You know, when checking your bank account gave you anxiety? I remember going weeks without looking, just to avoid seeing that $19 balance.
Nowadays, that’s how I feel checking email after the weekend. But 2 weeks ago, my buddy showed me a free Chrome Extension called Inbox When Ready, which has radically reduced my email anxiety.
I’ve written about the Facebook Feed Eradicator and Cold Turkey, a couple of my favorite Extensions that promote focus by forcibly blocking you from social sites.
Well, Inbox When Ready is just like that for email.
When you log into your email, you won’t see your inbox. You’ll only have the ability to send emails. If you want to see your inbox, just click a button and BAM — you’re right back in the anxiety-inducing email mix.
And, for the obsessive email checkers, Inbox When Ready allows you to lock yourself out of your inbox for a specified time, or set “an inbox budget” to decide how many times you get to check your inbox each day and how much time you want to spend on it.
Basically, it lets me focus on email when I need to, and avoid an existential crisis when I don’t. Totally worth it if you ask me.
— Sam Parr, CEO of The Hustle