It’s occurred to me how many of the email lists I’m on are related to dreams I have for my life. Not just current dreams, dreams I’m actively working toward, but past dreams, too.

I’m on email lists about growing your newsletter, even though I don’t have a newsletter right now. About finding an agent, although I don’t have a book proposal and might not even want to go that route anyway. About building an online course. About content marketing. About tax law for S-corps, a type of business I don’t have.

I’m on some email lists for things I have going on currently, and of course, I’m on lists for things that aren’t so much about striving. Newsletters where I read for the person’s writing, or to learn about obscure topics.

I still open many of the ones for things I’m not currently working on. Because I like the writing, or because I think it’ll be useful to know about for later, or maybe because of FOMO that I’ll need the information in that particular newsletter, or of course, out of procrastination and avoidance of existential dread.

But recently I wondered, what does it mean to have my inbox filled with newsletters about things I once wanted, but no longer want?

I’m going to try filtering these to a folder for a month and see how I feel.