You subscribed because the writing was good. The creator had insights you couldn't find elsewhere. Their weekly email felt like a conversation, not marketing.
Then you subscribed to another. And another. Then a Substack. Then three more.
Now you have 47 unread emails, a vague sense of guilt, and you're considering the nuclear option: unsubscribe from everything.
There's a better way.
The Problem Isn't You. It's the Format.
Newsletters were supposed to be better than social media. No algorithms, no ads, no infinite scroll. Just good writing delivered directly to you.
But they inherited email's worst trait: the inbox.
Your inbox wasn't designed for long-form reading. It was designed for tasks, reminders, and receipts. Mixing newsletters with work emails creates two problems:
- Guilt. Every unread newsletter feels like a task you're failing to complete.
- Context switching. You're trying to read a thoughtful essay between "Meeting in 10 mins" and "Your package has shipped."
The format is broken. The writing is still good.
Why Unsubscribing Doesn't Solve It
The knee-jerk reaction to newsletter overload is mass unsubscribe. Clean slate. Inbox zero.
Two weeks later, you're resubscribing to the ones you actually missed. Because you didn't have too many newsletters—you had the wrong system for managing them.
Unsubscribing punishes good writers for email's design flaws.
What Actually Works: Separate Reading from Email
The solution is simple: get newsletters out of your inbox.
Most newsletter tools (Substack, Beehiiv, ConvertKit) offer RSS feeds. RSS readers have existed for decades, but they've been underrated because they lack email's "push" convenience.
Here's the thing: push notifications are the problem, not the solution.
When newsletters arrive on their schedule instead of yours, you feel behind. When you control when you read, you're in charge.
How to Set Up a Calm Newsletter System
Here's the workflow that works:
Step 1: Redirect newsletters to an RSS reader
Instead of letting newsletters hit your inbox, subscribe via RSS. Tools like any-feeds let you add Substacks, blogs, YouTube channels, and podcasts into one unified feed.
Step 2: Turn off email notifications
Most newsletter platforms let you disable email delivery while keeping your subscription active. If not, create a filter that archives newsletters automatically. You're not ignoring them—you're choosing when to engage.
Step 3: Check your feed on your schedule
Instead of newsletters interrupting you 12 times a day, you check once—when you have time to actually read. Morning coffee, lunch break, evening wind-down. Your schedule, not theirs.
Step 4: Read without guilt
In an RSS reader, "unread" doesn't mean "failure." It just means "not yet." Scroll past what doesn't interest you. Bookmark what you want to revisit. No notifications, no pile-up, no guilt.
RSS vs. Email: The Hidden Benefits
Beyond reducing inbox clutter, RSS readers solve problems email never could:
1. No duplicates
Subscribe to the same writer on Substack, Medium, and their personal blog? Email gives you three copies. RSS merges them into one.
2. No tracking
Email newsletters track opens, clicks, location. RSS doesn't. Your reading habits stay private.
3. No spam
Once you add a feed, you see only what you subscribed to. No "We miss you!" re-engagement emails. No promotional upsells.
4. One place for everything
Newsletters, blogs, YouTube, podcasts—all in the same feed. You don't need seven apps to follow seven formats.
The Calm Alternative to Newsletter Overload
Most people don't have a newsletter problem. They have a newsletter delivery problem.
Email was never designed for long-form reading. RSS was.
If you've been putting off newsletters because your inbox is chaos, the issue isn't the writing—it's where you're trying to read it.
Try this:
- Pick 5 newsletters you actually want to read.
- Add them to an RSS reader like any-feeds.
- Turn off email delivery.
- Check your feed once a day for a week.
You'll notice two things:
- You read more because there's no guilt.
- You enjoy it more because you're in control.
Newsletter overload isn't about unsubscribing. It's about reading on your terms.
Ready to take control? Try any-feeds—free, no credit card, no algorithmic feed. Just everything you follow in one calm feed.