Know what you need, at this time, right now

I just just read a great, short email by one of my favorite bloggers Clair Diaz-Ortiz. If I am being honest, which I always am, I don’t even really remember how I found her or when I decided to fork over my email information to receive her newsletter.

But I am glad I did.

Because I get so much out of her posts.  It’s never “too much”. It always feel relevant. And just enough.

Which I can’t say for some other emails and other information-gathering outlets. I am actually finding that a lot of what hits my email these days is not really conducive to my own productivity or self development and so I’ve definitely taken to unsubscribing. It’s not that there isn’t great information offered by some really talented people. It’s that I need to pay attention to what I need, at this time, right now.

And there is so much I don’t need.

Just like junk mail piles up in your physical mailbox if you don’t address it and take the steps to stop it, your email in box is no different.  Over time, with the online browsing, and often-times random subscriptions, your email gets cluttered with all kinds of things and it is easy to become blind to it and keep it – despite the overwhelm and clutter it causes.

If you really think about it, there is a lot you don’t need.  Even the really good, well-intended stuff. It can be too much. And too much of even a good thing isn’t good. It makes us feel overwhelmed with the sheer amount of information out there. And with more and more information always at our fingertips or in our eyesight, we are more and more distracted.

That distraction is a detriment of epic proportions because it takes us away from what it is we really need to be doing. Or what will really propel us forward in work or in life.

I know what I need. And sometimes – at least lately – it isn’t more “stuff”, information, or emails that clutter. It is more of what helps me relish in the less.  It is limiting social media and making enough room for the feel-good but brutally honest, to-the-point posts and emails that don’t mess around. Those that aren’t constantly selling something. Or making me feel confused, or inadequate. Or really giving me just more of the same old stuff.

I need solid information – just enough of it – that helps me be a better person. And keeps me sane, which is a very good thing.  I need information that isn’t crowded or confused or cluttered.  I need information that is purposeful.

And simple.

Simple is good.  Simple is what I need.

Simple is what I think we all need.

Too much information — you know the kind we get from from 24-hour news channels and the tens of hundreds of not-necessarily-pertinent emails daily — promotes busyness. It makes us feel like so much is going on. The fact is, there is a lot going on. The world is a very big place. But in order to be more present in our own lives, we can’t let the busyness of the world crowd how we see our day-to-day and, in turn, affect how we “do” our day.

It is hard to do, to not think about or let what we read or watch infiltrate our own consciousness. I have taken many breaks from social media to help stop it and ground me.  And I am always happier for the break.

Maybe it’s time for you to assess what pops up in your email. Or rethink how you take in media (how much, when, why). And decide whether all of it helps you. Is it something you need, at this time? Does it inform your life positively? Does it make you feel happy, alive, and present with today?

May this email be a reminder to make today the most important day.  May it be a push for you to look at what comes in, and keep only what helps you make progress.

Delete – or better yet – unsubscribe the rest.  You have the power to control how much you see, and when. You have the power to steer your day and your week and your life in any direction you choose.

Choose wisely. Start by being clear on what it is you need, at this time.

Right now.