Emails are strange. They can drive us insane. The notification ping of our iPhone can cause anxiety and depend on the content of one of those little digital messages, an email can make, or break your day. Seeing the increasing number next to the envelope icon on my phone makes me feel on edge, and usually, it's just filled with junk which I don't remember subscribing to in the first place. My inbox hasn't always been a joyful place, it can be filled with junk I don't want alongside job rejection letters, which funnily enough, I don't want either.

I remember the first time I found myself actually excited about emails. I'd subscribed to Emma Gannon's newsletter which at the time, went out weekly on a Sunday. I used to look forward to reading with a cup of tea on a Sunday morning, it made that once dreaded inbox, a place I wanted to visit.

I soon after subscribed to Laura Jane Williams newsletter How to Eat An Elephant, and amongst the junk, there was something beautiful to read, I found my body covered in goosebumps as I read her words on the bus.

Over time I've curated my inbox, to make it something I enjoy slightly more, I unsubscribed to the junk trying to sell me things which I neither need nor want and subscribed to some of that mail I can value.


So beyond Laura, and Emma who's newsletter made me find some joy behind that little envelope icon, here are some of the other news note which adds a hint of magic to my inbox.


An Edited Life by The Anna Edit - Anna's monthly news note 'An Edit Life' is probably the most practical of the bunch. If you're someone who loves organisation and planning Anna always shares some great tips, alongside some of her favourite pieces of media she's consumed through the month.

Sunday Duvet Reading by What Olivia Did - Liv's weekly Sunday Duvet Reading newsletter is where she's has a little chat about the things she's been up to and what she's been in enjoying.

Conversations on Love by Natasha Lunn - Natasha Lunn Conversations on Love is a place where love is explored through a mixture of essays and interviews. The writing is enchanting and informative.

You, Me and A Cup of Tea by Ghenet Actually: Ghenet's newsletter is great. Similar to Liv's, it's a bit of chat, perfect for reading with a cup of tea.

Freelance Writer by Sian Meades - If you're a freelance writer, this newsletter will come in super hand. The newsletter is full of links to paid writing jobs.


Let me know if you subscribe to any of these wonderful newsletters, they all make my inbox feel a little brighter.

Something I've been considering for a long time is starting my own newsletter. I wanted to create somewhere which I can allow myself to be more vulnerable in my writing to use my words to do some soul searching, and a safe space to write for the sake of writing, to explore my thoughts and practice my writing - so finally I bite the bullet, and created a tinyletter account which you can subscribe here. For now, my newsletter, Soul Searching it will go out as and when I find myself typing out my thoughts and feel they're worth sharing.

I'm a little nervous about starting this. I've been known to go back into blog posts and edit them after hitting the publish button as I'm prone to a typo or two, so I know despite my best efforts, my newsletter may not always be perfect, but as the saying goes, better perfect than finished. Sometimes I think it's about more than perfection, if I've got something to say, I should create a space to say it, typos and all (but hopefully not too many of those).

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Illustration by Ella Masters.

I am well and truly addicted to my phone, and honestly, I hate myself for it. I don't want to spend my time constantly looking at the screen, and losing hours of my life scrolling through Instagram. I love my phone, but sometimes I wonder if I was happier before iPhones were a thing. My phone is both my favourite and least favourite thing. It's great that I can fit so much technology in my pocket, that I have google maps if I get lost and I've always got a camera on me. But honestly, sometimes WhatsApp notification leaving me feeling anxious, and I feel a constant pressure to document life rather than just live it. Sometimes I find myself scrolling and before I've even realised it's happening I've wasted an hour. So with that in mind, my phone and I have headed off the couples therapy and I'm working on building a new positive relationship with it that isn't all-consuming.

Here are some of the ways I'm making my time on the phone more positive:

Turning it off 

Actually switching it off, and putting it in a drawer, as if it's a Nokia 3310. It's weird what a difference this makes. It's a reminder that I can be without it, I don't feel tempted to use it as a means of procrastination and it taught me that the world will not end when it's not on. I actually get things done when it's off and when it comes back on, hell I'm reading twitter updated that I haven't already seen four times before and social media actually becomes enjoyable again.

Not sleeping with it under my pillow 

My excuse for sleeping with my phone under my pillow has always been the alarm app, but honestly, I just found myself scrolling Instagram at 2am instead of snoozing. No smart alarm is going to make me less tired in the morning if I'm spending my nights staring at the light of my phone. So, I finally gave in and started placing my phone the other side of the room before bed, it cuts out the late night phone time, which means I sleep better and getting up in the morning is so much easier when I have no choice but to cross my bedroom to turn off that alarm.

Making use of screen time 

The new iPhone update came with the Screen Time feature so you can track how much you're using your phone, only allow use on certain apps for a certain amount of time, and personally, I think it's great, it's worth utilizing. I've set the downtime on my phone so, once it hits 10pm each night, my phone locks the majority of my apps, making it harder to access them. It gives you the option to unlock them, for the night or just for 15 mins, but it's a great reminder to give myself a bit of time away from the screen before settling down to bed.

Deleting some apps 

I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but I've found deleting certain apps has meant I've spent less time on my phone, using apps which I didn't make me feel good. I used to find myself spending my time on Snapchat and Facebook and really gaining nothing from it. Deleting the apps takes away that temptation.

Unfollowing 

 I'm sure you've heard it a thousand times before, but unfollowing those whos updates you don't enjoy changes everything. Laura Jane Williams once described Instagram to me as my own personal magazine which I get to curate myself, with that in mind, I tried to make sure it's a magazine which I enjoy every part of, that I come away from feeling good. I'm feeling more liberated with the unfollow button and social media has become a nicer place to be.

Forest App 

Once again, something I've previously mentioned, but if you struggling to put that phone down, or find yourself reaching for it when you should be working, this app is perfect. You set a time limit to grow and virtual tree, and you cannot use your phone until the tree has grown, it's surprising motivation working to grow fake plants.


I hope this helps if you're looking to tone down the phone addiction, I'm certainly spending less on my time looking at the little screen since I've put these things in place.


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