There’s something deeply, almost embarrassingly satisfying about declaring an entire day dedicated to email management. I’m not talking about the careful, considered responses to colleagues or the thoughtful replies to student queries, but the cold brutality of grinding through your email after being away for weeks. It’s the kind of day where you roll up your sleeves, make sure you have enough coffee to go the distance, and prepare to wrestle your inbox into submission through a declaration of war.

There’s something almost meditative about the rhythm of it: scan, delete, file, unsubscribe, repeat. Each cleared message is a small victory, each emptied folder a step towards digital sanity. Your inbox counter drops from a horrifyingly Big Number to something approaching respectability.

But here’s something I recently realised about this particular kind of admin—it’s actually productive. You’re not avoiding the scholarly work; you’re creating the conditions for it. Every pointless subscription cancelled is one less future distraction. Every automated email disabled is more headspace for the work you love.

By the end of the day, when my inbox resembles something functional rather than a chaotic to do list, I feel a sense of deep satisfaction in having gone through the graft.

Because it means that tomorrow, I’ll start with the mental clarity to engage with meaningful work.