Deleting the Red Dots

I don’t like the red dots—and I’m not dissing Target’s logo--but the omnipresent reminders that I have messages, emails, updates, you name it--all over my phone and computer.  Perhaps a little bit anal, compulsive, whatever, but it seems my days now are filled with hours cleaning up my inbox everywhere.  Every morning, the first task with coffee in hand, a quick scan of the New York Times, and then delete, delete, delete.  The other day sitting in the dentist chair, mouth numb waiting for the Dr. to come in for 8 minutes, delete, delete, delete.  I’ve consolidated information gathering the best I can, with emails summarizing various news, Axios, CNN’s 5 Things, TLDR, Morning Brew, quick read then delete.  A real work email or personal note, fine, read, respond, file.  But most email seems to be clean-up, delete, delete and delete.  And then there are the apps, updates, new podcasts, more red dots every few hours, open , read, clean, and delete.

Do I need every real estate notice from property sales around the country, maybe, but 95% get a delete.  Restaurant or Entertainment News summaries, scan and delete.  Thrillist, review headline and delete.  Copies of accounting reports, 95% delete.  Private air offers, 100% delete. 

On my computer, I switch fingers to avoid carpal tunnel repetitive motion injury on the delete when I have 100 plus red dots to clear if I was away for more than an hour.  Taking 5 hours offline requires 15 minutes of pure deleting.  If I go off the grid for a day, I need to dedicate a full hour to have a clean inbox.  And I soooo need a clean inbox.  I get bothered by the red dots, I feel dirty, like I have not showered or brushed my teeth. 

I think that is my problem.  I don’t feel balanced without having a minute of no red dots.   Those few seconds of tranquility, my moment of zen, of pure unadulterated 100% cleaned, fully deleted information flow where I am on top of my shit.  It lasts for a few cycles and pop, a message from a friend, copies of work emails, spam, news, bank messages, updates to apps, and my screens are littered with red dotes again.  It’s a fucking battle. And I keep adding up all the time I spend just getting rid of red dots, it’s hours every day. 

Remember way back 36 months ago before wireless ear buds, the old earphones with 3-foot cords.  Those white fucking thin sticky cords would tangle up anytime you put into the pocket requiring another untangle which could take up to three minutes.  Do that 10 times a day, that’s between 10 and 30 minutes, 300 days a year, that 6.25 days a year of my life untangling the headphones.  I’m glad that was resolved, but the deleting is taking even more time, all the time, 24/7.  I delete when I got to the bathroom to save time, before bed so I can sleep, as soon as I wake up, while walking to work, even sometimes taking a hike.  Got to get rid of the red dots.   

Life is short. Is it suppose to be about obsessively cleaning up data to bring tranquility, balance, and self-actualization?  Am I the only one seeing so many dots?