Avoiding Inbox Triage

Metaphorical Narrative

The inbox waits like a swelling tide.
Unread numbers pile higher, each message a pebble adding weight.
The mind whispers: “too much, I can’t face it.”
Avoidance feels like relief — until the mountain grows steeper.

Core Insight

This is avoidance disguised as self-preservation. The nervous system equates the inbox with threat, so delay masquerades as safety.

Mechanism: overwhelm loop — striatum biases away from high-load tasks, reinforcing dread.
Examples: letting unread emails accumulate, skipping notifications, pushing off sorting until “later.”
Spotting cues: chest heaviness at email icon, bargaining thoughts (“I’ll do it tomorrow”), temporary relief from not looking.

The EF Move intervenes: one concrete, values-aligned action biases the brain toward authorship, shrinking the mountain back into pebbles.

Proof Snapshot + Identity Line

Notice how, once even five messages are cleared, the weight lightens. That is lived proof.
The sovereign line: “I lead with one move, not all moves.”

Saturday Experiment

1. Open the inbox.
2. Clear exactly five emails — no more, no less.
3. Mark completion, then close.
4. Note the shift in weight and authorship.

Sunday Reflection

Journal in third person:

• How did avoidance of the inbox show up this week?
• What happened when they made one EF Move?
• How did their identity shift from avoidance to authorship?