Keeping Up With The Emails (+ More)

The Overwhelm + Struggle Is Real

Photo by Brian J. Tromp on Unsplash

Yesterday, I spent four hours—yes, four entire hours—sorting through a mountain of unread emails. Thousands of them. Some from last week. Some from last year. Some that probably belong in a digital museum exhibit titled “When Life Was Manageable.”

For every step forward I’ve made lately, digitally it feels like I’m sliding two steps back.

My inboxes have become Bermuda Triangles of intentions—things come in, but they never seem to go back out. I swear, I’m trying. But the truth is, I just can’t keep up with the sheer velocity and volume of incoming information anymore.

And I know I’m not alone.

So if you’re someone who’s been waiting on a reply from me—an email, a text, a DM, a smoke signal—I’m sorry. I truly am. You might be feeling ignored or forgotten, but I promise, it’s not you. It’s the chaos. It’s me trying—and failing—to be superhuman in a circle jerk world designed to burn us out.

ONCE UPON A TIME, EMAIL WAS FUN

Remember when email used to be exciting? You would get a message and it actually meant something. It wasn’t a 20% off sale, a phishing scam, or some AI-generated newsletter you forgot you subscribed to. Same with phone calls, social media, even texts. There used to be joy in those little dings. A lot of joy in some cases.

Now? Every social media platform feels like a gamified warzone. Algorithms shout. Scammers lurk. Marketers flood. It’s always on, and it’s usually too much. For this sensitive, easily-distracted creative.

The signal-to-noise ratio is so off, I can’t even tell what matters anymore.

And the wildest part? I’ve barely started packing for my upcoming move.

So here I am: digitally drowning, physically procrastinating, emotionally overwhelmed, and mentally...crispy.

THE TRIPLE TRUTH, RUTH

I’m not a productivity guru. I don’t have a color-coded life planner. I’m surviving but far from thriving. In a word, I’m triaging. And right now, that means I need to take a few days off from replying. From being available. From trying to hold up this crumbling facade of “keeping it together.”

And, no, I likely won’t be playing “catch up” later.
If you really need a reply, please try me later.

I need space to breathe. To recalibrate.
To remember that I’m more than just a to-do list with thumbs.

IF YOU’RE FEELING THIS TOO…

You’re not lazy. You’re not failing. You’re just human in a wacky world that rewards burnout and punishes pauses. Take the break. Let the emails wait. We’re not robots.

I’ll be back. Maybe not “inbox zero” back, but at least “I didn’t cry while checking Gmail” back.

Thanks for understanding….
Clint 🌈✌️

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FYC = STORIES + SUBSTACKS

• The Winding Path To Parenthood (Gay Buffet)

• 16 Shorts To Celebrate Queer Love (The Queer Love Project)

• Radical Poetics of González-Torres (The Rogue Art Historian)

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ON THIS DAY = JUNE 11

BIRTHDAYS

• 1864 = Richard Strauss = German composer and conductor

• 1877 = Renée Vivien = English-French poet and author 🌈

• 1902 = Eric Fraser = British illustrator and graphic designer

• 1910 = Carmine Coppola = American flute player and composer

• 1910 = Jacques Cousteau = French biologist, author, and inventor

• 1912 = James Algar = American filmmaker

• 1919 = Richard Todd = Irish-English actor

• 1925 = William Styron = American novelist and essayist

• 1933 = Gene Wilder = American actor and filmmaker

• 1937 = Chad Everett = American actor and director

• 1945 = Adrienne Barbeau = American actor

• 1949 = Frank Beard = American drummer and songwriter

• 1952 = Donnie Van Zant = American singer-songwriter and guitarist

• 1959 = Hugh Laurie = English actor and screenwriter

• 1966 = Bruce Robison = American country music singer-songwriter

• 1966 = Mario Silva = Portuguese-Canadian scholar and politician 🌈

• 1969 = Peter Dinklage = American actor and producer

• 1977 = Ryan Dunn = American stunt performer

• 1978 = Joshua Jackson = Canadian-American actor

• 1986 = Shia LaBeouf = American actor

• 1989 = Elle Pérez = American photographer 🌈

EVENTS

• 1724 = Johann Sebastian Bach directs his cantata O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort, BWV 20 in Leipzig, beginning his chorale cantata cycle.

• 1892 = The Limelight Department, one of the world's first film studios, is officially established in Melbourne, Australia.

• 1936 = Inventor Edwin Armstrong demonstrates FM broadcasting to an audience of engineers at the FCC in Washington, DC.

• 1963 = POTUS John F. Kennedy addresses Americans from the Oval Office proposing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which would revolutionize American society by guaranteeing equal access to public facilities, ending segregation in education, and guaranteeing federal protection for voting rights.

• 1982 = E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is released in theaters.

• 1982 = Grease 2 is released in theaters.

• 1986 = Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is released in theaters.

• 1986 = Madonna releases “Papa Don’t Preach” as a single.

• 1993 = Jurassic Park is released in theaters.

• 1999 = POTUS Bill Clinton issues the first Presidential Proclamation of Gay and Lesbian Pride Month.

• 2002 – Antonio Meucci is acknowledged as the first inventor of the telephone by the United States Congress.

HOLIDAYS + OBSERVANCES

• National Making Life Beautiful Day

• Pride Month (ongoing)

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PORTRAIT + QUOTES OF THE DAY

“I don't like giving speeches. It makes me nervous.”
Gene Wilder

“Pride is not the worst of sins.
In fact, it's one of the most interesting ones.”
Gene Wilder