Ah the morning inbox.
The list of well-meaning messages that come to give us a tight hug as soon as we reach the office. Some of us obsess over “inbox zero” while others among us might be comfortable with a 4 digit unread count. Yet, all of us can relate to the feeling of overwhelm that opening the inbox in the morning brings us. So that’s what today’s poem is about.
Alright, poem starts in 3… 2… 1!
Good morning, dear worker, come over this way, here are a few emails to kickstart your day. With coffee in hand and a heart full of woe, come open your inbox, see it overflow! 📨📨 Up first, there's the spam, oh, it's such a delight. "Win a free cruise!" and "Your future’s so bright!" The distant prince, who wants to give you his cash! The pill that will bring down your weight in a flash! 🛳💵💊 Up next, there's the colleague replying to all, with mountains of words talking big things and small. They add in their thoughts, so profound and so wise, confusing with comments and kudos and cries. 💭💬 There's someone from finance with numbers galore, And someone from IT who’s fixing the door? Reports to be read, and then meetings to plan, all this, before your day's even began. 📆 Your eyes start to glaze as you scroll through this mess, this digital swamp causes minor distress. And just when you think you might give up all hope, a mail from your boss sends you down a new slope. 🏂 So cheers to the inbox, a daily ordeal, a digital beast with an endless appeal. But fret not, dear worker, it’s all in good fun, just another day’s battle that’s never quite won. 🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♀️
That’s it! Thanks for reading edition no. 167 of Hello Universe.
I used to be a real time “inbox zero” person for the longest time, but nowadays I clean up my inbox once a week.
What about you? Are you an “inbox zero” person or are you comfortable with large numbers of unread messages? Share your inbox experiences with the Hello Universe community below!
Some Fun Stuff
This is where I share something cool to read, something cool to listen to, and something cool to watch! The underlined words are links that you can click to visit the recommended content.
1. Read “Memories of an Enron Summer” by Giuseppe Paleologo: Enron was probably the biggest corporate scam till FTX happened. A house of cards built up on false promises and false accounting. This writeup from someone who interned at Enron just before the collapse shows how people inside a sinking ship are well-meaning, capable folks. Folks who think that the problems that are visible to them are probably problems only within their department, and not really something endemic to the entire organization. A great read, highly recommended.
2. Listen to Stephen Fry’s Great Leap Years: Stephen Fry has an exceptional list of talents from writing to performing to narrating. This podcast series, where he talks about the great inventions that created our information age, from the movable type printing press to the silicon transistor, is one full of delightful anecdotes and exceptional narrative. I highly recommend this podcast to those wanting to know a little bit more about how us humans got to where we are today.
3. Watch this “World Champion of Public Speaking” winner from 10 years ago: I loved this speech when I first saw it 10 years ago, and I loved it again now when the Youtube algorithm decided to resurface it randomly. A heartfelt story, delivered passionately and engagingly, guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Check it out!
That’s it for this week, see you next Tuesday!
I am absolutely CERTAIN you're looking over my shoulder at my desk and my computer and my Substack inbox and my to-do list, Punit! 🤣 Brilliant!!!
The inbox is the one thing that makes me want to run away from the computer. I am the chip away task master. I go through it and delete most unnecessary items first thing in the morning….and likely check in one more time during the day and evening. I want it all empty before bedtime. I need to rethink this chore as I don’t get as much from it as I put into it. This is a red flag. It’s the feeling of “missing” something isn’t it? What could I be missing when I am already content at home. Wouldn’t my time be better spent creating? What’s the way out?