Hey there! 👋

Let me paint you a picture: the day was January 5th, you opened your laptop with fresh New Year energy, ready to tackle 2026... and your inbox had 3,847 unread emails staring back at you like an angry mob demanding attention.

(Don't ask me how I know this exact number. Just trust me, I know…)

Here's the thing nobody tells you about building a creator business - every new opportunity, every brand partnership, every community member who wants to connect... they all come through your inbox & suddenly, that thing that was supposed to help you run your business has become the thing drowning you.

So before you dive into leveling up your 2026 content calendar, let's talk about the unsexy but absolutely critical work of getting your inbox under control.

Your inbox anxiety isn't just about volume. It's about the fact that every unread email feels like an unmet obligation. Every notification is a tiny guilt trip. Every time you open your email, you're reminded of all the things you haven't done yet.

That's not sustainable. And it's definitely not how you want to start a new year.

Here's how I went from inbox chaos to actual peace (and how you can too):

Step 1: The Brutal Unsubscribe Session

Block out 30 minutes this week. Open every marketing email you haven't read in the last month and hit unsubscribe. No guilt, no "but what if they send something good?" - if you haven't opened it, you don't need it.

I unsubscribed from 147 subscriptions in one sitting. My inbox volume dropped by 60% immediately.

Step 2: Create Three Folders That Actually Work

Forget complicated filing systems. You need three folders:

Everything else gets deleted or unsubscribed.

Step 3: Schedule Email Time (And Actually Stick To It)

I check email three times a day: 10 AM, 1 PM, and 4 PM. Outside those times? Closed. Gone. Not thinking about it.

This one change cut my email anxiety in half because I know when I'll address it.

Step 4: Use Templates For Everything

Create templates for:

You're not being lazy - you're being efficient with your most valuable asset: your time.

Step 5: Friday Inbox Zero Ritual

Every Friday afternoon, process everything to zero. This doesn't mean respond to everything - it means sort, file, and decide what's actually actionable.

Takes 30 minutes when you're caught up. Takes forever if you let it pile up.

If you use a task management tool I recommend moving any open inbox tasks into your task tracker and getting the email out of your inbox.

Email is a tool you control, not a thing that controls you. If your inbox feels like a to-do list from hell, that's not an email problem - that's a system problem.

Build the system now, in January, before you're six months deep in 2026 wondering where your time went.

Your creator business needs your creative energy focused on creating, not drowning in inbox anxiety. Let's start this year differently.

Have too many emails to easily process them right now? Here’s your permission to archive anything older than 30 days. If its an opportunity that wants you it will come back around

What's your current unread email count? Reply and let me know! - no judgment, just solidarity 😅

💜 Tara