It’s only day 3 but already I’m sensing a different pace in the physical world than I experience in my digital world.

In the physical world, it’s slower. You have more time to think and reflect. I like that. Driving around town, dropping things off, I have time to think – instead of DO.

In the digital world, you can get more done, faster. You can have an idea, do the research and actually get it done – all within minutes. There is no heavy lifting, waiting for businesses to open, driving to get there.

I think the immediacy of the digital world leads to a lot of the “I want it NOW” perspective we see in society. We get so used to being able to think it and see it immediately that impatience sets in when we have to wait a day or two.

It’s no wonder that people who enjoy gardening always seem so calm and centered. They are used to being patient and waiting for plants to grow.

Who knew that taking paint to the hazardous waste disposal would yield so much contemplation!

Clean Up – a new world awaits!

One of the things I’m finding in my Clean Up is that it gets faster as I go. Part of it may be experience and skills. But I think a good part of it is just getting used to getting rid of things.

For example, I had an old gmail account that had a few pieces of information I needed to keep. But it also had thousands of email newsletters I’d never gotten around to reading.

So I figured out how to find all the emails from one person (started with Mike Filsaime, since I knew that would clean out a TON of messages!). Then I saw how to delete them all at once.

Since gmail is not my native email environment (I’m an Outlook user) I’m learning new skills as I go.

The “reason” I have kept all of these messages came back to me – “I might want to review their methods of marketing one day” Yeah RIGHT! If I haven’t gotten around to studying their methods in the past two years (yes TWO years!) then I’m not likely to do it. Besides, I have my OWN methods now!

A few times at the start I agonized over a particular subject line – “Mmm, sounds like something I really want to read” – but I hit the delete key anyway. And the more I hit the delete key, the more excited I got about seeing that clean inbox.

One realization I have had – that the really good marketers (translated – making a lot more money than anyone else) mail frequently and forever! They don’t get discouraged if you don’t buy in six months. They just keep mailing.

And they mail often. Four, five, six times a week.

So what does that tell you? Yes, I don’t always read their messages – but they are there when I DO want to read them. And it only takes one message – because I can assure you, without even opening those message, that every one of them contains a link.

So if someone were cleaning out messages from you over the past two years – how many messages would there be?