This Gmail tool proved to be my best digital detox ever

If you’d ask me to find an apt analogy for my Gmail accounts, I’d equate them with junkyards — heaps of trash that no one wants to touch or sort. And those heaps are only spreading wider and growing taller with new junk thrown on top every single day.

That’s exactly the kind of clutter my Gmail accounts have hoarded over the years, with my email addresses ending up in hundreds, if not thousands, of mailing lists, without or with forced consent. That sneaky little checkbox that doesn’t let you proceed unless you click it? Yeah, that’s the culprit. And I know I’m not alone in this boat.