the discussion thread tools months ago.) When I look at my stats, the number of people who are reading my posts via email outweighs those who read it via Substack, but the longer I'm on this platform, the more that ratio starts to tip back in favor of Substack, which I feel iffy about. I appreciate the easy growth but wonder how sustainable or lasting it is. I could see a world in which I eventually go back to an email-only newsletter with a super tiny private community. You know, basically the world I was inhabiting with you a little over a year ago! :D
Had no idea about sending Substack to Kindle! Great tip, thank you!
You're welcome! I hope you find it helpful.
I'm glad you're getting this conversation started Meagan. I too have been feeling overwhelmed by the number of emails I was receiving from Substack and, since I strive to keep my inbox limited only to actionable items (the rest get deleted or filed away), it was starting to feel like I had dozens of extra things I needed to do every day. Last week, I decided to do a daily "roll up" of my Substack posts through Unroll.me so I get a digest of posts rather than ten or more separate emails. It's really helping. I LOVE the idea of setting my Notes feed to only people I follow. I think that will really help with my overwhelm in that space.
Also, I just preordered your book! I didn't know you had one coming out. My kids are still in the tween phase, but I'm preparing myself ahead of time so (hopefully) the teenage years don't catch me completely off guard. Very excited to read!
Thank you SO much for pre-ordering the book! You may be the very first order. We aren't doing official publicity yet but I figure it can't hurt to start getting the word out quietly :)
A daily digest is such a great idea, would be so smart for Substack to create a tool for this too!
I found it the other day and pre-ordered. 🤫🤐 🤪
Ha! I love it. Thank you, Stacy!
I can’t wait to see the cover!
Meagan, after a year I appreciate Substack more than ever ... but yes, it can get to be a bit much.
I'm trying to batch my online reading, writing, bill paying, and wandering around. There's something freeing about doing what needs to be done ... and then shutting down the screens and going on with the day.
Batching is so helpful and also SO hard to do when you can access everything, everywhere, all the time - complete with notifications in each place! I love the idea of batching "wandering around", too...I may need to try that :)